What's on tap

By The Montana Standard Staff - 11/21/2008

Men's college basketball

St. James Healthcare/Copper Cage Classic — MSU-Northern vs. Warner Pacific,

6 p.m.; Fresno Pacific vs. Montana Tech, 8 p.m.

The second year of the resurrected Copper Cage Classic tips off at the Montana Tech HPER Complex with four games slated for the weekend. Frontier Conference member MSU-Northern (6-2) plays the early game both Friday and Saturday, beginning with a clash against Warner Pacific (3-0) of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Knights are coming off wins over NCAA Div. II teams Hawaii-Hilo and Hawaii Pacific, while the Lights have won four straight of the eight home games they've played. The trip to Tech will be the Lights' first time away from their home court this season. Montana Tech (3-3) will be looking to break a two-game losing streak at the expense of Fresno Pacific University

(3-1). The Sunbirds of the Golden State Athletic Conference are coming off an

See TAP, Page B5

83-74 win over College of Idaho, a team Tech beat 78-70 two weeks ago. The Orediggers have been led this season by transfer post Josh Monagle with 13.7 points per game. Sophomore post Dirk Anderson is right behind with 13.2 points per game, though he also paces Tech in rebounds (7.3) and has the most blocked shots (seven). Senior Tony Trudnowski is leading the Orediggers in shooting beyond the arc, with 57 percent of his longshots finding their mark.

Women's college basketball

Montana Tech vs. Warner Southern University at Lewis-Clark State tournament in Lewiston, Idaho,

5 p.m.

Tech's women are 1-3 following a pair of losses last week to Westmont and Azusa Pacific at the Carroll College tourney. They'll take on a 1-4 squad from Florida that claimed its first win of the season Tuesday at Naples, Fla., against Ave Maria. The Orediggers have gotten strong play from Jenessa Todd, who led the team with 19 points in the loss to Azusa. Jessie DePell is also a team leader for the 'Diggers.

NORPAC hockey

Butte at Bozeman, 7 p.m.,

Haynes Pavilion

The Roughriders remain winless in 15 outings, but will have the Ice Dogs squarely in their sights Friday. Bozeman downed Butte 3-1 in the teams' only other meeting this season two weeks ago in Bozeman. Derrick Pilatic, leads the 'Riders with 13 points, including nine assists. James Thrash is atop Butte's scoring leaderboard with seven goals in 13 games. Stetson Mathews scored Butte's lone goal in the last game against Bozeman on an assist from Nico Peterson.