Missoula, Mont. (January 19, 2026) – After trailing by 17 early in the fourth quarter, the Northern Arizona women's basketball team rallied to make it a three-point game in the final minute but ultimately fell short to Montana, 76-72, on Monday afternoon.
Naomi White produced 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting and pulled down five boards and two steals to lead the Lumberjacks. Madison White nearly secured a double-double for the second straight game as she went for a career-high-tying 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and nine boards.
Emma Dasovich also tied her career-high in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-11 from the floor and dished three assists, while
J'Bionna Robinson tallied three points, two assists, and three steals in 20 minutes off the bench to collect her seventh game this season with three or more takeaways.
Montana (4-14, 1-5 Big Sky) shot 50% from beyond the arc, making 14 triples for a high in conference play. Four members of the Lady Griz scored in double figures, led by Jocelyn Land with 20 points. The Lady Griz held a slim edge in rebounding (35-31) but turned the ball over 19 times to NAU's seven. However, it was the foul line that made the difference in the contest, as Montana converted on all 12 of its free-throw attempts while NAU (7-13, 3-4 Big Sky) made only 17 of its 26 shots from the line.
The Lady Griz got off to a hot start, quickly building a double-digit lead in the opening quarter thanks to a 13-0 run and led 20-11 after one. Each squad produced 17 points in the second stanza for the 'Jacks to trail 28-37 at halftime, leading into a third period that also saw both sides match each other in points with 21. NAU got the deficit to single digits in the period but struggled to slow down the Lady Griz from beyond the arc as Montana shot above 50% in the second and third quarters.
As the lead grew to 17 with 7:22 left to play, NAU began to chip away and would play the fouling game, allowing it to get as close as three in the final seconds. Unfortunately, the 'Jacks were unable to convert on free throws and Montana escaped with the win.
NAU remains on the road and will travel to Greeley, Colorado for a contest with Northern Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST and will be streamed on ESPN+.
