Griz beat Cats 73-59 at Dahlberg Arena
1/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior guard Anthony Johnson scored a career-high 31 points to lead The University of Montana Grizzlies to a 73-59 Big Sky Conference win over their intrastate rivals, the Montana State Bobcats, Saturday evening in UM???s Dahlberg Arena.
Montana (7-7 overall/1-1 Big Sky) led throughout the second half, but MSU (7-6/0-2) stayed within single digits through the first nine-plus minutes of the final stanza. The Grizzlies took their first double-digit lead with 10:33 left in the contest on a jumper by Johnson, which gave UM a 45-35 lead, but the Bobcats answered, and a lay-up by junior guard Will Bynum cut the UM lead to 45-37 at the 9:38 mark. But, Montana freshman forward Derek Selvig answered that MSU score with a three-pointer, giving UM a 48-37 lead, and the Grizzlies maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Johnson scored 23 of his 31 points in the second half, making 7-of-9 field goal attempts and 9-of-10 free throws in the final 20 minutes. He bettered his career best by 10 points (he had 21 points against Santa Clara earlier this season). Senior forward Jordan Hasquet was UM???s other double-figure scorer with 17 points, and he scored 13 points in the final half. Johnson also had a career-high 7 rebounds, as did sophomore guard Michael Taylor. MSU was led by Bynum with 14 points, while sophomore guard Erik Rush added 13 points, and sophomore forward Bobby Howard chipped in 10. The game was tied three times and there were also three lead changes ??? all in the first half. The last tie was 11-11with 7:24 to go, and came on a three-point shot by MSU???s Howard. But on their next possession, the Grizzlies grabbed a 13-11 edge on a jumper by Selvig and Montana led the rest of the way. The Grizzlies led 27-22 at halftime. The Griz and Cats host Northern Arizona and Sacramento State next week.
