Grizzlies top Highlanders, 72-65
12/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The University of Montana basketball team won, 72-65, over the UC Riverside Highlanders Saturday night at Dahlberg Arena. The win improved the Grizzlies record to 4-5 overall while the Highlanders fell to 3-6 this season.
Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet led the Grizzlies with a team-high 18 points, four rebounds and three assists. Hasquet shot 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from the field, connecting on 3-of-4 (75 percent) from three-point range.
Junior forward Andrew Strait chipped in with 17 points and five rebounds. Freshmen guard Cameron Rundles had 13 points, three rebounds and two assists in his first career start for the Grizzlies. Senior forward Matt Dlouhy snatched a game-high eight rebounds and junior guard Matt Martin added 11 points off the bench.
Montana shot 51.1 percent (24-of-47) from the field. The Grizzlies were consistent from the field, shooting 51.1 percent (14-of-27) in the first half and 50 percent (10-of-20) in the second half. Montana hit 5-of-10 (50 percent) of their three-point attempts in the first half but made 2-of-10 (20 percent) attempts in the second half. The Grizzlies shot 68 percent (17-of-25) from the foul line during the contest.
UC Riverside made 45.5 percent (25-of-55) of their shots from the field and made 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) shots from behind the arc. The Highlanders shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) in the first half then slightly fell to 44 percent (11-of-25) in the second half.
The Highlanders were led by senior guard Justin Bell, who notched a game-high 19 points and a game-high four assists in the loss. Freshmen guard Charles Jim-George tallied 14 points and six rebounds while sophomore forward Christian Soto grabbed seven rebounds with 11 points.
Both teams battled back-and-forth during the start of the game. There were four lead changes in the first nine minutes of the game. With 11:54 remaining in the first half, Montana took a 16-15 lead and would hold on to the lead for the next ten minutes, extending their lead to seven points during that time. At the 1:11 mark in the first half, freshmen forward Henrick Thomsen hit a jumper to give the Highlanders a 36-35 lead. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Rundles found Strait for an easy lay-up to put Montana up 37-36 at the half.
Montana would again hold on to the lead for an extended time. With 10:35 remaining in the game, the Grizzlies had their biggest lead of the game with a 53-44 advantage. The Highlanders slowly cut into the Grizzly lead and with 4:55 remaining they found themselves down only two points, 59-57. With 3:01 left, sophomore guard Chris Anderson stole the ball and found Bell down court for a lay-up, giving the Highlanders a 62-61 lead. On their next possession, Anderson turned the ball over to Rundles, who would make a lay-up to regain a 63-62 lead for the Grizzlies. Montana would remain ahead for the remainder of the contest and walked away with 72-65 victory.
The Grizzlies return to action tomorrow against South Dakota State at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet led the Grizzlies with a team-high 18 points, four rebounds and three assists. Hasquet shot 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from the field, connecting on 3-of-4 (75 percent) from three-point range.
Junior forward Andrew Strait chipped in with 17 points and five rebounds. Freshmen guard Cameron Rundles had 13 points, three rebounds and two assists in his first career start for the Grizzlies. Senior forward Matt Dlouhy snatched a game-high eight rebounds and junior guard Matt Martin added 11 points off the bench.
Montana shot 51.1 percent (24-of-47) from the field. The Grizzlies were consistent from the field, shooting 51.1 percent (14-of-27) in the first half and 50 percent (10-of-20) in the second half. Montana hit 5-of-10 (50 percent) of their three-point attempts in the first half but made 2-of-10 (20 percent) attempts in the second half. The Grizzlies shot 68 percent (17-of-25) from the foul line during the contest.
UC Riverside made 45.5 percent (25-of-55) of their shots from the field and made 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) shots from behind the arc. The Highlanders shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) in the first half then slightly fell to 44 percent (11-of-25) in the second half.
The Highlanders were led by senior guard Justin Bell, who notched a game-high 19 points and a game-high four assists in the loss. Freshmen guard Charles Jim-George tallied 14 points and six rebounds while sophomore forward Christian Soto grabbed seven rebounds with 11 points.
Both teams battled back-and-forth during the start of the game. There were four lead changes in the first nine minutes of the game. With 11:54 remaining in the first half, Montana took a 16-15 lead and would hold on to the lead for the next ten minutes, extending their lead to seven points during that time. At the 1:11 mark in the first half, freshmen forward Henrick Thomsen hit a jumper to give the Highlanders a 36-35 lead. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Rundles found Strait for an easy lay-up to put Montana up 37-36 at the half.
Montana would again hold on to the lead for an extended time. With 10:35 remaining in the game, the Grizzlies had their biggest lead of the game with a 53-44 advantage. The Highlanders slowly cut into the Grizzly lead and with 4:55 remaining they found themselves down only two points, 59-57. With 3:01 left, sophomore guard Chris Anderson stole the ball and found Bell down court for a lay-up, giving the Highlanders a 62-61 lead. On their next possession, Anderson turned the ball over to Rundles, who would make a lay-up to regain a 63-62 lead for the Grizzlies. Montana would remain ahead for the remainder of the contest and walked away with 72-65 victory.
The Grizzlies return to action tomorrow against South Dakota State at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
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