BILLINGS, Mont.- The Battlin' Bears control their own destiny to wrap up the regular season, as a pair of victories on the road would lead to a Frontier Conference Regular Season Championship and the No.1 seed in the upcoming Frontier Conference Tournament. 

Game Information

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Thursday, February 20th
(RV) Rocky Mountain College (17-9, 9-4 conf.) vs #19 Carroll College (17-9, 9-4 conf.)
Helena, Montana | 5:00 pm (MT)

Saturday, February 22nd
(RV) Rocky Mountain College (17-9, 9-4 conf.) vs Montana Western (7-18, 2-11 conf.)
Dillon, Montana | 2:00 pm (MT)

Last Time Out

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The Battlin' Bears secured a home sweep last weekend, cruising to commanding victories over (RV) Montana Tech and MSU-Northern. In those games, they defeated both teams by an average margin of 25 points. They held their opponents to an average of 39.0 points per game, including just 36 points to Montana Tech. 

In the win over the Orediggers, it was a hot shooting third quarter that extended a lead Rocky wouldn't give up. After the Orediggers got the first basket of the half on a layup by Hadley Humphreys, the Battlin' Bears rattled off a 12-2 run, hitting four consecutive shots from the field to open up a 15-point advantage. Overall, in the third quarter, the Battlin' Bears hit four threes and shot over 50% from the field to extend a lead as large as 21. Rocky's 26-point third quarter was led by eight points from both Gracee Lekvold and Iliana Moran. Four Battlin' Bears finished in double-figures, led by Gracee Lekvold who scored 13 points and added four assists and two steals. Sydney Dethman and Iliana Moran added 12 points a piece, and Isabelle Heggem finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.

In Saturday's win over the Skylights, seniors Gracee Lekvold and Sydney Dethman led the Battlin' Bears to a 29-point victory on Senior Day in the Fortin Education Center. The win was tied for the second-largest margin of victory for the Battlin' Bears this season and the largest in conference play. Rocky took the lead with 7:31 remaining in the first quarter on a three-pointer from Sydney Dethman and never gave the lead back. Sydney Dethman led all scorers with 16 points, along with five rebounds and two steals. Gracee Lekvold added 13 points with three three-pointers, seven rebounds and three assists. Rocky sank nine threes on the afternoon, tied for the most in a conference game this season.

Game Notes

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Finish Strong 
The Battlin' Bears control their own destiny to wrap up the regular season, as a pair of victories on the road would lead to a Frontier Conference Regular Season Championship and the No.1 seed in the upcoming Frontier Conference Tournament. Below is the current Frontier Conference Standings with two games remaining.









Defensive Excellence
Highlighting a defensive effort that saw the Rocky women allow just 39.0 points per game in their two victories over the weekend, freshman Paige Wasson was named Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Wasson grabbed 12.0 rebounds per game, leading the Rocky women in both games while recording her fourth career double-double in Rocky's win over MSU-Northern and adding a steal and a block.

Heating Up
With the conference schedule winding down, the Battlin' Bears have picked up their pace, winning three of their last four games and five of their last seven entering the final weekend of the regular season. With their final two games on the road, the Rocky women will look to build on their excellent road record this year, which includes a record of 12-2 in road and neutral site contests. 

Scouting the Fighting Saints
Thursday's matchup will have significant postseason implications. Rocky and Carroll enter the contest tied for first place in the Frontier Conference after the Fighting Saints fell to #25 Providence and (RV) Montana Tech last weekend. The previous matchup between these teams was an exciting one, with the Saints swiping an overtime victory in Billings. Kyndall Keller has been lights out for Carroll as of late, scoring 29 points in Carroll's last outing and totaling four games of 20 or more points in her last six games. 

Scouting the Bulldogs
Montana Western will look to build momentum to wrap up the regular season as they enter the weekend on a nine-game losing streak. Senior guard Payton Hagy has compiled a solid season overall, ranking first in the Frontier in three-pointers made (66) and fifth in the conference in three-point percentage.