The Montana Grizzlies, including Spokane product Shawn Stockton, are in Cheney tonight to take on Eastern.

Stockton, a member of Ferris High School's back-to-back unbeaten state title teams in 2007-8, isn't a starter, but might be the toughest, grittiest player on the Grizzlies' roster.

The reason? Growing up a basketball family. right here in Spokane. Here's a link to an entertaining story about Stockton in the Missoulian.

It was quite a Saturday of NCAA Basketball Tournament - women's style - at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Of course the highlight was Gonzaga's high-octane upset of Iowa that had the sellout crowd in a frenzy. 

The on the opposite end of the spectrum UCLA held off Montana's upset bid in a defensive struggle. 

We have a notebook and outstanding slide shows to go with both stories … including 33 of Gonzaga (Kayla Standish pictured here) … from Chris Anderson and Jesse Tinsley. Take a look and guess which one is going to be the big picture in your Sunday paper.

We interrupt this NCAA report to announce the North Idaho women won the Junior College national championship. Congratulations to Chris (and Cary) Carlson and the Cardinals.

Back to the NCAA's, there's the Cedar Rapids Gazette story, the Des Moines Register story and the Associated Press story.

Stanford had no problem with UC Davis but Heidi Heintz (Central Valley) had 11 points in her only NCAA Tournament appearance.

We have more, read on.

Were your eyes open enough to see the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament get off with a bang … Angie Bjorklund (U-Hi) hitting her first three 3's, to be 19 of 21 over five games, as Tennessee beat somebody … and an early upset, Marist over Iowa State, which I picked.

Anyway, now we focus on McCarthey Athletic Center, where Gonzaga faces Iowa at 1, followed by Montana and UCLA.

For all we can find in the time we have … read on.

OK, there's an hour before the hockey game and I've filed my women's basketball stories, so let's get caught up in the hoops world before we hit the ice.

Today started with a story on Gonzaga's Carter Schick (above), the Bulldogs'  … um, free spirit. I also advance the No. 20 Bulldogs NCAA opener against No. 25 Iowa. I'll return with the notebook and capsules and Greg Lee's advance on Montana and UCLA.

For more, read on.

Back in the old days - or is that the young days - today would be the start of my personal two-day vacation. After the deadline stress of state basketball, two days of recliner basketball recharged the batteries. (I think I'm starting to sound like our Cougar writer).

Gonzaga has changed all of that - in a good way. So what do we have about women's basketball as the NCAA Tournament bears down?

Well, so far I haven't found anything on Courtney Vandersloot winning another award (though I have the all-District team that was announced Wednesday) - but it's still early.

Central Washington has released its long time women's coach and given former Mead star Stacy Clinesmith the option to stay in an interim basis and apply for the head job.

Read on for my other discoveries.

OK, it's been a long day but there is women's basketball news to pass on between periods of this scoreless hockey game … Courtney Vandersloot is an All-District player (along with an Iowa player, the Zags' opponent in the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon at McCarthey); Sherri Murrell is Big Sky co-coach of the year.

And Montana sophomore Katie Baker (Lake City) ftells Greg Lee the NCAA Tournament fulfills another goal.

There's more, read on.

Courtney Vandersloot shy? No way, you say? Not with the way she has dominated the basketball court in her four years at Gonzaga. Well, she begs to differ, but that is only one thing you'll learn about the record-breaking Bulldogs senior, who is, according to her coach, the face of the team.

As for news of the day, Montana and Katie Baker (Lake City) are headed to the NCAA Tournament at the expense of Portland State and Lexi Bishop (Mead) and Kelli Valentine (Mead). The Vikings will be a postseason berth in the WNIT. Valentine (14 points, 10 boards) and Eastern Washington's Tatjana Sparavalo made the all-tournament team.

Heidi Heintz (Central Valley) is also going to be on the big stage as UC Davis won the Big West title as she scored  11 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

There's a good chance that Montana will be sent to Spokane for the NCAA Tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center … a 15 seed facing UCLA? Gonzaga is still listed as a 10 but something tells me the committee may disagree and make them a seven … but it really wouldn't change the pod.

Sad news out Missoula.

The college career Montana’s senior quaterback  Andrew Selle, who threw for 204 yards and a touchdown in the Grizzlies’ 36-27 loss to the Eastern Washington University Eagles earlier this fall, is over.  You can read more here.

Saturday’s Big Sky Conference openers between preseason favorites Montana and Eastern Washington played out in spectacular fashion in front of a record crowd at newly renamed Roos Field.

Read on for game-related links and some additional thought and comments from EWU coach Beau Baldwin.

Eastern Washington University’s Taiwan Jones has another huge game on Saturday, rushing for a career-high 221 yards and racking up 305 all-purpose yards as the Eagles christened their new red turf in recently renamed Roos Field with a 36-27 win over Montana in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams.

Here is a link to our game story and look for additional notes, quotes and personal observations on Sunday.

Montana Week is officially on for Eastern Washington University, which will dedicate its new artificial red turf and officially change the name of its home football venue to Roos Field on Saturday, when the Grizzlies come to Cheney to open Big Sky Conference football play.

UM, which was ranked No. 1 among Football Championship Subdivision schools prior to suffering a 35-33 road loss to Cal Poly on Saturday, will probably come in a bit angry — seeing red, perhaps — which should make for another interesting renewal of  what has become the BSC’s most competitive rivalry.

I’ve included links to Big Sky-related items below, along with some additional thoughts and comments from Eastern’s 35-32 win over Central Washington at Qwest Field in Seattle last night.

Read on.

Eastern Washington let a 41-37 halftime lead slip away Friday night and lost to Big Sky Conference rival Montana 79-66 in Missoula.  You can read the game story that was cobbled together by the S-R here, and see what The Missoulian published on the Grizzlies’ victory here.

In addition, you can check out what EWU’s sports information department posted about the game here, and learn more about what happened around the rest of the Big Sky here.  Wish I had more, but I didn’t even get a chance to listen to the EWU-Montana game, because I was covering Whitworth’s 86-62 Northwest Conference win over Pacific.

Sorry about the late post, but a late night in Missoula, followed by a leisurely drive back to Spokane put me a little behind. And by the time wrapped up some quality times with the grandkids and was finally able to acess the S-R’s website it was time for dinner.

Still, I’ve gone ahead and posted some links to stories about Eastern Washington’s hard-luck football loss to Montana on Saturday, along with some additional post-game quotes from Eagles coach Beau Baldwin and a couple of his players.

Read on.  And be sure to leave any thoughts you might have about Saturday’s game — or the guys that offciated it — right here.

Third-ranked and unbeaten Montana scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns Saturday to beat Eastern Washington University 41-34 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.

Click here for my game story, and be sure to check back tomorrow for addition comments and links to other stories about the game.

Will is mean anything come November?

That remains the question on the minds of many Eastern Washington University football fans as they look toward Saturday’s 12:05 p.m.Big Sky Conference game against unbeaten and third-ranked Montana at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.

Read on.

Eastern Washington dropped another men’s basketball game Saturday night, losing to Montana on the road.

I tried to post information on the game last night, but couldn’t.  So I’m back this morning with this link to the game story that ran in Sunday morning’s S-R, this link to the story published in the Missoulian, and this link to the game story posted on EWU’s website.

Now the Eagles return home for a Thursday night matchup against Sacramento State — which might prove to be the perfect cure for their current losing streak and the perfect way to jump start a crucial late-season stretch run.

What do you think?

Good morning,

And let me apologize about last night’s post, which obviously didn’t include the unedited version of the game story I wrote following Eastern Washington’s 63-50 Big Sky Conference loss to Montana at Reese Court.

Let’s just blame it on my technological ineptitude and move on … to this link to my game story as it appeared in Thursday morning’s S-R and this link to the column filed by John Blanchette, as he looks at all that has gone wrong with the Eagles, of late. I’ve also included this link to the game story that ran in Thursday morning’s Missoulian.

Montana put a 63-50 beatdown on Eastern Washington at Reese Court Wednesday night and will head into Saturday’s road matchup against Big Sky leader Portland State without much momentum, confidence or chemistry.

You can read an unedited version of the game story that will appear in Thursday morning’s S-R below. Be sure to leave any comments you might have on the Eagles’ recent struggles, and be sure to check back on Thursday for addition information and a link to the game story that runs in the Missoulian.