The long layoff for the Lewis-Clark State women's basketball team ends Thursday when the Warriors take on Rocky Mountain College at Billings, Mont., before taking to the road again for a Saturday afternoon game against Carroll College at Helena, Mont. Both games are at 4:30 p.m. (PT).
 
"I'm really curious to see how the layoff has affected our team," coach Brian Orr said of his sixth-ranked Warriors, who are eighth nationally in scoring offense at 81.77 points per game. "I feel like we've had outstanding practices with tremendous effort. At this point, our players have done everything possible to prepare us for one of the toughest road trips of the season."
 
The Warriors take an 11-2 overall record (2-0 in Frontier Conference play) into Thursday's game. Rocky is 11-1 overall and 1-1 in league action with a five-game win streak on the line – a run matched by the Warriors.
 
Where the Battlin' Bears excel is on defense, where they are the NAIA Division I leader in fewest points allowed per game at 44.75 and scoring margin at +31.33 per contest.
 
"Rocky is a difficult matchup for us," Orr said. "They are playing extremely well right now. We need to get off to a great start and stay in the moment."
 
Rocky has two of the league's top scorers in Mikayla Jones with 12.83 points per game (fifth) and Brooke Jones with 12.58 ppg (sixth). The Warriors counter with a host of players with the ability to take control on a given night. Seniors Lauren Johnson and Brittany Tackett are the leaders with 10.91 and 10.64 points per game, respectively. Right behind them are sophomore Jansen Edmiston and freshman Peyton Souvenir at 10.15 ppg with junior Jossilyn Blackman at 9.92. Blackman is the Warriors' leading rebounder at 6.39 per game.
 
Carroll cracked the top 25 in the latest poll when it came in at No. 21. The Saints are 9-4 overall and 1-1 in conference action with a Thursday game against Montana-Western before they take on the Warriors. They have built their record with defense as the second-best team in the league in points allowed per game (53.77), which makes them a challenging opponent.
 
"Carroll is good enough to beat any team in the country," Orr said, "so we need to be ready to compete at a high level for 40 minutes."