Lady Griz defeat Eagles 77-59

Posted on February 3, 2008 by Colin O'Keefe
Stuck between an overtime win with fellow conference-frontrunner Portland State and next weekend’s looming rivalry game with Montana State, Saturday night’s matchup against Eastern Washington was the definition of a trap game. The Lady Griz won 77-59, but it wasn't without a little bit of trouble.

In the first seven minutes, I believe the Lady Griz were shooting somewhere around 25 percent from the field. At that 13:00 mark, the Lady Griz were down 18-6.

Then a 3-pointer by senior guard Laura Cote sparked a 11-2 run in which she hit another jumper while Johanna Closson knocked down a pair of shots from beyond the arc. After another Closson 3-pointer put the Lady Griz ahead 22-20 at the 5:46 mark, the Lady Griz didn't trail again.

I got a chance to speak with Coach Selvig and Britney Lohman after the game. They left a similar impression: the Lady Griz play with a perfect balance of confidence and respect for the opposition.

I first asked Lohman what coach Selvig says coming into games like the one against the Eagles (who have yet to win a conference game). Her response: "It's a big game no matter who we're playing." When asked about falling down early, said the shots just weren't falling but everyone was confident they'd make their run.

Selvig, almost the same thing: "We make every game the biggest we got." Also: "Our girls play with a lot of confidence."

Perfect mentality.
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Lady Griz destroy NAU women

Posted on January 11, 2008 by Colin O'Keefe
Even though last night's men's effort was absolutely wretched, there were two positives to emerge. One of them was an absolute trouncing of NAU by the Lady Griz.

I'd say it's damn near impossible to start a game better than the Lady Griz started last night. Twelve minutes in, the Lady Griz were up 24-0. Not only is that on pace to pitch a shut-out, but also to score about 85-90 points. Both the offense and defense were there. The Lady Griz led 44-14 at half en route to a 77-55 win. Here's Britney Lohman on the win:
“We came out with a vengeance tonight,” said Lohman, who matched her season high with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting. “It was tough to lose to them (last season) on our home floor in front of our fans, especially in the conference tournament.

“Tonight we were going to send a message of how we're going to play this year and not be scared of a team that handed it to us last year.”
I have no doubt that Lohman, who led the LG with 18 points, was not only vengeful over last season's loss, but her recent legal troubles as well. Lohman and Johanna Closson combined to score the Lady Griz's first 22 points, each netting 11.
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