Griz return to So Cal seeking nonconference win

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The Montana Grizzlies (3-8) return to the road one final time in regular-season nonconference play, escaping the blizzards in Montana for Southern California's Inland Empire to face the UC Riverside Highlanders (1-5) of the Big West Conference, a team who, like the Griz, has played up this year.

The Griz and Highlanders tip-off at 6 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Riverside, looking to get in the win column for the second time this season while playing away from Dahlberg Arena.

THE GAME: Montana caps a three-game road stretch against the Highlanders, coming off a "closer than the score would indicate" loss at No. 22 Oregon (81-67) and a last-second loss to Wyoming in Laramie on a Louis Adams three-pointer.

As finals week concludes at the University of Montana, the trip to Riverside is the last road test for the Griz before returning home for a three-game stretch that will see them through the new year.

Riverside enters the contest coming off a 77-55 loss at Santa Clara on Dec. 13 that was the first game for the Highlanders in nearly two weeks. Before that, Riverside suffered a pair of losses at Utah, and the current No. 2 ranked UCLA Bruins in late November. UCR has also made trips to play Portland and UNLV coming away with losses in both contests.

Saturday night's game against Montana will be the first home game for the Highlanders in nearly a month when they beat D-II Fresno Pacific 96-50 on November 19, and Grizzly head coach Travis DeCuire knows they will be chomping at the bit to perform in front of their home crowd.

"I think they're excited to play a home game like we're excited to play someone who's more midlevel like us, said DeCuire, of the UCR, who finished tied for sixth in the Big West last year. "It's going to be a tough matchup on Saturday."

WATCH/LISTEN: The game can be seen free of charge via web stream at BigWest.org. The "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran also brings you the statewide call on the Montana Grizzlies Radio Network and worldwide via audio-only web stream on GoGriz.com. GoHighlanders.com will provide live stats and live Twitter updates can be found @UMGRIZZLIES_BB.

SERIES HISTORY: The Griz lead the all-time series with the Highlanders 3-1, a relatively young series for Montana, dating back to the first game between the two programs in 2005 at Riverside - a 77-67 win for the Griz under Larry Krystkowiak.

The last time the two schools met was in 2009 in Missoula – a 67-52 win for the Griz under Wayne Tinkle.

GRIZ TRACKS: To call the Grizzlies "road warriors" this season is about as big of an understatement as one could make. Upon return from Riverside, Montana will have traveled a grand total of 14,790 miles during what is rightly considered the most difficult nonconference schedule in program history, facing only D-I opponents.

While UM may not sit exactly where they want to be in terms of wins and losses, with the Big Sky Conference season right around the corner, DeCuire is confident the schedule is serving the purpose he hoped it would.

"It's kind of like fighting a heavyweight to prepare for a middleweight fight, and hopefully it pays off for us in the long run and doesn't wear us down," said the third-year head coach.

"It's kind of us against the world right now. I love that mentality. It's an opportunity for our team to soak that in and come together under those circumstances, because then when we go into conference, and we've got crowds and rivalry games and those types of things, we've been there and done that."

Over the course of the nonconference schedule, the Griz have been in-it-to-win-it in nearly every game they have played, save a lapse against Washington State at the Paradise Jam. With two games to go before league play starts, DeCuire is hoping that one more good performance on the road equates to a win.

"The next test for us is: are you going to play to the level of your competition, or are you going to play to the level of your ability? We've had close games in pretty much every game we've played with the exception of San Jose State and Oral Roberts. It's time for us to play and to approach every game the way we approached those games."

The improvement on the court has been evident to fans who have followed the program since the season's opening tip at USC, and the numbers are there to back it up.

Walter Wright has emerged from an early-season slump in a big way. After the second game of the year against Wyoming, the All-Big Sky guard was averaging only two points-per-game at 9.2 percent from the floor as he sought to find his rhythm.

Wright is now the Grizzlies third-leading scorer, averaging 10.2 PPG, is averaging better than 37 percent from the floor and has dished out a team-high 33 assists to date.

The only other two shooters currently scoring more for the Griz are Ahmaad Rorie, averaging a team-high 14.2 PPG and Michael Oguine, who's made a big impact since returning from injury, averaging 10.6 PPG.

GRIZ BITS: After a strong performance against the national powerhouse Oregon Ducks, Montana's RPI has climbed to No. 200 in the nation, up from 208. Only three other teams in the Big Sky have a better RPI, with North Dakota at 196, Northern Colorado at 176 and Eastern Washington at 57.

Fabijan Krslovic was recognized twice this week for his big performances on the boards and currently leads the Big Sky in total rebounds with 90 on the season. He's also currently ranked No. 54 in the nation in total rebounds and No. 60 in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 3.18 per game.

Montana is yet to claim a victory in the state of California in DeCuire's tenure, with UM at 0-7 in the Golden State since 2014.

The Griz have been nothing short of outstanding from the free-throw line this year, ranked at No. 14 in the nation in free-throw percentage, making 78.1 percent of their 178 attempts. While UM has been solid from the line, getting to the line has been one of Montana's biggest challenges so far this season.

"Every stat is pretty much even, except for fouls and free throw shots. Our opponents have shot 100 more free throws than us, and there's your difference," added DeCuire.

Montana will close out the nonconference season in Missoula on Dec. 22, hosting the Pepperdine Waves of the West Coast Conference.

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Players Mentioned

Fabijan Krslovic

Michael Oguine

Ahmaad Rorie

Walter Wright

University of Montana Athletics