Montana Western Wins NAIA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship

The Montana Western Bulldogs are national champions. In front of thousands of fans in Billings at the Rimrock Auto Arena, UMW brought home it’s first women’s basketball national championship over Oklahoma City 75-59. Amid “M-V-P” chants, Bulldogs senior guard Brianna King led the way with 37 points, in her best game of the entire tournament, finishing 15-22 from the floor, as the left no doubt who was the best player in the nation. Montana Western jumped out to an early lead, including a stretch in the first quarter that saw the Bulldogs go four straight possessions with three pointers to open up a 19-11 lead midway through the first. Things only escalated from there. King hit a triple with seconds remaining in the first to make it 24-16 Montana Western after one quarter of play, in a game that the Bulldogs never trailed. King was helped in the first half by fellow senior Tori Anderson, who went 5-6 with 12 points through the first 20 minutes. At halftime the lead had ballooned to 47-29 in favor of the Bulldogs, with King already up to 19 points, including five three pointers. The second half saw more of the same. Stifling defense for Western flustered Oklahoma City, who couldn’t find much rhythm at any point in the contest. By the end of the game, King was serenaded by chants of “M-V-P” as she walked to the bench with her final total of 37 points, giving her 76 in the semifinals and championship combined. Montana Western is now the only women’s basketball team in the Frontier Conference to ever win a DI National Championship.