Griz look to keep streak alive in Wyoming rematch

UM NOTES | WYO NOTES | WATCH | LISTEN | TWEETS

The Montana Grizzlies get another shot at revenge on Saturday as UM returns to the road to complete a home-and-home series with the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie. The two teams last met in the Grizzlies' home opener on Nov. 14, with WYO edging the Michael Oguine-less Griz 73-72. Tipoff from Laramie is set for 4 p.m.

THE GAME: Montana looks to continue its winning ways after completing a two-game home sweep over Milwaukee (75-69) and San Jose State (81-62). During the win streak, the Griz shot their best two field goal percentages of the season, averaging .510 from the field, while holding the two opponents to an average of .459 from the field. On the season the Griz are shooting 44 percent from the field, while Wyoming is shooting 42 percent. After scoring 75 points against Milwaukee and tying their season high of 81 points against SJSU, the Griz are now averaging over 70 points (71.1) per game for the first time this season.

The Cowboys enter the game at 6-2 riding a win streak of their own after picking up three-straight wins at home. The Pokes picked up notable wins over Denver and Northern Iowa (who posted a win over Arizona State) in two of their last three outings. Wyoming has the nation's No. 26 field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 37 percent from the field and only allowing teams to shoot 28.7 percent from behind the arc. WYO is also the Mountain West's leader and No. 38 nationally in three-pointers made, averaging 9.4 per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Cowboys are led in scoring by sophomore guard Justin James who is averaging 15.4 PPG and shooting 48 percent from the field. The Pokes also have another guard – senior Jason McManamen – who is shooting lights out, averaging 14.8 PPG. The pair torched the Griz for a combined 39 points on their visit to Dahlberg Arena. The Griz will have an extra defensive tool in their toolbox in Laramie however, with Oguine making his return since the two teams last met.

Ahmaad Rorie has been Mr. Consistent for the Griz so far in his debut in a Montana jersey, averaging 14.4 PPG and dishing out the team's second most assists with 27. Head Coach Travis DeCuire welcomed Oguine back against South Dakota, making a big impact averaging 9.0 PPG to compliment UM's other double-figures scorer, Sayeed Pridgett (10.2 PPG).

Montana's most impactful player as of late has undoubtedly been Fabijan Krslovic, however, pulling down 24 rebounds in the last two games and finishing just two steals shy of a rare points-rebounds-steals triple-double against the Spartans. He was also just two steals shy of tying the school record of 10 steals in a game, set by Delvon Anderson in 1991 against Simon Fraser.

WATCH/LISTEN: Fans around the globe can watch a free live stream of the Griz/Pokes rematch courtesy of the Mountain West Conference at themw.com. "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran will bring you the action on the Montana Grizzlies Radio Network and gowyo.com will provide live stats. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter @UMGRIZZLIES_BB.

SERIES HISTORY: The Cowboys now lead the all-time series against the Griz 22-12 after November's game. UM has only picked up three wins in series history in Laramie, trailing 12-3 on the Pokes' home court. The last time the Griz paid a visit to Laramie was in 2006, and the last time UM won at UW was in March of 1961, a 64-55 victory for Montana.

LAST TIME OUT: Sayeed Pridgett went 7-9 from the field for 20 points and three blocks while Jared Samuelson followed close behind with 15 points on 7-from-11 from the field in a game that saw 12 lead changes and wasn't decided until the final play when Wyoming defeated the Griz 73-72 in November.

The Griz held the Cowboys to just under 30 percent from the floor in the second half, but Montana went cold and shot 1-of-5 from behind the arc as WYO battled back from a nine-point UM lead to spoil the Grizzlies' home-opening night.

GRIZ TRACKS: Montana is currently hitting 77.2 percent of its free throws, the 20th best mark in the nation. Leading the way for the Griz at the charity stripe is Walter Wright, who is batting 1000 so far this season, sinking all 22 of his free throw attempts.

Fabijan Krslovic has pulled down 81 rebounds, becoming Montana's most dominant inside force. Those 81 boards are the most in the Big Sky, and rank the junior from Down Under No. 39 in the nation in total rebounds.

The Griz are weaning themselves off a proclivity to rely on the three-ball in recent games. Since putting up a season-high 33 shots from behind the arc against Ole Miss, the Griz have averaged just 19 three-point attempts in the last three games. Montana's season low on three-point attempts came against the Cowboys when UM shot just 14 times behind the arc.

After the defeat of SJSU, the Griz are 1-1 against the Mountain West Conference this year, with the loss coming against the Cowboys. Montana went 1-2 last season against the Mountain West, knocking off Boise State, but falling to SJSU and Nevada.

Montana is 2-0 so far in the month of December, defeating Milwaukee on 12/3 and San Jose State on 12/7.

ON DECK: The Griz will get their first opportunity to take down a top-25 team next week when Montana travels to Eugene to face current No. 24 ranked Oregon. So far this season the Griz have played two teams close to cracking the top 25, with NC State knocking on the door previous to the Paradise Jam in November, and Southern Cal receiving 43 votes in this week's AP top-25.

Montana returns home on Dec. 22 to face Pepperdine, currently sitting at No. 7 in the strong West Coast Conference that features two top-25 teams in No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 12 Saint Mary's.

Tickets are available at GrizTix.com, at the Adams Center Box Office or by calling 1-888-MONTANA.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Fabijan Krslovic

Michael Oguine

Sayeed Pridgett

Ahmaad Rorie

Jared Samuelson

Walter Wright

University of Montana Athletics