Gfeller and Griz hoping to repeat magic at SUU and NAU

On New Year's Eve, 2015, Brandon Gfeller had the game of his life in a double-overtime thriller at Northern Arizona.

In Montana's opening game of the Big Sky schedule that year, he went 8-of-13 behind the arc for a career-high 24 points as the Griz broke the school record for three-pointers in a game with 18 in a 90-84 UM win.

Two days later, he followed it up with another one of the best performances of his illustrious career, netting 21 points at Southern Utah, going 6-of-11 from downtown.

It's safe to say that Gfeller will feel comfortable shooting at the Walkup Skydome and Centrum Arena this week, as the Griz return to the high desert of the Southwest looking to build momentum after a big win over Montana State.

"It was a good trip last year - close game, the first one against NAU - but it was fun. I got going a little bit, my teammates did a good job finding me, and I got hot," said the senior from Colfax, Wash.

"I just remember I kept getting open and my team kept passing me the ball. Once I hit a couple, they were looking for me on every possession, and I was getting clean passes."

Gfeller did more than just get hot against Northern Arizona; he was just one three-pointer shy of tying the school single-game record with eight. With the game against the Jacks in doubt, Gfeller brought the Griz back from the brink of defeat, draining six straight threes to turn a five-point deficit into an eight-point UM lead late in the second half.

Against the Thunderbirds the following Saturday, he drained six for a total of 45 points in two games.

For his efforts leading to a Griz sweep of the road trip, Gfeller was named Big Sky Player of the Week the following Monday for the first time in his career.

While Gfeller's shooting touch has been cold as of late this season, he's confident the momentum the Grizzlies have will come up big this weekend, even if it's someone else doing the scoring.

"As a team, we do a good job of finding the hot hand, and that's important for us," said Gfeller.

"We've been mentally preparing. We've got to watch our film, and know our offensive sets, their offensive sets, and what we're going to be doing defensively. I feel like if you do that, the offense falls into place, so we'll be ready to go."

Despite a cold stretch his senior year, Gfeller will graduate as one of Montana's most prolific three-point shooters ever as he closes in on the school record for most triples in a career.

To date, he's drained 196 shots from behind the arc, needing just 23 more threes to break Kevin Criswell's 2006 record of 218.

In addition to being one of Montana's best shooters, Gfeller is also one of the tops in the Big Sky Conference, currently sitting at No. 4 on the Career Active Leaders in made threes.

After suffering through four straight losses before righting the ship against the Cats last week, Gfeller and the Griz are primed to make a late-season run back toward the top of the league standings.

On paper, this week's games at Southern Utah and Northern Arizona look favorable for the Griz, but for Gfeller and his teammates, they will be looking to the lessons learned from last year's success on this trip as the Big Sky tournament draws near.

"I think we just came ready play last year," said Gfeller. "We prepare for every game like it's a championship game, and that's what we did. We'll be ready to go again this week."

Montana and the Thunderbirds tip off at 6:30 on Thursday from Cedar City, Utah. On Saturday, UM faces the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Ariz., at 7:30 p.m.

University of Montana Athletics

Gfeller and Griz hoping to repeat magic at SUU and NAU

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