Griz cruise to win following 17-0 start

Thursday, January 14

Missoula, Mont.

5 PM

Montana

6-6, 2-3BSC

Northern Arizona

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Northern Arizona

Montana

Photo by: Todd Goodrich

1/14/2021 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

MISSOULA, Mont. – By the time Northern Arizona took its second shot on Thursday evening, the game had already swung out of reach. Montana opened the game on a 17-0 scoring run, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor (plus 3-of-4 from the free-throw line) with two offensive rebounds and three turnovers forced in the first 4 minutes, 4 seconds of the contest.

The visiting Lumberjacks never recovered, with Montana leading from start to finish in a 67-56 victory inside Dahlberg Arena.

The game started as good as Montana could have hoped, with Michael Steadman winning the opening tip, which led to a Josh Vazquez 3-pointer just 22 seconds into the contest. After a Josh Bannan steal, Montana was quick up the court again, with Steadman connecting on the first of two free throws. On the second attempt, a miss, freshman Brandon Whitney chased down the loose ball, setting up Vazquez for his second triple of the game.

Northern Arizona turned the ball over on its next trip up the court, leading to two made free throws from Whitney. The Lumberjacks again turned the ball over the next time, leading to another Montana 3-pointer, this time from Bannan.

At that point, Montana held a 14-0 lead while Northern Arizona had taken just one shot.

"Probably the best start we've gotten off to in 2 to 3 years," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "Defensively, we were tuned in, and offensively, we moved the ball incredibly. It was a good sight to see when we were turning down OK shots for better shots, and not being concerned who was getting those shots."

90 seconds in ➡️ 7-0 start for the Griz#GoGriz #GrizHoops pic.twitter.com/Zcem5I4mjk
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 15, 2021

Montana entered the game ranked 333^rd out of 338 teams nationally with just 4.3 3-pointers made per game, but was making it rain from deep early. The Grizzlies connected on four triples in the first 4 minutes, and finished the night with a season-high-tying eight, from six different players.

Vazquez had three of Montana's makes from deep, scoring a career-high-tying 15 points while shooting 5-of-7 overall and playing a game-high 33 minutes. Vazquez also blocked two shots and added a career-most six rebounds.

That's ✋ made 3's for the Griz!#GoGriz #GrizHoops pic.twitter.com/pVS6C3vMcR
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 15, 2021

Joining the sophomore in double figures was sophomore Kyle Owens (13 points) and senior Michael Steadman (13). Steadman added 11 rebounds on the night, posting his second consecutive double-double.

As a team, Montana shot .512 from the floor – including .619 in the opening 20 minutes – and had 15 assists on 22 made baskets, led by five from Whitney and four from junior Cameron Parker. The Grizzlies had nine assists on 13 first-half baskets, in large part due to its passing. The Grizzlies made 138 passes in the first half alone, a stat calculated by manager Ryan Clark and a number DeCuire said is on par with what Montana sometimes hits in an entire game.

The Grizzlies also out-rebounded the Lumberjacks, 34 to 30, marking the first time this season Montana has out-rebounded a Division-I opponent.

"Our ball movement was incredible, and I thought that led to a really high percentage in the first half," DeCuire said. "When you shoot 61 percent and hold an opponent under 30 (.250), you're going to be in a good spot."

The Grizzlies built a double-digit lead just 3 minutes into the game, on its sixth offensive possession, and never dipped back down into single digits. Montana led by 22 at halftime (41-19) and by as many as 27 points.

Gallery: (1-14-2021) MBB: vs. Northern Arizona (01.14.21)

The one downside to the victory was a 10-minute sequence in the second half, in which Montana went scoreless, missing 10 consecutive shots and turning the ball over five times. That allowed Northern Arizona to score 16 consecutive points and turn a 58-31 score to 58-47 with 4 minutes to play.

The Grizzlies, though, scored on their next two trips up the court to pad the lead and secure the victory.

The 11-point win marked the first time since Dec. 8 that a game against a Division-I opponent was by double digits. The Grizzlies' last four Division-I contests had been decided by single digits. It also marked the widest Big Sky Conference margin, as Montana's first four games were decided by a total of six points (all two points or fewer).

Montana and Northern Arizona will meet again on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. The game can be watched worldwide on Pluto TV (ch. 1056) or listened to through the Grizzly Radio Network. After an 0-4 start to the season, Montana has worked its way back to a .500 record on the year.

DeCuire is now 11-1 all-time against Northern Arizona, with Montana avenging its one-point loss to the Lumberjacks last February in Flagstaff. The Grizzlies have now won seven consecutive home games against Northern Arizona, dating back to 2014.