Griz return home to host Argos on Tuesday

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The Montana Grizzlies (3-5) return to Dahlberg Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. to host the NAIA's University of Great Falls Argos (5-4) after weathering one of the toughest stretches of the nonconference season over the last week.

The Griz hit the home court in Missoula following a narrow loss to the No. 17 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs and a loss in Seattle to a Washington Huskies outfit that is quickly making a name for itself in the Pac-12.

During the road stretch, the Griz proved they could compete with anyone, holding Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer, CBS's preseason national player of the year, to just 16 points.

For Montana head coach Travis DeCuire, hosting the Argos presents a different challenge as the team prepares for the Big Sky schedule.

"They'll be aggressive, and they'll want to play fast. We'll see a lot of different defenses out of them, man, zone, pressure, the whole nine yards," said Coach DeCuire. "For us it's an opportunity to address playing against changing defenses, teams that try to keep you on your heels a little bit with confusion. It will be good for us to work on it because we'll see a little bit of that in conference."

"Every game is an opportunity to improve, and you prepare for them all differently. This is a little more about us in terms of working on our execution, and our defenses, and just getting back to playing ball the way we know how to play."

Griz senior forward Martin Breunig will look to continue his dominant form after hitting a speed bump of foul trouble at Washington. Breunig has had five, 20 point outings in the last eight games, the second most of anyone in the Big Sky Conference.

Michael Oguine had a breakout game against the Huskies in Seattle, pouring in a career high 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists to tie for the most points of all scorers in the game. The true freshman from Chatsworth, Calif., is averaging the third-most points on the team with 9.9 per game, behind Walter Wright (10.1) and Breunig (18.4)

SERIES HISTORY: The Grizzlies have never lost to the Argos, leading the overall series 11-0. The last time the two met was in 2011, when the Griz snuck away a 60-59 win after the Argos battled back from a 16-point lead.

SCOUTING THE ARGOS: The Argos have three players averaging double figures so far this season, led by sophomore guard Jarrett Givens (12.9 ppg), senior guard Lamar Falley (12 ppg) and sophomore forward Sigman Farmer III (10.1).

Great Falls is averaging nearly 80 points per game in its nonconference season that includes a 72-78 loss at Idaho State, and a 104-64 drubbing at the hands of Eastern Washington.

NEXT UP: The Griz head to Lawrence, Kansas, to face off against the perennial powerhouse Kansas Jayhawks, who are currently ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation in the AP Top 25.

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Players Mentioned

Martin Breunig

Michael Oguine

Walter Wright

University of Montana Athletics