Griz fall short against Pacific, drop second straight
2/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Freshmen guard Cameron Rundles tied a career-high with 20 points as the Grizzlies fell to Pacific, 78-77, Saturday afternoon in Missoula, Mont. The non-conference loss dropped the Grizzlies overall record to 14-13 and remained 8-5 in Big Sky Conference play. The win improved the Tigers record to 10-14 on the season, remaining 5-5 in Big West action.
Rundles tallied 20 points with three rebounds and a tied team-high five assists. Rundles shot 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the floor, including 3-of-6 (50 percent) from three-point range in 34 minutes of play.
Junior forward Andrew Strait had 15 points with a team-high eight rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet notched 13 points and two rebounds in a limited 19 minutes while sophomore forward Kyle Sharp netted 11 points with two boards and two blocks off the bench.
Montana shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the field during the game while Pacific made 56.9 percent (29-of-51) of their attempts. The Grizzlies shot just 52 percent (13-of-25) to the Tigers 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the first half. Montana improved to 57.1 percent (16-of-28) in the second half while Pacific fell to 45.8 percent (11-of-24). The Grizzlies bench play outscored the Tigers 21-8 in the loss.
The Tigers were led offensively by senior forward Anthony Esparza with a game-high 24 points with six rebounds and two assists. Esparza was 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the field, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range. Sophomore forward Anthony Brown recorded a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Solomon HorseChief had 12 points with a game-high seven assists while senior center Michael White chipped in with 10 points.
A crowd of 3,702 was on-hand to witness the action at Dahlberg Arena.
The opening minutes of the game featured back-and forth play from both teams. With 13:43 left in the half, the score was tied 17-17 but Pacific went on a 16-7 run the next seven minutes, giving the Tigers a 33-24 advantage with 6:31 remaining and forcing Montana to play catch-up. A three-pointer by Rundles with 4:31 left pulled the Grizzlies to within five points but a 9-4 run by the Tigers in the final minutes made it 44-34 at the half.
Montana came out of the break down but 10 points from Jordan Hasquet in the first three minutes cut the Tigers lead to 48-44 with 17:09 left in the game. An 11-5 run the next four minutes gave the Tigers a 10-point lead, 59-49 with 13:10 on the clock. The Grizzlies went on an 11-3 run the next three minute to cut Pacific??s lead to 60-62 with 9:26 remaining in the half.
The Grizzlies remained behind but continued to battle the next five minutes. With 4:21 left in the game, a dunk by Sharp gave Montana its first lead since 15:56 in the first half, a 71-70 advantage. Montana held a four point lead on the Tigers but three consecutive scoring trips helped the Tigers regain a 76-74 lead with 1:33 left. A three-pointer from Hasquet put the Grizzlies up 77-76 with 38 seconds remaining but Esparza made a jumper with 14 seconds left to put the Tiger up 78-77. Montana tried to execute a final play but failed, giving the Tigers a 78-77 win.
Montana (14-13, 8-5 BSC) returns to action Thursday night against Northern Arizona (13-11, 8-5 BSC) at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Rundles tallied 20 points with three rebounds and a tied team-high five assists. Rundles shot 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the floor, including 3-of-6 (50 percent) from three-point range in 34 minutes of play.
Junior forward Andrew Strait had 15 points with a team-high eight rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet notched 13 points and two rebounds in a limited 19 minutes while sophomore forward Kyle Sharp netted 11 points with two boards and two blocks off the bench.
Montana shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the field during the game while Pacific made 56.9 percent (29-of-51) of their attempts. The Grizzlies shot just 52 percent (13-of-25) to the Tigers 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the first half. Montana improved to 57.1 percent (16-of-28) in the second half while Pacific fell to 45.8 percent (11-of-24). The Grizzlies bench play outscored the Tigers 21-8 in the loss.
The Tigers were led offensively by senior forward Anthony Esparza with a game-high 24 points with six rebounds and two assists. Esparza was 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the field, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range. Sophomore forward Anthony Brown recorded a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Solomon HorseChief had 12 points with a game-high seven assists while senior center Michael White chipped in with 10 points.
A crowd of 3,702 was on-hand to witness the action at Dahlberg Arena.
The opening minutes of the game featured back-and forth play from both teams. With 13:43 left in the half, the score was tied 17-17 but Pacific went on a 16-7 run the next seven minutes, giving the Tigers a 33-24 advantage with 6:31 remaining and forcing Montana to play catch-up. A three-pointer by Rundles with 4:31 left pulled the Grizzlies to within five points but a 9-4 run by the Tigers in the final minutes made it 44-34 at the half.
Montana came out of the break down but 10 points from Jordan Hasquet in the first three minutes cut the Tigers lead to 48-44 with 17:09 left in the game. An 11-5 run the next four minutes gave the Tigers a 10-point lead, 59-49 with 13:10 on the clock. The Grizzlies went on an 11-3 run the next three minute to cut Pacific??s lead to 60-62 with 9:26 remaining in the half.
The Grizzlies remained behind but continued to battle the next five minutes. With 4:21 left in the game, a dunk by Sharp gave Montana its first lead since 15:56 in the first half, a 71-70 advantage. Montana held a four point lead on the Tigers but three consecutive scoring trips helped the Tigers regain a 76-74 lead with 1:33 left. A three-pointer from Hasquet put the Grizzlies up 77-76 with 38 seconds remaining but Esparza made a jumper with 14 seconds left to put the Tiger up 78-77. Montana tried to execute a final play but failed, giving the Tigers a 78-77 win.
Montana (14-13, 8-5 BSC) returns to action Thursday night against Northern Arizona (13-11, 8-5 BSC) at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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