Busy week begins with showdown against 2019 postseason team

Montana vs. Texas Southern / Monday / 7 p.m. / Missoula, Mont.

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After battling No. 25 Washington on the road on Friday, Montana now returns home to host Texas Southern Monday night at 7 p.m. Fans can take advantage of a Family 4-Pack deal, featuring four (or more) general-admission tickets for just $4 apiece.

The game will also be broadcast statewide on SWX Montana.

SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN

Like Montana, Texas Southern is a 2019 postseason team that is off to a 1-4 start. The Tigers picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, 98-96 in double overtime, at Northern Kentucky.
The Tigers have also challenged themselves in the non-conference, already playing games at San Diego State, Wichita State, South Dakota and Arkansas. Still looming are December contests at Gonzaga, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona State and Texas A&M.
Against the Razorbacks, a team that Montana also played, Texas Southern fell 82-51, trailing by at least 13 for the final 28 minutes. Already down double digits, the game got out of hand following a 14-0 Arkansas run.
In Saturday's win over the Norse, TSU's Bryson Etienne connected on a three-pointer to tie the game with 8 seconds remaining. The Tigers took the lead on a Tyrik Armstrong layup with 6 seconds left in double overtime. Armstrong also was the reason the game went to double overtime, getting an offensive rebound and sinking two free throws in the closing seconds of the first extended period. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Etienne chipped in with 19 points, while Yahuza Rasas finished with a double-double (18 points, 14 rebounds).
Senior forward Edin Ewing was named to the preseason All-SWAC team. Last season he averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. During the offseason, he was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.
Texas A&M transfer John Walker III, the former Texas 5A Player of the Year, received a waiver to play this season. He is averaging 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. The Tigers also added Mississippi State transfer and former ESPN Top 100 player Jethro Tshisumpa, who also received immediate eligibility and has played sparingly so far this season.
Coming off of a postseason appearance in the CIT, the Tigers were picked to finish second in this year's SWAC preseason poll. A season ago, TSU went 24-14, with three wins over Power-5 opponents, and advanced to the semifinals of the CIT.
The Tigers are coached by second-year head coach Johnny Jones. He has extensive head coaching experience, including at Memphis (interim), North Texas and LSU.
Former Griz Karl Nicholas, who spent last season at Stephen F. Austin, was previously a member of the Texas Southern basketball team, but is no longer listed on the Tigers' roster.

SERIES VS. THE TIGERS
Montana won the only meeting between the two schools, defeating the Tigers, 64-48, in the 1994 Montana Holiday tournament in Missoula. The Grizzlies don't have much familiarity with the SWAC as a whole. Monday will be the sixth all-time game against a current member of the conference. The Grizzlies lost to Jackson State in 2003-04 at home and are 3-0 vs. Mississippi Valley State, winning three times from 2005-06 through 2008-09.

GRIZ BITS

According to KenPom's respected rankings, which accounts for Division-I competition, Montana has played the nation's fourth-toughest schedule so far this season. The Grizzlies' three DI losses have come to opponents with a combined record of 15-1.
Montana used just eight players through the first four games of the season, before adding senior Jared Samuelson to the rotation at Washington. Four of the team's main rotation players are freshmen.
After using the same starting lineup through the first three game, Montana has changed it up over the past two contests, with Derrick Carter-Hollinger (twice) and Timmy Falls (once) working their way into the starting rotation.
While Montana's offense has struggled to get going, the defense has held its own, limiting all five opponents to 74 points or fewer (66.8 average). The Grizzlies have also forced opponents into .293 three-point shooting and 16.0 turnovers per game.
Through four games, Montana averaged just 3.8 made three-pointers per game and was shooting 25.0 from beyond the arc, before connecting on nine triples at Washington (40.9 percent shooting).
While the Grizzlies made nine three-pointers, Washington went 0-for-11, marking the first time in 20 years that the Huskies had failed to make a three-pointer.
Despite averaging just 32.4 rebounds per game, Montana out-rebounded its opponent in the first four games of the season.
Montana forced Washington into a season-high 21 turnovers on Friday, but the Griz also turned the ball over 20 times. In its four losses, Montana has turned the ball over at least 17 times for an average of 19.3 per loss (22.8 points off turnover per loss). Currently, no player has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
Montana has not led at the half this season.
Montana already has five scoring runs of more than eight points (14-0 vs. Stanford; 13-0 vs. MSU Northern; 11-0 vs. MSU Northern; 9-0 vs. Washington; 8-0 vs. Washington).

LOOKING TO STOP A SKID
Montana will look to snap its three-game losing streak on Monday. The Grizzlies haven't lost four in a row since January 2017, during a 16-16 season. That was also the last time the Grizzlies began a season 1-4 (the 2016-17 team started 0-4 and 1-6). Montana hasn't lost back-to-back home games since January 2017.

KEEPING IT TIGHT
Montana played just eight players in each of its first four games, before expanding the rotation to nine at Washington (Nov. 22), once Jared Samuelson was able to return from a knee injury.

PLAYING THEM YOUNG
Four of Montana's top eight rotation players – Derrick Carter-Hollinger, Eddy Egun, Kyle Owens and Josh Vazquez – made their collegiate debuts earlier this month at Stanford. Vazquez's 28.4 minutes-per-game average ranks third on the team, while Carter-Hollinger is fifth (22.0) and Owens is sixth (21.6).

Overall, 43.8 percent of the team's minutes played have been recorded by players who were in high school or redshirting last season. The four freshmen also account for 36.3 percent of the team's scoring and 41.4 percent of its rebounding.

STARTING THEM YOUNG
In a variety of combinations, Montana has started two freshmen in all five of its game this season, with Josh Vazquez and Kyle Owens earning four and Derrick Carter-Hollinger drawing starts in Montana's past two games.

It marks the first time since 2014 that a pair of Montana true freshmen have started in the same game (Mario Dunn and Brandon Gfeller vs. Sacramento State on March 6, 2014). Dunn and Gfeller started the same game just once that season, and one would have to go back to 2004-05 (Andrew Strait and Matt Martin) to find the last time it has happened multiple times. Still, Strait and Martin started together as true freshmen just four times, and neither were starters to begin the season.

Since Montana began tracking starters in 1979-80, the Grizzlies had never before started two true freshmen in five or more games in a season.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

#0 Kyle Owens – Has started four contests... Ranked second on team with 14 points vs. Montana Tech, including perfect 10-for-10 from free-throw line... Reached double figures for first time with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting vs. MSU Northern... Made collegiate debut at Stanford, scoring three points.
#1 Timmy Falls – Earned first start of season at Washington, leading UM with four assists and two steals... Played career-high 38 minutes vs. Montana Tech, scoring 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, in addition to three steals... Through two games was averaging 15.5 mpg, 2.0 ppg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg; over past three games is averaging 31.0 mpg, 5.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 spg.
#2 Kendal Manuel – Has led UM for scoring and minutes in past two games... Has made two three-pointers in four contests... Scored 15 points at Washington and career-high 25 vs. Montana Tech, making 10 shots... Began season shooting 6-of-27 (.222) before recent surge.
#3 Josh Vazquez – Ranks third on team with 28.4 mpg... Has started four games... Shot 3-of-5 from deep at Washington, totaling nine points... Prior to that performance, had missed 10 consecutive shots over three games... Has at least one steal in every game... Scored 11 points in collegiate debut at Stanford.
#4 Sayeed Pridgett – Leads UM for minutes, scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks... Has also turned the ball over team-high 23 times... Was limited to 28 minutes at Washington after fouling out... Has scored at least 13 points in every contest, including career-high 30 vs. MSU Northern... Has twice (vs. MSU Northern, at Washington) scored 13 consecutive UM points; both instances turned a Griz deficit into a lead... Recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, plus six assists and three steals, in season opener at Stanford.
#10 Eddy Egun – Recorded team-high six rebounds at Washington (career best)... Shot 2-of-3 from deep vs. the Huskies, making back-to-back three-pointers during 14-3 UM run to tie game... Made collegiate debut at Stanford, shooting 2-of-3 from deep for six points.
#23 Mack Anderson – Started first four games, the first starts of his career... Had team-high seven rebounds at Stanford (career best), also scoring nine points and blocking two shots... Has led UM for rebounding and blocked shots twice.
#33 Jared Samuelson – Played eight minutes at Washington (one rebound), his first game action with UM since March 7, 2017... Missed first four games with preseason knee injury.
#35 Derrick Carter-Hollinger – Has started past two games... Tied for team lead with six rebounds at Washington... Has at least five rebounds in four games... Made collegiate debut at Stanford, ranking second on team with 15 points (5-of-6 shooting)... Scored five consecutive Griz points to get UM within a possession in second half.

MOVIN' ON UP
In March, Sayeed Pridgett became the 34th member of Montana's 1,000-point scoring club. Pridgett (1,153) has already passed seven players this season on the all-time scoring list, and with six points on Monday will pass Martin Breunig (1,158) and move into 19th place.

A LOOK BACK AT WASHINGTON

Montana changed up its starting lineup, with Timmy Falls earning his first start of the season, in addition to Derrick Carter-Hollinger starting for the second consecutive game.
Montana was called for 34 fouls, with Washington taking 46 free throws compared to just 13 for the Griz. Overall, six of Montana's nine players finished the night with four or more fouls, and two fouling out.
Washington's 46 free-throw attempts were the most by a Griz opponent in six seasons under Travis DeCuire. The previous high was 41, set in December 2016 when the Grizzlies visited Washington.
Montana entered the night averaging 3.8 made three-pointers per game, but connected on nine on Friday, with four players each making at least two. On the other hand, Washington was 0-for-11 from three-point range, marking the first time in 20 seasons the Huskies failed to make a three-pointer.
Washington scored the game's first nine points just 2:20 into the contest, but the Grizzlies fired back with nine points of their own, with the first six coming from the charity stripe.
During Montana's 14-3 run late in the first half, which tied the score at 29-29, Montana held Washington without a made field goal for 6:34. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, made five consecutive shots. Redshirt freshman Eddy Egun had back-to-back three-pointers during the spurt before Sayeed Pridgett tied it with a short jumper.
Spanning both halves, the Grizzlies went on a 17-5 run to take its first and only lead, 32-31, on a three-pointer from Sayeed Pridgett in the corner to open the second-half scoring.
Pridgett scored 13 consecutive Grizzly points, scoring the final six of the first half before the first seven of the second half. He scored 13 points before fouling out in just 28 minutes of action.
For the second consecutive game, Kendal Manuel led the Griz for scoring. He finished with 15 points and three assists.
Egun (career high) and Carter-Hollinger tied for the team lead with six rebounds apiece.
Falls dished out a team-high four assists, in addition to stealing two passes.
Freshman Josh Vazquez connected on three three-pointers, finishing the night with nine points and two assists.
Montana was within five points midway through the second half, 48-43, with 11:01 to play, following a Manuel fast-break jumper. The Huskies didn't permanently take a double-digit lead until the final 6:19.
Senior Jared Samuelson made his season debut, returning to the floor following a knee injury during preseason kept him out of the lineup for Montana's first four games. Samuelson, a graduate transfer from Rocky Mountain College, spent two seasons with the Griz before transferring to Rocky. Samuelson played 8 minutes of action.
The Grizzlies made just two of their first 16 shot attempts, but finished the first half by connecting on six of their final 10. Overall, though, Montana was limited to .333 shooting on the night.
The Grizzlies turned the ball over 20 times, but forced even more turnovers. Washington finished with 21 giveaways. Both teams had 23 points off of turnovers.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana's busy Thanksgiving week continues with a Friday home contest vs. Coppin State, before traveling to play at New Mexico on Sunday afternoon. Fans can take advantage of a Black Friday deal, with Montana offering buy-one-get-one-free general-admission tickets.

Busy week begins with showdown against 2019 postseason team

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Martin Breunig

Derrick Carter-Hollinger

Mario Dunn

Eddy Egun

Timmy Falls

Brandon Gfeller

Kendal Manuel

Karl Nicholas

Kyle Owens

Sayeed Pridgett

Jared Samuelson

Josh Vazquez

University of Montana Athletics

Busy week begins with showdown against 2019 postseason team

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Martin Breunig

Derrick Carter-Hollinger

Mario Dunn

Eddy Egun

Timmy Falls

Brandon Gfeller

Kendal Manuel

Karl Nicholas

Kyle Owens

Sayeed Pridgett

Jared Samuelson

Josh Vazquez

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