March 1, 2026
BUTTE, Mont. — No. 2 seed Montana Tech used a dominant second quarter and a late pair of free throws from Brooke Badovinac to edge No. 6 seed Montana Western 78-74 in Frontier Conference women’s postseason semifinals action Sunday at the Butte Civic Center.
The victory put the Orediggers (24-4 overall record) in the Frontier Championship game with top-seed Dakota State (S.D.) Monday evening at 6 p.m. (Central Time)/5 p.m. (Mountain Time). The game will be broadcast live on SWX Local Sports. Both teams secured the Frontier Conference’s two automatic bids to the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament, which is set to start with First & Second Rounds on March 13-14.
Trailing 23-21 after the first quarter, the Orediggers seized control in the second, outscoring the Bulldogs 25-10 to build a 46-33 halftime lead. Montana Tech’s perimeter shooting keyed the surge, as the Orediggers finished 12 of 28 from 3-point range (42.9 percent) and assisted on 18 of their 29 field goals.
Montana Western, which shot 46.6 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc, steadily chipped away in the second half. The Bulldogs closed the gap to 58-51 late in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Isabella Lund, then continued their push in the fourth. Bailee Sayler’s layup with 3:32 remaining in the game pulled Western even at 70-70, completing a comeback from the 13-point halftime deficit.
Montana Tech answered with timely plays on both ends. Badovinac and Halle Haber combined to steady the Orediggers’ offense down the stretch, and Tech’s defense — which totaled eight blocks and six steals while committing just 10 personal fouls — helped limit Western’s trips to the free-throw line.
With the Orediggers clinging to a narrow lead in the final seconds, Badovinac went to the line and converted two free throws with 8 seconds remaining to push the margin to 78-74. Montana Western had a final attempt at the buzzer but could not convert.
Haber led Montana Tech with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, adding three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Badovinac finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while also hitting two 3-pointers and going 5 of 7 at the line. Tech also held a 31-27 edge on the glass, including 11 offensive rebounds, which helped offset Western’s higher field-goal percentage.
Sayler paced Montana Western with 18 points and seven rebounds, including two 3-pointers and a late first-half triple that cut into Tech’s growing lead. Lund added 15 points, five assists and four rebounds while knocking down two 3-pointers of her own, and Ava Bellach chipped in 13 points and three 3s as the Bulldogs finished 8 of 23 from distance. Western was efficient at the stripe at 12 of 14 but could not overcome Tech’s combination of 3-point shooting and interior rim protection.
Montana Western committed just 10 turnovers to Montana Tech’s seven turnovers.
The Bulldogs ended their season at 13-14 overall record.