With Jenessa Todd scoring 19 points, and Jessie DePell and Taesha Higbee hooping 16 each, Montana Tech dropped Rocky Mountain 81-69 Wednesday night in the first round of the Frontier Conference college women's basketball playoffs.

A good-sized, well-voiced Oredigger crowd cheered Montana Tech to the win in the HPER Complex. The Orediggers will play in the semifinals on Saturday at second-seeded Lewis-Clark State, which whipped Montana Western Wednesday.

The Orediggers trailed just just twice, and were tied with the Bears only once, too. Both times, the occurrence was early. A jumper from inside the key by DePell pulled Montana Tech even at 2-all with the Bears after Molly Schenderline had given Rocky Mountain the early lead with a baseline jumper.

Adrienne Green scored from inside for a 4-2 Bear edge before DePell drained a 3-point field goal and senior teammate Jenessa Todd followed with one of her own. The back-to-back treys shot the Orediggers ahead 8-4. The lead was for good.

Rocky Mountain opened with a zone defense against the Orediggers and the home team responded by shooting over it with four 3-pointers in the firxt eight minutes of the contest. The 6-1 Todd netted three of them. Thusly, the Orediggers built a 22-10 lead.

Rocky Mountain challenged through the first half with Schenderline stringing free throws, and Butte freshman Kalli McCloskey sparking a mini-rally later. Still, the Montana Tech halftime lead was 37-28 as different players continued to step and contribute.

Schenderline found her range for four second-half 3-point baskets and two of them came in the Bears' most serious rally. They closedfrom a 44-30 deficit to within 44-40 as Schenderline buried her first two treys. Jessie DePell blunted the comeback with a basket from the key. Rocky Mountain then frittered away an opportunity by missing three of four free throws.

The Orediggers used the chance then to make their getaway and did with a 7-0 run. Todd caneed a pair of buckets in the surge that had Montana Tech ahead 53-41 with 13 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game. The Orediggers maintained similar distance most of the rest of the way.

Wilson finished with nine points and Tomlison with eight. Also, Erika Jenkins hooped a quick five points in a good spell of relief, Toone wound up with four, and true freshmen Dannii Devenny and Brooke Pokorny with two apiece. Brianne McClafferty saw time, too.

Schenderline, a former Lodge Grass star, finished with 25 points to lead the Bears. The 6-foot-3 Green tallied 19, including going 8-for-9 from the field. McCloskey had eight points.

Story courtesy of Montana Standard