Grizzlies challenge Lobos in narrow defeat

Sunday, December 1

Albuquerque, N.M.

1 PM

Montana

3-5

New Mexico

7-2

Montana

New Mexico

12/1/2019 5:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Montana led New Mexico with under 9 minutes to play, but couldn't quite pull off the upset bid, falling to the Lobos, 72-63, on Sunday afternoon.

Playing in front of more than 10,000 fans in one of college basketball's most iconic venues, the Grizzlies showed they weren't going to be intimidated, playing toe to toe with the Lobos of the Mountain West. In fact, Montana made its first two shots and built a 12-8 lead after holding New Mexico without a made field goal for 9 minutes, 25 seconds.

During the drought, New Mexico missed 10 consecutive shots and turned the ball over three times.

"We were in all of the right spots," DeCuire said. "We're playing hard right now and flying around, and we're paying attention to details on the scout."

In the last 8 minutes, New Mexico is 0-for-10 from the floor and has turned the ball over 4 times! pic.twitter.com/nFuLYjaUAV
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) December 1, 2019

Montana's defense allowed the Grizzlies to lead for nearly 8 minutes of the first half, but they couldn't extend their lead further, with Montana scoring just 12 points in the first 12 minutes.

Following nearly 10 minutes without a made basket, New Mexico quickly found its rhythm, hitting six straight shots – including four from three-point range – to open up a seven-point advantage. Montana would work back to a 24-24 tie before entering the locker room down six.

"As well as I thought we were playing defensively, I thought we should have had the lead at halftime," DeCuire said. "With guys on the bench due to fouls, our ball movement wasn't great and we struggled to get shots."

The Grizzlies hung with the Lobos shot for shot in the second half and a few minutes in began chipping away. Freshman Josh Vazquez – who finished with a career-high 16 points – made one of his four three-pointers to tie the game at 40-40. Moments later, Kendal Manuel drilled a three to give Montana a 50-49 lead with under 9 minutes to play.

"That was huge," DeCuire said of Manuel's shot. "That's what this team does; we keep fighting."

BANG!

Josh Vazquez for 3 and we're all tied up! Catch the finish on @ROOTSPORTS_NW! pic.twitter.com/szS0qvuGdY
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) December 1, 2019

Like they did in the first half, the Lobos again responded. This time, New Mexico went on an 11-2 run over the next 3:32 to build an eight-point advantage. Following Manuel's triple, Montana would score just 13 more points, with 10 of them coming from senior Sayeed Pridgett.

Pridgett was again phenomenal, scoring a game-high 25 points and recording his second consecutive double-double with 10 rebounds. Pridgett also led Montana for assists (five) and steals (three).

Montana shot .500 in the second half and overall turned the ball over just six times, but couldn't overcome New Mexico's 35 free-throw attempts (compared to seven for the Griz).

"My guys fought," DeCuire said. "They played hard and they had the right intent. There's some things we can do better down the stretch to win these games, but I think we are competing and getting better."

Gallery: (12/1/2019) MBB: at New Mexico (12.1.19)

Game Notables

Montana held New Mexico to 72 points, which was 21 points below the Lobos' season scoring average at home (93.0).
Montana didn't trail by double digits until the final 69 seconds and never trailed by more than 10 points.
After entering the game averaging 18.4 turnovers per game (307^th nationally), Montana turned the ball over just six times on Sunday (season low), resulting in just three UNM points. Even more impressive, the Lobos entered the contest forcing 16.25 turnovers per game.
Montana had a season-best 12:6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Montana attempted a season-low seven free throws, compared to 35 attempts for the Lobos. The Grizzlies were called for 14 more fouls (29 to 15), with two Grizzlies fouling out and two more reaching four.
After struggling offensively in the first half, the Grizzlies shot .500 in the second (15-of-30), to narrowly out-shoot the Lobos on the day (.433 to .431).
Senior Sayeed Pridgett recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game, finishing with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. Pridgett again stuffed the stats sheet, also leading the Griz for assists (5) and steals (3). He also scored 10 of Montana's final 13 points.
Freshman Josh Vazquez had the best game of his young career, making four three-pointers and finishing the day with 16 points.
Freshman Derrick Carter-Hollinger was again efficient, making 3-of-4 shot attempts for seven points, in addition to four rebounds and a blocked shot.
Senior Kendal Manuel finished with eight points, but five of them came consecutively, including a big three-pointer that gave Montana a 50-49 lead with less than 9 minutes to play.
Both defenses were in lock-down mode from the start. Montana held New Mexico without a made field goal for 9:25 midway through the first half, with the Lobos missing 10 consecutive shots and turning the ball over three times during the stretch.
The Grizzlies built a 12-8 lead, but couldn't stretch it further as New Mexico forced Montana to miss seven straight shots at one point. Overall, the Grizzlies led for nearly 8 minutes in the opening stanza.
Following Montana's strong defensive spurt, New Mexico responded by making six consecutive shots – including four three-pointers – to take a 19-14 advantage with 6:51 remaining in the first half.
Montana tied the game at 24-24 with 2:54 remaining in the first half on a Vazquez three. The freshman also had a steal to start the 7-0 run. New Mexico responded with the game's next eight points to enter the locker room on top.
Vazquez again came through with a clutch three-pointer, tying the game at 40-40 with 13:02 to play. Montana took its only lead of the second half 4:26 later on a Manuel three-pointer.
Following Montana's brief lead, New Mexico responded by scoring 11 of the game's next 15 points. The Grizzlies were within four points with under 4 minutes to play, but were limited to 13 points in the final 9 minutes.

Looking Ahead
Following a busy stretch that included four games across three cities over 10 days, Montana will now play just one time over the next 16 days. The Grizzlies host former Big Sky foe North Dakota on Friday at 7 p.m. Fans who are attending Montana's playoff football game (Saturday, 1 p.m.) can purchase discounted tickets for the Grizzlies' game against the Fighting Hawks.