MISSOULA, Mont. - Playing with an active roster of just eight players, the Idaho women's basketball team fell short on Sunday at Montana by a 73-49 score at Dahlberg Arena.

Junior Rachele Kloke went 7-of-17 from the floor for 17 points and sophomore Shaena Kuehu also added 17 on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, but the rest of the Vandal squad combined to go just 4-of-24 from the floor for 15 points.

Montana spread out the scoring and gradually wore down the Vandal women. The Lady Griz used a 7-0 run to end the first half, then used a 14-1 run, helped along by six Idaho turnovers, to take a commanding 56-33 lead at the 9:14 mark of the second half.

"We got physically handled," Idaho coach Jon Newlee said. "They were bigger, stronger and took advantage of it down in the paint. As a team, we played soft and we paid for it."

Idaho was the aggressor for the first 10 minutes of the contest and led by as many as six points, primarily off the spark of Kuehu nailing three of her first four 3-point attempts. Kuehu and Kloke combined to score Idaho's first 18 points before Ally Sisel-Kumpfer knocked down a jumper at the 5:36 mark of the first period, but no other Vandal player got on the board in the first.

"We've got eight people on this basketball team right now and everybody has to contribute and do something," Newlee said. "In the second half, we finally got some production out of some other people, but in the end it was still Rachele and Shaena."

As a team, Idaho was 17-of-53 (.321) from the floor and 7-of-22 (.318) from 3-point range. Montana hit 26 of its 57 shots for a 45.6 percent clip, while turning 25 trips to the free throw line into 18 points. UM outscored Idaho by a 36-12 margin in the paint and turned 15 offensive rebounds into 15 points, compared to just five points on six offensive boards for Idaho.

"We didn't play with any of the energy we had Friday night (against Portland)," Newlee said. "We fought back, but by halftime, they were starting to just have their way with us inside and that was just the story of the game."

The team made the trip without guard Charlotte Otero and post Yinka Olorunnife, who are serving suspensions for conduct detrimental to the team.

The Vandal women will have a week away from competition to rest up and take care of final exams before heading to California on Sunday, Dec. 20, to face Long Beach State at 2 p.m. in their final non-conference road game.