HELENA — For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Frontier Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments will be held at a single site.
Sunday through Tuesday, six men’s and six women’s teams will battle it out inside Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls for the tournament championship, a title that comes with an automatic bid in the upcoming NAIA National Tournament.
Montana Tech (men) and Rocky Mountain College (women) are the defending tournament champions.
Frontier Conference Tournament matchups (with regular-season head-to-head records)
Sunday, Feb. 26 – Quarterfinals
Women’s Basketball
No. 4 Providence vs. No. 5 Montana Tech – 1 p.m. (2-1 Providence)
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No. 3 Rocky Mountain College vs. No. 6 MSU-Northern – 3 p.m. (3-0 Rocky)
Men’s Basketball
No. 4 Carroll vs. No. 5 Rocky Mountain College – 5 p.m. (3-0 Carroll)
No. 3 MSU-Northern vs. No. 6 Montana Western – 7 p.m. (2-1 Western)
Monday, Feb. 27 – Semifinals
Women’s Basketball
No. 1 Carroll vs. lowest remaining seed – 1 p.m.
No. 2 Montana Western vs. highest remaining seed – 3 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
No. 1 Montana Tech vs. lowest remaining seed – 5 p.m.
No. 2 Providence vs. highest remaining seed – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 28 – Championships
Women’s Basketball
Lowest remaining seed vs. highest remaining seed – 5 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
Lowest remaining seed vs. highest remaining seed – 7:30 p.m.
Montana Tech's Caleb Bellach reacts after a foul is called last in the second half of the Orediggers' game against Carroll College on Feb. 9, 2023.
Regular-season statistical leaders
Men –
Points per game
Caleb Bellach, Montana Tech – 19.4
Andrew Cook, Carroll – 18.9
Jonny Hillman, Carroll – 14.7
Rebounds per game
Brendan Temple, Carroll – 7.8
Jesse Keltner, MSU-Northern – 7.2
Jake Olsen, Providence – 7.1
Assists per game
Brenton Woods, Montana Western – 4.1
Jesse Owens, Rocky – 3.9
Zackry Martinez, MSU-Northern – 3.7
Steals per game
Nick Hart, Rocky – 2.0
Jonny Hillman, Carroll – 1.6
Zackry Martinez, MSU-Northern – 1.5
MSU-Northern's Zackry Martinez scored five points to go along with four assists, two rebounds and a steal in Saturday's 69-59 win over Carroll.
Women –
Points per game
Brynley Fitzgerald, Montana Western – 18.6
Jamie Pickens, Carroll – 16.8
Tavia Rooney, Montana Tech – 13.6
Rebounds per game
Tavia Rooney, Tech – 7.6
Jamie Pickens, Carroll – 7.1
Maddy Dixon, Providence – 7.0
Assists per game
Kamden Hilborn, Carroll – 6.4
Jordan Sweeney, Western – 3.8
Kloie Thatcher, Rocky – 3.1
Steals per game
Brynley Fitzgerald, Western – 2.0
Briaunna McCullough, MSU-Northern – 1.9
Kloie Thatcher, Rocky – 1.8
Montana Western's Brynley Fitzgerald shoots over Rocky's Shauna Bribiescas at the Fortin Center in Billings. File Photo
– Players must participate in 60% of their team’s games to qualify
Under .500
For the first time since 2009-10, five Frontier men’s basketball teams finished the regular-season under .500 in conference play.
The conference broke two ties, with three teams tied at 7-8 (Providence, MSU-Northern and Carroll) and a pair tied at 6-9 (Rocky and Western), before solidifying seeding for the upcoming league tournament.
Montana Tech won the regular-season championship by five games and will receive a first-round tournament bye.
Last season, four Frontier men’s teams finished below .500 in league play. In 11 of the last 14 seasons, at least three teams have turned in sub-.500 conference records.
The last time five teams finished below .500, the Frontier boasted eight men’s basketball teams.
Game results
Saturday (men)
No. 11 Montana Tech 64, RV MSU-Northern 63
Carroll 89, Providence 82
Rocky Mountain College 77, Montana Western 73
Saturday (women)
No. 11 Carroll 74, Providence 60
No. 15 Montana Western 68, No. 22 Rocky Mountain College 45
MSU-Northern 66, Montana Tech 57
Carroll senior Genesis Wilkinson scored 12 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists in the Saints' 74-60 win over Providence on Saturday, Feb. 18.
Frontier Conference standings
Men –
Montana Tech – 12-3
Providence – 7-8
MSU-Northern – 7-8
Carroll – 7-8
Rocky Mountain College – 6-9
Montana Western – 6-9
Women –
Carroll – 14-1
Montana Western – 12-3
Rocky Mountain College – 10-5
Providence – 5-10
Montana Tech – 3-12
MSU-Northern – 1-14
Frontier Conference Players of the Week
Men: Guard Marcus Stephens, Providence
Women: Forward Ryley Kehr, MSU-Northern
Frontier Conference teams in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll (released on Wednesday, Feb. 8*)
Men –
Montana Tech – No. 11 (+1)
MSU-Northern – receiving votes
Women –
Carroll – No. 11
Montana Western – No. 15
Rocky Mountain College – No. 22
* – new poll to be released on Wednesday, Feb. 22
Rocky Mountain College's Ky Buell (13) dribbles during the MSU Billings Yellowjackets’ game against the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears at Alterowitz Gym in Billings on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022.
Last week’s top performers
Men –
Providence guard Marcus Stephens: 36 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals (Saturday vs. Carroll)
Rocky Mountain College forward Maxim Stephens: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal (Saturday vs. Western)
Rocky Mountain College guard Jesse Owens: 24 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block (Saturday vs. Western)
Carroll guard Jonny Hillman: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists (Saturday vs. Providence)
Carroll senior Jonny Hillman scored 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the Saints' 80-74 win over Rocky Mountain College on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.
Carroll guard Andrew Cook: 21 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (Saturday vs. Providence)
Women –
MSU-Northern forward Ryley Kehr: 26 points, 4 rebounds (Saturday vs. Tech)
Carroll forward Jamie Pickens: 22 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block (Saturday vs. Providence)
Montana Western Brynley Fitzgerald: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals (Saturday vs. Rocky)
Montana Tech forward Dani Urick: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block (Saturday vs. MSU-Northern)
Montana Tech's Dani Urick snags a pass on defense in the Orediggers' home game against Montana Western on Feb. 2 in Butte.
Carroll guard Kyndall Keller: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists (Saturday vs. Providence)
Email Daniel Shepard at daniel.shepard@406mtsports.com or find him on Twitter @IR_DanielS.
Daniel Shepard
Reporter
