MANHATTAN, Kan. (Interstat) — Kansas State withstood a furious late rally from Montana to secure a 67-62 victory in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season, while the Lady Griz fell to 1-2. Attendance was 7,812. The game featured 71 possessions for Kansas State and 70 for Montana, with the Wildcats posting an offensive rating of 93.8 compared to Montana’s 89.1. Kansas State shot 22 of 59 from the floor, 6 of 24 from three-point range, and 17 of 22 from the free throw line. Montana shot 21 of 53 from the floor, 6 of 23 from three-point range, and 14 of 16 from the free throw line. The Wildcats held an 11-6 advantage on offensive rebounds and a 9-5 edge in assists. Montana had five blocks as a team, while Kansas State’s block total was not provided but Nastja Claessens had one. Montana committed 15 turnovers, Kansas State 13.

Kansas State opened the game with a free throw from Taryn Sides, but Montana answered with a layup from Jocelyn Land and a 3-pointer from Kennedy Moore to take an early 5-1 lead. Cristina Osazuwa kept Kansas State close with a layup and two free throws, and Hayden Kaut countered with two layups for the Lady Griz. The first quarter was tightly contested, with six lead changes. Dominique Nesland made a layup to give Montana an 11-9 lead, but Taryn Sides tied it with a layup. Shaila Nde then made a jump shot off a turnover to put Kansas State ahead 13-11. Paige Lofing drilled a 3-pointer to put Montana back on top 14-13, but Nastja Claessens answered with a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to give Kansas State a 16-14 lead after one period. Montana shot just 5 of 14 from the floor in the first quarter, while Kansas State was 6 of 15.

The Wildcats extended their lead in the second quarter. Shaila Nde made a free throw, and Taryn Sides hit a 3-pointer to make it 20-14. Kennedy Moore responded with a 3-pointer for Montana, and Avery Waddington made a layup to cut the deficit to 20-19. However, Kansas State then went on a 7-0 run, sparked by layups from Shaila Nde and Mikayla Parks. Dominique Nesland made a layup for Montana, but Taryn Sides hit another 3-pointer. Hayden Kaut made a jump shot, and Nastja Claessens made two free throws. Paige Lofing made a jump shot, but Gina Garcia hit a 3-pointer just before halftime to give Kansas State a 34-25 lead at the break. Shaila Nde had 10 points and six rebounds by halftime, while Taryn Sides added 11 points. Paige Lofing led Montana with seven points in the first half. Montana shot 8 of 27 from the floor in the first half, including 3 of 12 from three-point range, while Kansas State shot 11 of 30 from the floor and 4 of 12 from beyond the arc.

Kansas State came out strong in the third quarter. Shaila Nde made two layups, and Nastja Claessens made a jump shot and a free throw to push the lead to 41-25. After Shay Shippen made two free throws for Montana, Nde made a layup and a free throw to extend the advantage to 44-27. Paige Lofing then caught fire for the Lady Griz. She made a layup and a free throw, then hit a 3-pointer at 3:39 and another at 3:07. Mikayla Parks answered with a 3-pointer for Kansas State, but Lofing kept rolling. Shay Shippen made a layup, and Lofing made two free throws to cut the lead to 49-42. Taryn Sides hit a 3-pointer for the Wildcats, and Tea Cleante made a layup to push the lead back to 54-42. Dominique Nesland made two free throws for Montana to end the third quarter, with Kansas State leading 54-44. Lofing had 17 points in the third quarter alone and finished with 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one block. Hayden Kaut provided a spark off the bench with eight points, two rebounds, and two blocks. Kennedy Moore added six points, six rebounds, one assist, and one block. Avery Waddington contributed four points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one block. Shay Shippen had four points, three rebounds, and one assist.

The fourth quarter was a thriller. Paige Lofing made a 3-pointer at 9:27 to make it 54-47. Tea Cleante made a free throw, and Nastja Claessens made a layup to push the lead to 57-47. Kate Holmquist made a jump shot for Montana, but Taryn Sides answered with a layup. Nastja Claessens made a free throw to make it 60-49. Montana then mounted a furious comeback. Avery Waddington made two free throws, and Jocelyn Land made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, cutting the lead to 60-54. Paige Lofing made a layup at 4:07 to make it 60-56. Taryn Sides made a jump shot at 2:57 to push the lead back to 62-56. Jocelyn Land made two free throws at 2:41 to make it 62-58. Paige Lofing made a layup at 1:50 to cut the lead to 62-60. Gina Garcia answered with a layup at 1:26 to make it 64-60. Shaila Nde made one of two free throws at 0:07 to make it 65-60. Paige Lofing made a layup at 0:02 to make it 65-62. Taryn Sides then sealed the victory with two free throws at 0:01, giving Kansas State a 67-62 win. The Wildcats made several clutch free throws down the stretch, while Montana’s late rally fell just short.

Kansas State’s balanced scoring was led by Shaila Nde’s 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in 27 minutes. Taryn Sides added 18 points, seven rebounds, and one assist in 35 minutes. Nastja Claessens contributed 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block in 36 minutes. Gina Garcia had five points, three rebounds, and six assists in 33 minutes. Cristina Osazuwa added six points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. For Montana, Paige Lofing led all scorers with 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one block in 31 minutes. Avery Waddington had four points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one block in 34 minutes. Kennedy Moore had six points, six rebounds, one assist, and one block in 23 minutes. Hayden Kaut had eight points, two rebounds, and two blocks in 14 minutes. Shay Shippen had four points, three rebounds, and one assist in 18 minutes. The game’s top performers, in order of importance, were Nde, Sides, Claessens, Lofing, Waddington, Garcia, Moore, Kaut, Osazuwa, and Shippen. Montana next hosts Houston, while Kansas State faces Minnesota in Sioux Falls, S.D. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kansas State 65, Montana 60. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Kansas State with a 98.7 percent probability to win.