DILLON — Montana Western, Hayley Pettit, in particular, dominated the boards and the Bulldogs played a strong defensive game in a 63-40 college women's basketball win over Montana Tech Tuesday night.

The game was  a non-league tilt between Frontier Conference rivals and was played on the Straugh Gym floor at Western.

Pettit pulled down 18 of her team's 54 rebounds. Sixteen of Pettit's boards came on the defensive end, helping to limit Montana Tech's scoring chances.

Western scoring leaders were Jenna Banks with 15 points and Sammi Bignell with 14.

Montana Tech was led by Kelsey DeWit and Mandy Machinal with eight points each as no Oredigger cracked double figures int he scorebook.

“We did play pretty well,” Bulldog head coach Cara Cocchiarella said. “We had some moments. Tech is a good team and has some awfully good athletes. Our girls did a good job battling back through those Tech moments.

“We played a good second half. We played well as a team and I'm really excited about our effort.”

Cocchiarella said the Bulldogs concentrated on the boards, figuring the area to be a Montana Tech strength.

“We know Tech is a really good rebounding team,” she said. “And I think we we did a good job of neutralizing them on the boards. That's an area those guys wull be tough.

“Also, we definitely shot better tonight and that made a difference. We shot better in the second half.”

Montana Tech head coach Kerie DePell was mulling problem solutions after the loss.

“Western came out and were really good, and we were not,” DePell said. “They really handed it to us tonight.

“There were several things we could've done better. Our free throw shooting certainly could've been better. it was 7-for-22. And we were 1-for-14 in 3-pohnt shooting. You can't win many games like that. I have to do a better job on that in practice and figure that out.”

The Western lead was 30-26 at halftime and the Bulldogs then held the Orediggers to 14 second-half points while scoring 33. Montana Tech was limited to six assists for the game.

Still, Cocciarella said improvement is needed.

“We had too many turnovers (23), so there are definitely some things we need to clean up there,” she said. “But I am proud of the way the girls played.”

Western begins a two-month stretch of road games on Saturday with a trip to NCAA Division I Idaho State in Pocatello. The Bulldogs' next home game will be on Jan. 6 in their conference opener against Lewis-Clark State.

“Mandy Machinal, a freshman, had another nice game,” DePell said about Oredigger positives. “She hit our only 3. She and DeWit were our best tonight.

“We played hard. I think we'll be up and down this year. We're really young and pretty inexperienced. These growing pains will help us for the future. We'll get better.”

The Orediggers are to next play on Nov. 13 at Dickinson State, a team the beat in their season-opener on Suday. The next Montana Tech home game is slated for Nov. 19 against the College of Idaho.