Montana faces NAU in Big Sky semifinal
3/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MISSOULA, Mont. -- The University of Montana men??s basketball team (17-14) will play Northern Arizona (17-11) in the Big Sky Conference Tournament semifinals on Tuesday in Ogden, Utah. The Grizzlies and the Lumberjacks are scheduled to tip-off at 5:05 p.m. (MTN) at the Dee Events Center.
Montana, the tournament??s No. 3 seed, is coming off a 70-63 overtime win over No. 6 seed Idaho State in quarterfinal action Saturday night in Missoula.
BIG SKY TOURNAMENT FIELD
No. 3 Montana, winners of two straight Big Sky Conference Championships and six tourney games overall, will meet No. 2 Northern Arizona (17-11) in the first semifinal. No. 4 Portland State (19-12), which won 96-71 over Montana State in the quarterfinals, takes on No. 1 seed Weber State (18-11) at 8:05 p.m. All games will be played at Dee Events Center.
GAME BROADCAST SPECIFICS
The UM-NAU semifinal will be available on radio and over the internet. News Radio 1290 KGVO, the flagship station of the Grizzly Sports Network, will air the game in Missoula and across the state-wide affiliates. Mick Holien, in his 14th season, handles the play-by-play. Live audio and video (for a fee) will be available online at MontanaGrizzlies.com.
GRIZ IN THE BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
The Grizzlies are making their 27th career trip to the Big Sky Conference??s postseason tournament. Montana, the two-time defending BSC tournament champions, has won six tournaments as a member of the Big Sky Conference. UM has advanced to the last six conference tournaments.
STRAIT MOVING UP THE CAREER LISTS
Junior forward Andrew Strait is approaching the top 10 in career points and rebounds for Montana. Strait has scored 1,197 points (27 shy of ranking No. 10) and hauled in 517 rebounds (144 from No. 10) in 90 games.
SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
Northern Arizona (17-11) has won five consecutive games, including seven of its last eight, entering this week??s postseason tournament. NAU defeated Montana (88-81), Montana State (92-84 ot) and Northern Colorado (89-77) to close the regular season.
NAU is among the league leaders in 10 major statistical categories. They rank first in five categories: 3-point field goal percentage (.420), free throw percentage (.744), assists (18.50/game), defensive rebounds (25.18/game) and rebounding margin (+3.1). NAU is second in field goal percentage (.495), scoring offense (83.3/game) and rebounding offense (36.4/game). They are third in scoring margin (+2.4) and assist to turnover ratio (1.11).
Senior forward Ruben Boykin Jr. leads the Lumberjacks in scoring at 16.3 points per contest and is the league-leader at 9.0 rebounds per game. Fellow senior Tyrone Bazy ranks second on the team in scoring with 16.1 points per contest, while sophomore guard Josh Wilson is the Big Sky leader in assists (6.18/game) and assist/turnover ratio (2.06). Senior guard Stephen Sir, the Big Sky leader in 3-pointers made (114), comes off the bench to average 14.9 points per game.
Mike Adras is in his eighth year as head coach at Northern Arizona, accumulating a 127-105 all-time mark.
UM, which split this year with NAU, maintains a 52-27 lead in the all-time series.
LUMBERJACKS WIN REMATCH AT UM
Freshmen guard Cameron Rundles had a career-high 23 points as Montana fell to the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 88-81, on Feb. 22 in Missoula, Mont. The loss dropped the Griz record to 14-14 overall, and 8-6 in Big Sky Conference play. Northern Arizona improved to 15-11 on the season and 9-5 in BSC.
Montana had three players reach double-digits in points during the contest. Rundles reached a career-high in points for the second straight game. He shot 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from the floor, connecting on 5-of- 9 (55.5 percent) from three-point range. Rundles also had a team-high five assists and two steals.
Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet netted 16 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Hasquet made 6-of-14 (42.8 percent) attempts from the floor, hitting 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from behind the arc. Junior forward Andrew Strait had 12 points with a team-high 9 rebounds and two blocks. Senior guard Bryan Ellis had 7 points and four assists while senior forward Stuart Mayes contributed six points of the bench.
Montana shot 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the field while Northern Arizona made 54.5 percent (30-of-55) of their attempts. The Grizzlies shot just 46.7 percent (14-of-30) in the first half but fell to 41.9 percent (13-of-31) in the second half while the Lumberjacks shot 64.5 percent (20-of-31) in the first half and fell to 41.7 percent (10-of-24) in the second frame.
The Lumberjacks outscored Montana in paint 30-14, and had 45 points off the bench to the Grizzlies?? 18 points. The Lumberjacks also out-rebounded Montana during the contest, 38-28.
Northern Arizona was led by senior forward Ruben Boykin Jr., who notched a double-double, with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Boykin made 7-of-12 attempts in 37 minutes of play. Junior forward Kyle Landry had a team-high 20 points of the bench with 11 boards. Senior guard Tyrone Bazy and sophomore guard Josh Wilson had 16 points and 11 points respectively.
The game started on a quick note with both teams exchanging early baskets. With 15:41 left in the opening half, the Lumberjacks held a 12-11 lead then went on an 11-2 run the next four minutes to capture a 23-13 lead with 11:18 remaining. The Grizzlies stormed back to within two points the next three minutes, making the score 27-25 with 8:03 left in the first half. That would be the closest the Griz got to Northern Arizona??s lead as the Lumberjacks cruised through the remainder of the half and into the locker room with a 51-38 lead.
Consecutive baskets for Strait cut the Lumberjacks lead to 56-52 with 14:49 remaining in the second. Northern Arizona jumped out to a 70-60 lead with 9:00 left in the game but the Grizzlies continued to fight. A 13-6 run the next five minutes put Montana within three points, 76-73, with 4:00 remaining. The Grizzlies failed to capitalize on the opportunity and free-throws down the stretch kept Montana at bay as the Lumberjacks went on to an 88-81 win.
GRIZ WIN FIRST MEETING WITH NAU
Montana shot 60 percent from the field and limited Northern Arizona to 25 percent on 3-point shooting in a 74-71 Big Sky Conference win on Jan. 25 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
NAU had a pair of chances to take the lead or tie in the final minute. Lumberjack senior Tyrone Bazy??s missed jumper with 15 seconds remaining ended up in the hands of senior Bryan Ellis who was fouled. After Ellis sank both free throws to give UM a three point lead, NAU had another opportunity to tie but a 3-point attempt by senior Steve Sir in the final seconds missed to preserve the victory.
Junior Andrew Strait scored a game-high 23 points on a perfect 11-for-11 shooting to lead UM in the win, which improved the Griz to 10-10 overall and 4-3 in league play. Northern Arizona dropped to 10-10 overall and 5-4 in conference action.
Sophomore Jordan Hasquet was the only other Grizzly to score in double figures, tallying 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior Matt Dlouhy chipped in with seven points and matched Hasquet??s team-best six boards.
Ellis and junior Matt Martin combined for 14 points and 12 assists, each playing 27 minutes of action on the perimeter. Ellis, who buried the clutch free throws late in the game, came off the bench to score six points and dish out eight assists to just one turnover. Martin, who was 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 on 3-pointers, had eight points, four assists and also just one turnover.
NAU and its .448 3-point shooting percentage entered the game as the league??s top team from distance. However, UM won the 3-point battle, making 7-of-18 for 38.9 percent while holding the Lumberjacks to just 2-of-8 from behind the arc.
The Griz, who had 21 assists for their 30 made baskets, recorded just nine turnovers for their second road win in league play. Montana shot only eight free throws, making seven of them, to shoot 87.5 percent.
The Lumberjacks, who had 15 assists and 10 turnovers, went 17-of-20 from the charity stripe for 85 percent. NAU shot 54.2 percent from the field (26-of-48) on the game. UM was out-rebounded for only the ninth time this season, grabbing 19 while NAU tallied 25.
Three Lumberjack players scored in double figures, led by Bazy who had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Senior forward Ruben Boykin, Jr., the top rebounder in the Big Sky Conference, finished with 15 points and only four boards.
Montana, the tournament??s No. 3 seed, is coming off a 70-63 overtime win over No. 6 seed Idaho State in quarterfinal action Saturday night in Missoula.
BIG SKY TOURNAMENT FIELD
No. 3 Montana, winners of two straight Big Sky Conference Championships and six tourney games overall, will meet No. 2 Northern Arizona (17-11) in the first semifinal. No. 4 Portland State (19-12), which won 96-71 over Montana State in the quarterfinals, takes on No. 1 seed Weber State (18-11) at 8:05 p.m. All games will be played at Dee Events Center.
GAME BROADCAST SPECIFICS
The UM-NAU semifinal will be available on radio and over the internet. News Radio 1290 KGVO, the flagship station of the Grizzly Sports Network, will air the game in Missoula and across the state-wide affiliates. Mick Holien, in his 14th season, handles the play-by-play. Live audio and video (for a fee) will be available online at MontanaGrizzlies.com.
GRIZ IN THE BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
The Grizzlies are making their 27th career trip to the Big Sky Conference??s postseason tournament. Montana, the two-time defending BSC tournament champions, has won six tournaments as a member of the Big Sky Conference. UM has advanced to the last six conference tournaments.
STRAIT MOVING UP THE CAREER LISTS
Junior forward Andrew Strait is approaching the top 10 in career points and rebounds for Montana. Strait has scored 1,197 points (27 shy of ranking No. 10) and hauled in 517 rebounds (144 from No. 10) in 90 games.
SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
Northern Arizona (17-11) has won five consecutive games, including seven of its last eight, entering this week??s postseason tournament. NAU defeated Montana (88-81), Montana State (92-84 ot) and Northern Colorado (89-77) to close the regular season.
NAU is among the league leaders in 10 major statistical categories. They rank first in five categories: 3-point field goal percentage (.420), free throw percentage (.744), assists (18.50/game), defensive rebounds (25.18/game) and rebounding margin (+3.1). NAU is second in field goal percentage (.495), scoring offense (83.3/game) and rebounding offense (36.4/game). They are third in scoring margin (+2.4) and assist to turnover ratio (1.11).
Senior forward Ruben Boykin Jr. leads the Lumberjacks in scoring at 16.3 points per contest and is the league-leader at 9.0 rebounds per game. Fellow senior Tyrone Bazy ranks second on the team in scoring with 16.1 points per contest, while sophomore guard Josh Wilson is the Big Sky leader in assists (6.18/game) and assist/turnover ratio (2.06). Senior guard Stephen Sir, the Big Sky leader in 3-pointers made (114), comes off the bench to average 14.9 points per game.
Mike Adras is in his eighth year as head coach at Northern Arizona, accumulating a 127-105 all-time mark.
UM, which split this year with NAU, maintains a 52-27 lead in the all-time series.
LUMBERJACKS WIN REMATCH AT UM
Freshmen guard Cameron Rundles had a career-high 23 points as Montana fell to the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 88-81, on Feb. 22 in Missoula, Mont. The loss dropped the Griz record to 14-14 overall, and 8-6 in Big Sky Conference play. Northern Arizona improved to 15-11 on the season and 9-5 in BSC.
Montana had three players reach double-digits in points during the contest. Rundles reached a career-high in points for the second straight game. He shot 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from the floor, connecting on 5-of- 9 (55.5 percent) from three-point range. Rundles also had a team-high five assists and two steals.
Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet netted 16 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Hasquet made 6-of-14 (42.8 percent) attempts from the floor, hitting 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from behind the arc. Junior forward Andrew Strait had 12 points with a team-high 9 rebounds and two blocks. Senior guard Bryan Ellis had 7 points and four assists while senior forward Stuart Mayes contributed six points of the bench.
Montana shot 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the field while Northern Arizona made 54.5 percent (30-of-55) of their attempts. The Grizzlies shot just 46.7 percent (14-of-30) in the first half but fell to 41.9 percent (13-of-31) in the second half while the Lumberjacks shot 64.5 percent (20-of-31) in the first half and fell to 41.7 percent (10-of-24) in the second frame.
The Lumberjacks outscored Montana in paint 30-14, and had 45 points off the bench to the Grizzlies?? 18 points. The Lumberjacks also out-rebounded Montana during the contest, 38-28.
Northern Arizona was led by senior forward Ruben Boykin Jr., who notched a double-double, with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Boykin made 7-of-12 attempts in 37 minutes of play. Junior forward Kyle Landry had a team-high 20 points of the bench with 11 boards. Senior guard Tyrone Bazy and sophomore guard Josh Wilson had 16 points and 11 points respectively.
The game started on a quick note with both teams exchanging early baskets. With 15:41 left in the opening half, the Lumberjacks held a 12-11 lead then went on an 11-2 run the next four minutes to capture a 23-13 lead with 11:18 remaining. The Grizzlies stormed back to within two points the next three minutes, making the score 27-25 with 8:03 left in the first half. That would be the closest the Griz got to Northern Arizona??s lead as the Lumberjacks cruised through the remainder of the half and into the locker room with a 51-38 lead.
Consecutive baskets for Strait cut the Lumberjacks lead to 56-52 with 14:49 remaining in the second. Northern Arizona jumped out to a 70-60 lead with 9:00 left in the game but the Grizzlies continued to fight. A 13-6 run the next five minutes put Montana within three points, 76-73, with 4:00 remaining. The Grizzlies failed to capitalize on the opportunity and free-throws down the stretch kept Montana at bay as the Lumberjacks went on to an 88-81 win.
GRIZ WIN FIRST MEETING WITH NAU
Montana shot 60 percent from the field and limited Northern Arizona to 25 percent on 3-point shooting in a 74-71 Big Sky Conference win on Jan. 25 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
NAU had a pair of chances to take the lead or tie in the final minute. Lumberjack senior Tyrone Bazy??s missed jumper with 15 seconds remaining ended up in the hands of senior Bryan Ellis who was fouled. After Ellis sank both free throws to give UM a three point lead, NAU had another opportunity to tie but a 3-point attempt by senior Steve Sir in the final seconds missed to preserve the victory.
Junior Andrew Strait scored a game-high 23 points on a perfect 11-for-11 shooting to lead UM in the win, which improved the Griz to 10-10 overall and 4-3 in league play. Northern Arizona dropped to 10-10 overall and 5-4 in conference action.
Sophomore Jordan Hasquet was the only other Grizzly to score in double figures, tallying 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior Matt Dlouhy chipped in with seven points and matched Hasquet??s team-best six boards.
Ellis and junior Matt Martin combined for 14 points and 12 assists, each playing 27 minutes of action on the perimeter. Ellis, who buried the clutch free throws late in the game, came off the bench to score six points and dish out eight assists to just one turnover. Martin, who was 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 on 3-pointers, had eight points, four assists and also just one turnover.
NAU and its .448 3-point shooting percentage entered the game as the league??s top team from distance. However, UM won the 3-point battle, making 7-of-18 for 38.9 percent while holding the Lumberjacks to just 2-of-8 from behind the arc.
The Griz, who had 21 assists for their 30 made baskets, recorded just nine turnovers for their second road win in league play. Montana shot only eight free throws, making seven of them, to shoot 87.5 percent.
The Lumberjacks, who had 15 assists and 10 turnovers, went 17-of-20 from the charity stripe for 85 percent. NAU shot 54.2 percent from the field (26-of-48) on the game. UM was out-rebounded for only the ninth time this season, grabbing 19 while NAU tallied 25.
Three Lumberjack players scored in double figures, led by Bazy who had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Senior forward Ruben Boykin, Jr., the top rebounder in the Big Sky Conference, finished with 15 points and only four boards.
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