Griz wrap nonconference at home against Pepperdine

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Coming off a key road win at UC Riverside, the Montana Grizzlies (4-8) look to gain momentum heading into Big Sky play as UM completes the nonconference season at home against the Pepperdine Waves (4-7) of the West Coast Conference.

The Griz and Waves matchup is the second leg of a home-and-home series that began in Malibu, Calif., last season, and is set to tip on at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22.

THE GAME: Montana enters Thursday's game coming off the program's first true nonconference road win in nearly two years after grinding out a 71-63 win over UC Riverside in California on Saturday.

The win over Riverside sets the Griz up for a potential booster shot of confidence heading into Big Sky play if UM can pick up a win against Pepperdine, as the Road to Reno officially gets underway after the holiday break on Dec. 29 against Idaho State.

"I don't' know if winning or losing determines what happens in your next 18 games, but it would be nice to go into conference with a streak and feeling good. The most important thing for us though is to come out, play well, play together and play with energy," said head coach Travis DeCuire.

"(Pepperdine) are a lot like us. They run a lot of offense; they execute well, they're physical defensively. They are a team that understands who their scorers are. They have three guys taking 65 percent of their shots. They do a really good job of making sure those guys get plenty of touches, and that makes them very difficult to defend."

The Waves come to Missoula after falling to Louisiana-Lafayette 90-64 on Tuesday, looking to snap a six-game losing streak that dates back to Nov. 22, when they beat Little Rock at the Lone Star Showcase in Cedar Park, Texas.

During the drought, Pepperdine suffered a home loss to Portland State (91-85), and a road loss to the team Montana opened the season against, the USC Trojans (67-93). The Waves also hold a win over an opponent Griz fans will be familiar with in Weber State. The Wildcats traveled to Malibu on Nov. 15 and fell to Pepperdine by a single point, 69-68 after missing a contested three-pointer at the buzzer.

Senior Lamond Murray Jr. scored a career-high 33 points for the Waves that night and leads them in scoring this season, averaging 19.8 points-per-game. Murray earned All-WCC second team honors last year after a breakout junior season and was named to the 2016-17 preseason All-WCC team.

"He's a good scorer. He gets a lot of elevation on his jump shot," said Montana sophomore Michael Oguine, who will be one of UM's defensive keys to stopping the Waves' attack. "We can't close short on him; we have to be there right at the catch with high hands to take away his shot."

WATCH/LISTEN: Fans around the globe can watch the Griz take on the Waves via web stream at GoGriz.com/watch. The "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran brings you the statewide call on the Montana Grizzlies Radio Network, which can also be heard online at GoGriz.com. Live stats are also available at GoGriz.com, and a live twitter feed can be found @UMGRIZZLIES_BB.

SERIES HISTORY: Montana trails the all-time series with Pepperdine 1-4. The series dates back to the first meeting between the two in 1948 when George "Jiggs" Dahlberg led the Griz to Malibu and fell 59-42.

Montana's only win of the series came in 1991 when Blaine Taylor's Griz won 89-88 in Malibu when UM started the season 18-1 en route to a NCAA tournament berth. The Griz finished that season with a 27-4 record.

Martin Breunig posted a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds against the Waves at the Firestone Fieldhouse last season, but the Griz couldn't overcome a cold start where they made only 1-of-16 three-point attempts to start the game as UM fell 69-63.

GRIZ TRACKS: True to the game plan at the beginning of the season, Walter Wright and Ahmaad Rorie are emerging as leaders in the backcourt for Montana, with the two currently combining for over 25 points-per-game to lead UM in scoring.

Not far behind are freshman Sayeed Pridgett (9.7 PPG) and Oguine (9.5 PPG), who have both at one point this season averaged in double figures.

Wright continues to be on of the main reasons the Griz are ranked in makes from the free-throw line, currently at No. 18 in the nation. Wright has only missed three shots from the charity stripe so far this year, making 35 of his 38 attempts.

Montana's 71-63 win at UC Riverside was the first win in the state of California for DeCuire in his tenure as head coach at Montana. It was also DeCuire's 45th career win, who is on track to be the second-fastest coach to reach 50 wins in school history.

Blaine Taylor's 50th win came just six games into his third season ('93-'94) after a 27-4 record in his first season followed by a 17-11 record in '92-'93. Mike Montgomery's 50th win came during the Big Sky tournament against Montana State in 1981, also his third season.

GRIZ BITS: Ahmaad Rorie set a new career-high mark against Riverside, netting 25 points. His previous high score was 21 points, scored against USC and Milwaukee.

The Griz and Waves both made postseason appearances last year in the CBI Tournament. Montana fell 79-75 to the Nevada Wolfpack in Reno, and Pepperdine fell 79-72 to Eastern Washington in Cheney in the first round.

WAVES BITS: Pepperdine sophomore forward Kameron Edwards, who earned WCC All-Freshman honors last season and scored nine points while pulling down five rebounds against the Griz, suffered a fractured jaw on Nov. 5 and is yet to return to the team this season.

It is yet to be determined if he will play against the Griz, but for Coach DeCuire, he is a large part of the Waves' success.

"They've been missing probably their most valuable player when you talk about how much someone does. He may not be the leading scorer, and he might not be the leading rebounder, but he's done enough for that team that it's changed their personality."

ON DECK: The Griz open Big Sky Conference play hosting Idaho State, led by first-team All-Big Sky guard and last season's Big Sky Newcomer of the Year Ethan Telfair. The Bengals and Griz tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29.

Montana then rings in the new year with a Big Sky Championship rematch against Weber State, set to get your New Year's Eve celebrations started early at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31.

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Players Mentioned

Martin Breunig

Michael Oguine

Sayeed Pridgett

Ahmaad Rorie

Walter Wright

University of Montana Athletics