Montana

Montana State women overwhelm rival Montana, win 5th straight Brawl of the Wild matchup

Published

3 weeks ago

February 14, 2026

Montana State women overwhelm rival Montana, win 5th straight Brawl of the Wild matchup

MISSOULA — For a Montana State women’s basketball team that’s largely been led by its freshmen and sophomores this season, it was a junior who made the biggest impact Saturday against rival Montana at Dahlberg Arena.

Ella Johnson, playing in her 78th game with the Bobcats, scored 13 first-half points as Montana State opened up a 24-point lead in the second quarter. She finished with a career-high 17 points, and the Bobcats coasted to a 72-55 win to complete the regular-season sweep of the Lady Griz. MSU has now won five consecutive games in the series.

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Montana State women overwhelm rival Montana, win 5th straight Brawl of the Wild matchup

“I thought (Johnson) was really attack-oriented,” MSU coach Tricia Binford said. “Sometimes when she catches the ball she’s looking to pass, and today she was looking to score.

“Her freshman year, we always made the joke … that in the first few weeks it was Ella ‘Don’t Shoot the Ball’ Johnson, and then about two months in, I’m like, you’re middle nickname is ‘Shoot the Ball’ Johnson. So, we’re trying to build off that and get her to shoot the ball. She’s got a really nice-looking shot, especially faced up, but she’s getting more aggressive, and I just felt like she was focusing on making right plays and being aggressive.”

With both teams struggling to generate offense in the opening minutes, Johnson scored on a layup that sparked an 11-0 run by the Bobcats. She also had a 3-pointer during the stretch, and Montana State ultimately led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Cats’ onslaught continued into the second, and they started the quarter outscoring the Lady Griz 13-3 to build a 34-10 lead — with Jamison Philip, Brianne Bailey and Johnson each making 3-pointers during the run.

Montana started to show some life midway through the period and cut the deficit to 34-22 following two 3s by Avery Waddington and two buckets by Kennedy Gillette. Taylee Chirrick and Johnson, though, answered with a pair of MSU 3-pointers to give momentum back to the Bobcats. They led 40-22 at halftime.

“Ella Johnson, especially, did such a good job of carrying them through that first half with some big shots in some moments,” Lady Griz coach Nate Harris said. “I thought her last 3 of the half after we had cut it to 12 — Taylee buries one and then for (Johnson) to have the big play on one end with the block and then kind of come back down into a trail 3 to make it an 18-point game, I thought that was a gigantic play.”

The margin stayed between 13 and 20 points the entirety of the second half, as Montana slowed the pace and neither team was able to sustain momentum. Addison Harris picked up the scoring for MSU, putting in 11 points after intermission, including a personal 6-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Harris, a sophomore, totaled 15 points, Chirrick added 14 and Philip had 11. Johnson added six rebounds, two blocks and two steals to her stat line.

Chirrick, another sophomore, swiped four steals, giving her 100 on the season after she had 113 last year. She’s just the second player in Montana State history with multiple 100-steal seasons. Liz Holz had three such seasons in the 1980s.

With five games remaining in the regular season, Chirrick, who is averaging 4.2 steals per game, has a shot at MSU’s single-season record of 124 steals set by Holz during the 1988-89 season. The Bobcats (18-6 overall, 11-2 Big Sky) are back at home next week to host Weber State on Thursday.

Montana State also saw the return of Brooke Fatupaito on Saturday. The junior guard had missed the past 17 games with an injury, but she played nearly 12 minutes against the Lady Griz and grabbed two rebounds.

“I thought her minutes were fantastic. She gives us great energy,” Binford said of Fatupaito, a Billings Skyview alum. “She’s actually one of our most vocal junior leaders, and it’s great to have her out there.”

Gillette led Montana with 12 points, and Waddington had 11. The Lady Griz (7-17, 4-9) have now lost four consecutive games and return to Dahlberg Arena to host Idaho State on Thursday.

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Montana

March 5 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

5 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

March 5 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

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

Published

17 hours 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 Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 4, 2026

Published

1 day 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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