Butte, Mont.- For the Skylights, who lost earlier this week to the University of Providence, there was plenty of motivation to get a win against the Diggers, but Montana Tech, which came into the game winless in the Frontier, also had reason to be fired up.

On the road, Northern started well and grabbed an 8-4 lead after a steal and a 3-pointer by Peyton Filius. Yet, an 8-0 run from Montana Tech allowed the Diggers to grab the lead before a pair of Brandy Lambourne free throws tied the score at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter.

A hoop early in the second quarter by Jacy Thompson gave the Skylights a 16-14 lead, but as it turns out, it was their last of the game. Tech responded with a 16-4 spurt to close the quarter, giving the Diggers a 30-20 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Skylights managed to get within five in the early going after a bucket by Shiloh McCormick. Yet, a couple of quick buckets by Shay Potter pushed it back to nine. By the end of the stanza, the lead was back to 10 at 47-37. A 3-point play by Thompson trimmed the lead to six points early in the fourth quarter, but another big run allowed Montana Tech to salt away the 16-point win.
Lambourne led the Skylights with 15 points in the loss. McCormick also pitched in with 13 points and seven rebounds. Potter led the way for the Diggers with a double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 boards.

"We did look a little tired, but there is no excuse. Every team in the Frontier has to make these trips," Skylights head coach Chris Mouat said. "We got behind by double-digits and then we had to try and play faster than we wanted to and that led to the score that you saw. I would say that this is something we need to learn from, but I have been saying that a lot. We just played poorly.

"We have a night again when we shoot 28 percent from the field and 27 percent from three," he added. "So we have got to shoot the ball better and we have to take better care of the ball. Tech was just better. There is a lot we can do. I don't have a lot of answers right now, but there are definitely things we can focus on."

The Lights (13-3, 3-1) and the Skylights (9-6, 1-3) will both be off until next Thursday when both teams will play on the road against Lewis and Clark State. Northern then travels to UM-Western next Saturday.

STORY BY CHRIS PETERSON, Havre Daily News