Montana

Lady Griz drop heartbreaker at Dahlberg – University of Montana Athletics

Published

3 months ago

November 24, 2025

Lady Griz drop heartbreaker at Dahlberg – University of Montana Athletics

Wednesday’s loss, a 70-69 defeat at the hands of now 5-0 BYU, will keep first-year Lady Griz coach Nate Harris up into the wee hours, but when he wakes up on Thursday morning, he’ll likely do so with a noticeable hop in his step.

Showing a heightened tenacity on the defensive end and a depth of 3-point shooting that will create problems for every opponent Montana faces this season, Harris’s Lady Griz had the Cougars right where they wanted them in the closing minutes at Dahlberg Arena.

Montana led 69-64 with just over three minutes remaining but BYU made the winning plays down the stretch, a pull-up jumper in the lane, a 3-pointer with 2:03 that tied it and a game-winning free throw with 1:13 left that proved to be the final point of the game.

After the teams traded possessions in the final minute, Montana had the ball, down one, the shot clock turned off and shooters that had made 14 3-pointers on the night spaced around the arc.

But potential 3-pointer No. 15 was off the mark and the buzzer sounded before anyone could do anything with the rebound. It was a hard-to-take result on a night that left fans looking at the months ahead and thinking, okay, this team could be really good.

“A step in the right direction,” said an understandably disappointed Harris after the game. “I told the team, the easy thing to do is to focus on the result, which I’ll try my hardest not to do as well.

“We had a Big 12 team on the ropes and had some great looks down the stretch. Did enough defensively. Really disappointed for our kids. I felt like this could have been a great opportunity to taste victory.”

It was a match-up that was hard to make heads or tails of before tip, BYU racing out to a 4-0 start to the season, all the wins coming at home against a lineup of mid- to low-packers, Montana opening 1-3 but facing a brutal stretch of games against Oregon, Washington and South Dakota State.

BYU’s largest lead on Wednesday was seven, in the opening period. Montana’s was five, in the final period. In between was Montana’s 3-point shooting going back and forth with BYU’s stronger inside presence in a game full of drama and emotion. November basketball at its best.

Playing without last season’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year and this year’s leading scorer, Delaney Gibb, BYU still looked like it might run away with the game in the first quarter, getting out to leads of 16-9 and 18-11.

That’s when Montana seemed to draw a line in the sand, its on-ball defense, in particular, going from being there to straight-up disruptive.

The Lady Griz scored 10 points over the final 2:40 of the first quarter, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from freshman Rae Ehrman, and ended the period down just one, 20-19.

BYU would not shoot as well in any of the final three periods as the Cougars did in the first.

“We need to focus on the growth and what we got out of today, which was learning that when you guard, good things happen,” said Harris.

“I thought we guarded with a lot more intensity than we’ve shown all year. Were there mistakes? Sure, but I thought the effort and the intensity were there in a big way.”

The Cougars led 38-34 at the half, 55-54 after three quarters, setting up the dramatic final period.

Had Montana won, the hero would have been Mack Konig, who was special even without the W. She scored 19 points and added four assists, scoring six in the fourth quarter on strong drives through the gaping holes in the Cougar defense, Harris’s game plan for his program coming to life in real time.

A Macy Donarski 3-pointer gave Montana a 62-59 lead and an advantage it would hold for more than five minutes, a Konig finish at the basket making it 64-61, an Ehrman three making it 67-62, another Konig left-handed finish at the rim making it 69-64.

There were only three-some minutes to go and BYU had no answer for Montana’s spread offense. But Konig’s basket at 3:37 would be the final points of the game for the Lady Griz.

Marya Hudgins, who scored a game-high 23 points, breathed life into the Cougars when her pull-up made it a three-point game, 69-66.

The game flipped in a span of nine seconds, a Montana three from the corner missing with 2:12 to go and BYU hitting its own corner three with 2:03 left that tied it. What could have been a six-point lead was now a game deadlocked.

Neither team would score a basket the rest of the way, a free throw by Hudgins with 73 seconds left the final point.

After taking possession with 20 seconds left, Konig played the clock down to 10 seconds before initiating what Montana hoped was the game-winning sequence.

She drove, kicked it to Donarski, who drove and passed back to Konig, who got the ball of Jocelyn Land just to the side of the top of the key, the player who made eight threes on Saturday against South Dakota State.

It was an open but contested look, Hudgins doing her best to disrupt Land’s focus with a no-foul fly-by. The stroke was pure, the shot a bit to the right. Ball game. Heartbreak.

“We were right there with a fantastic look that I’d take 10 times out of 10 to win the game,” said Harris. “We have to keep plugging. We cannot let the results slow down or stunt the growth that we made tonight.”

Montana had its best offensive balance of the season, with Konig finishing with 19, her fifth time this season with 11 or more points, Ehrman adding 12 off the bench on four 3-pointers, and Waddington scoring 10 points, matching a career high with 13 rebounds and blocking a career-high four shots.

Donarski scored eight, Kennedy Gillette eight off the bench, Land six.

Montana has now made 13, 16 and 14 3-pointers the last three games on better-than-solid 36.4 percent shooting from the arc. The Lady Griz entered the night one of 15 teams in the nation averaging 10 or more threes made, a number that will only tick up after Wednesday.

Montana will go Big Ten to Big Ten to the nation’s top-ranked mid-major team to Big 12 to Big 12 when the Lady Griz host Utah (3-1) on Saturday, Nov. 29.

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Montana GOP won’t endorse in federal races this cycle • Daily Montanan

Published

19 minutes ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Montana GOP won’t endorse in federal races this cycle • Daily Montanan

Although newly minted GOP candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate have garnered heavyweight endorsements, the Montana Republican Party said Thursday it won’t throw its support behind any candidates for federal office in the primary.

“The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) stands behind its deep bench of qualified candidates seeking to represent Montanans and supports a competitive primary process to let voters pick their preferred candidates,” the Montana GOP said in a news release Thursday.

Monday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he was retiring due to health concerns once his term ends, and he immediately tapped talk-show host Aaron Flint as his preferred successor in Congress.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chairperson Al Olszewski also filed for the U.S. House as Republicans, as did Ray Curtis of Bonner.

Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew, and in a statement the same night, announced an endorsement of former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who had filed the same day.

In the Senate, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child also filed to run in the Republican primary.

Endorsements for Flint and Alme cascaded. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed both candidates, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy and Gov. Greg Gianforte threw their weight behind Flint and Alme.

Late on Wednesday, the Montana GOP did not immediately have comment on the news Daines, Montana’s senior U.S. senator, had resigned, but Thursday, the party thanked Zinke and Daines for their service.

A news release said the party would not endorse any candidates in the federal primary and would leave the job in the hands of voters.

“The party hopes every candidate will make their case to the public, contrasting their Republican policies and principles with those of Democrats — as well as phony ‘Independents,’” the news release said.

Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar announced a run for the U.S. Senate as an independent this week.

A tension within the Republican party has emerged in recent years between hardline conservatives and more moderate members, and some legislative primaries illustrate the split.

This week, the state GOP said the number of primaries for state legislative seats shows a high interest from Montanans who want to serve the state and pass Republican policy, and the MTGOP “is glad to see so many Republicans being called to public service.”

In a brief call, MTGOP spokesperson Ethan Holmes said the party had not ruled out endorsements in legislative primaries.

In the news release, however, the MTGOP offered its view of the larger political debate.

“Montana voters know that beyond the primaries, there is a clear choice between Republican and Democratic governance; one path leads to lower taxes, less crime and stronger families, and the other leads to higher taxes, more crime, and social decay,” MTGOP Chairperson Art Wittich said in a statement.

The news release also said the state GOP is working “tirelessly to deliver a Bright Red Future” at both the state and federal level and looks forward to help candidates whom voters select win in November.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 4, 2026

Published

12 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 4 drawing

01-07-08-27, Bonus: 12

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing

05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

03-04-06-08-10

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

The search for a new University of Montana president has drawn more than 60 applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

“We do not have an exact count at this time, as several applications are still being completed and additional submissions are expected,” said spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh in an email earlier this week.

In January, then-UM-President Seth Bodnar announced his resignation to pursue other public service. Wednesday, the final day of filing, he announced he was running as an independent for the U.S. Senate to try to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Daines.

Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian earlier said that with the advice of AGB Search, a firm that’s helped the Montana University System conduct other executive searches, he would undertake an expedited process to appoint a new president.

Christian has been providing brief updates on a website dedicated to the search. Last week, he said he and AGB Search are reviewing applications, and the pool of candidates was “strong and diverse.”

The commissioner also announced he was convening a small working group to assist in the search, members who “represent a variety of perspectives to assist in vetting and narrowing this field of exceptional candidates.”

In an email this week, Hollenbaugh identified the members of the working group who are assisting Christian with application review as: