Saturday, February 15
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
16-10, 12-3BSC
78
vs
63
Idaho State
6-18, 3-12BSC
1
2
F
Idaho State
37
26
63
Montana
45
33
78
Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Pridgett's near-triple-double leads Montana to 19th straight win over Idaho State
2/15/2020 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana ran its win streak to five games on Saturday night, with a 78-63 victory over Idaho State. All five wins have been by double figures, as the Grizzlies maintained a 1.5-game lead over Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado in the Big Sky standings.
Montana scored 14 seconds into the contest, converted on its first three trips up the floor and never trailed in the victory, but the story was the performance of Sayeed Pridgett.
The do-it-all senior has had many standout moments on the season, and Saturday's performance was right up there with the best. Idaho State had no answers for Pridgett, who scored 24 points and was one assist shy of a rare triple-double. His final stat line read: 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
"I can't say I was chasing it," Pridgett said afterward. "Guys were just in their right spots and I was just trying to score and they were clogging it up, kind of sagging off me. I started driving to create opportunities for my teammates, and I was getting it."
Delvon Anderson (1990) and Kareem Jamar (2012) are believed to be the only two Grizzlies to record a triple-double.
"There were usually two guys on him, so he was shouting to get the ball so that he could get it back out," DeCuire said. "That led to a lot of points for us. His balance was huge for us, as it has been all year."
Aside from Pridgett stuffing that box score, just about everything else was working for the Grizzlies on Saturday night, who played in front of nearly 4,700 fans.
Montana shot .559 from the floor – its seventh game in a row over 50 percent – while holding the Bengals to .393 shooting. Montana forced 15 turnovers, made all six of its free-throw attempts and led from start to finish.
"That's two games in a row where we shoot over 50 and hold our opponent under 40," DeCuire said. "Defense wins, and that showed tonight."
Gallery: (2/15/2020) MBB: vs. Idaho State (02.15.20)
Kendal Manuel scored 16 points, Jared Samuelson added 12 and Josh Vazquez chipped in with 11. All three were instrumental in Montana building a first-half lead, with 29 of their combined 39 points coming in the opening half. Vazquez (three) and Manuel (two) were hot from deep, accounting for five of Montana's six first-half 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies were connecting early and often, with Montana making seven of its first 10 shot attempts, while forcing the Bengals into six turnovers in the first 6 minutes. That allowed Montana to build an 18-10 lead.
"We wanted to jam it into the paint, so we established the post," DeCuire said. "They made some adjustments, but that's when the jump shots started falling."
Idaho State would get within five, 49-44, less than 3 minutes into the second half, but Pridgett ended that momentum with authority. A personal 6-0 run built Montana's lead back up to double figures and forced a Bengals timeout. Idaho State didn't score for more than 6 minutes and the Grizzlies would lead by double digits for the final 12, including by as many as 18 points.
Montana has now won 19 consecutive games over Idaho State, dating back more than a decade.
The Grizzlies will have a full week off before embarking on their third three-game road trip of the season, which begins Saturday at Montana State. The Bobcats have climbed into fourth place in a jammed middle tier of the Big Sky standings. Also on Saturday, Eastern Washington erased a double-digit deficit to beat Portland State on the road while Northern Colorado held off Sacramento State. Both the Eagles and Bears are 1.5 games behind Montana at the top of the standings.
"It's a rivalry game, the one that our guys get up for, so I don't think I have to do much emotionally to get them going this week," DeCuire said. "It's the biggest game of the year, because every game is the biggest game if you play it right."
Montana scored 14 seconds into the contest, converted on its first three trips up the floor and never trailed in the victory, but the story was the performance of Sayeed Pridgett.
The do-it-all senior has had many standout moments on the season, and Saturday's performance was right up there with the best. Idaho State had no answers for Pridgett, who scored 24 points and was one assist shy of a rare triple-double. His final stat line read: 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
"I can't say I was chasing it," Pridgett said afterward. "Guys were just in their right spots and I was just trying to score and they were clogging it up, kind of sagging off me. I started driving to create opportunities for my teammates, and I was getting it."
Delvon Anderson (1990) and Kareem Jamar (2012) are believed to be the only two Grizzlies to record a triple-double.
"There were usually two guys on him, so he was shouting to get the ball so that he could get it back out," DeCuire said. "That led to a lot of points for us. His balance was huge for us, as it has been all year."
Aside from Pridgett stuffing that box score, just about everything else was working for the Grizzlies on Saturday night, who played in front of nearly 4,700 fans.
Montana shot .559 from the floor – its seventh game in a row over 50 percent – while holding the Bengals to .393 shooting. Montana forced 15 turnovers, made all six of its free-throw attempts and led from start to finish.
"That's two games in a row where we shoot over 50 and hold our opponent under 40," DeCuire said. "Defense wins, and that showed tonight."
Kendal Manuel scored 16 points, Jared Samuelson added 12 and Josh Vazquez chipped in with 11. All three were instrumental in Montana building a first-half lead, with 29 of their combined 39 points coming in the opening half. Vazquez (three) and Manuel (two) were hot from deep, accounting for five of Montana's six first-half 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies were connecting early and often, with Montana making seven of its first 10 shot attempts, while forcing the Bengals into six turnovers in the first 6 minutes. That allowed Montana to build an 18-10 lead.
"We wanted to jam it into the paint, so we established the post," DeCuire said. "They made some adjustments, but that's when the jump shots started falling."
Idaho State would get within five, 49-44, less than 3 minutes into the second half, but Pridgett ended that momentum with authority. A personal 6-0 run built Montana's lead back up to double figures and forced a Bengals timeout. Idaho State didn't score for more than 6 minutes and the Grizzlies would lead by double digits for the final 12, including by as many as 18 points.
Sayeed Pridgett has Montana's last 8 and Idaho State needs a timeout.@SP4THABOY is up to 16 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. 👀 pic.twitter.com/JzCiUKhsru
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
Montana has now won 19 consecutive games over Idaho State, dating back more than a decade.
The Grizzlies will have a full week off before embarking on their third three-game road trip of the season, which begins Saturday at Montana State. The Bobcats have climbed into fourth place in a jammed middle tier of the Big Sky standings. Also on Saturday, Eastern Washington erased a double-digit deficit to beat Portland State on the road while Northern Colorado held off Sacramento State. Both the Eagles and Bears are 1.5 games behind Montana at the top of the standings.
"It's a rivalry game, the one that our guys get up for, so I don't think I have to do much emotionally to get them going this week," DeCuire said. "It's the biggest game of the year, because every game is the biggest game if you play it right."
The @VoiceoftheGriz catches up with the man of the night, who barely missed a triple-double.#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/S03lGSc6UU
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
What a night for @SP4THABOY!
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
2️⃣4️⃣ points
1️⃣1️⃣ rebounds
9️⃣ assists pic.twitter.com/9sbPqPnOWW
Prepare for takeoff! ✈️@Mack_Anderson11 with the two-handed slam! pic.twitter.com/uXt28AdU7o
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
Montana connects again, this time from @IAmKManWell!
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
The Grizzlies are shooting 65% on the night, including 57% from deep! pic.twitter.com/dz9gn0nhnw
You might want to guard him next time... @JoshVazquez3 for 👌 pic.twitter.com/LjEFLUdPD1
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
These passes will never get old, @TF1000_! pic.twitter.com/kNa495cwMg
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2020
Team Stats
ISU
UM
FG%
.393
.559
3FG%
.294
.375
FT%
.737
1.000
RB
33
31
TO
15
11
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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