Griz host Cowboys in home opener

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The Montana Grizzlies open the program's first all-D-I home schedule on Monday as regional rivals Wyoming pay a visit to Dahlberg Arena at 7 p.m.

It's Montana's home opener of the 2016-17 season and the first game of a home-and-home series that will see the Griz visit the Cowboys on Dec. 10 in Laramie.

THE GAME: Montana (0-1) enters Monday's game following a promising season opener at the Pac-12's USC Trojans on Friday, with the Griz jumping out to an early 14-3 lead thanks to three treys from Ahmaad Rorie and another from Jack Lopez. The first half remained neck-and-neck, with the Trojans would taking a 34-30 lead at the half.

Montana hung tough with Southern Cal in the second half, with Brandon Gfeller hitting a triple with nine minutes left to bring the Griz within three at 53-50 before USC pulled away for the 75-61 win.

The Cowboys (1-0) opened their season at home against Western State on Friday, shooting 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arc en route to an 88-49 win over the D-II Mountaineers. UW shot 14 three-pointers, the third most in a single game in Cowboy history.

COVERAGE: Fans around the globe can watch the game on Grizzly All-Access at gogriz.com/watch.

"Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran will bring you the call on the statewide Montana Grizzlies Radio Network. Fans can also tune in to hear the radio broadcast online at gogriz.com/watch.

If you want to follow the game by the numbers, live stats are available at grizstats.com, and fans can follow the live Twitter feed as well @UMGRIZZLIES_BB.

SERIES HISTORY: The Cowboys lead the all-time series against Montana 21-12 dating back to 1941.

It's been 10 years since the Griz faced Wyoming. The last time these two programs squared off was in 2006 in Laramie, where the Griz fell 76-71 in Wayne Tinkle's third game as UM head coach.

The last time the 'Pokes played in Missoula was in the 1990-91 season when the visitors picked up a 75-67 win over the Griz. The Griz are 9-7 all-time against WYO in Missoula.

GRIZ TRACKS: The Grizzlies split two games against Mountain West Conference opponents last season, defeating the conference's third-place Boise State Broncos 74-72 in Missoula before falling to San Jose State three days later in California.

Ahmaad Rorie made the most of his Grizzly debut at USC, putting in a team-high 21 points on 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line on the offensive side of the ball and holding the Trojan's best player from last season to just seven points on the defensive side of the ball.

Junior forward Fabijan Krslovic posted 10 points at USC, just three shy of his career high of 13. "Fab" also pulled down seven rebounds, a mark he reached only five times last season.

Sophomore wing Bobby Moorehead also pulled down seven boards as he and Krslovic led the Griz with a combined 14 of Montana's 32 rebounds. Moorehead also went 3-7 from the field to put in nine points, one of four Griz that had 9-plus points against the Trojans.

Senior guard Brandon Gfeller came off the bench and went 3-6 from long range to score nine points as well at USC.

Redshirt freshman Jared Samuelson, son of former Griz standout Shawn Samuelson, scored his first official points in a Grizzly uniform, throwing down a dunk in the first half at USC, assisted by Krslovic.

ON DECK: The Grizzlies leave the cold of a Montana November behind for the sun and sand of the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Grizzlies open the tournament on Nov. 18 against North Carolina State, who received votes in the preseason AP Top-25.

The Griz will have to deal with Wolfpack freshman phenom Dennis Smith Jr., one of 50 players named to the Naismith Trophy watch list for the nation's best college basketball player as well as the Bob Cousy Award Watch list for the nation's best point guard.

Waiting on the opposite side of the bracket for the Griz at the Paradise Jam is either No. 22 ranked Creighton or regional rival Washington State, who the Griz will play on either Nov. 19 or 20, pending the outcome of the game vs. NC State.

COWBOY WAY: Wyoming's road trip to Missoula is the first under new head coach Allen Edwards, who was tabbed to lead the program in March after serving as an assistant for the Cowboys for five seasons under previous head coach Larry Shyatt.

UW junior guard Alexander Aka Gorski and forward Jordan Naughton each had a career-best 20 points in the Cowboy's win over Western State on Friday. Aka Gorski had a career-high five three-pointers in his 20-point haul, and Naughton posted his first career double-double with 14 rebounds and going 9-9 from the field.

The win over the Mountaineers was also Coach Edwards' first win at the helm, the seventh-straight home-opener win for WYO.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Gfeller

Fabijan Krslovic

Jack Lopez

Bobby Moorehead

Ahmaad Rorie

Jared Samuelson

University of Montana Athletics