Montana puts it all together in win over Sacramento State

Thursday, January 21

Sacramento, Calif.

6 PM (MT)

Montana

7-7,3-4Big Sky

Sacramento State

5-3,3-2Big Sky

Montana

Sacramento St.

Photo by: Bob Solorio/Sacramento State Athletics

Montana puts it all together in win over Sacramento State

1/21/2021 9:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Audio Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – When the Grizzlies put it all together, Thursday is an example of what this Montana team is capable of doing. Going up against the nation's fifth-best defense, Montana scored 78 points in a 12-point road win over Sacramento State. The 78 points allowed were 20 points above the Hornets' season average, and a season high by a Sacramento State opponent.

Furthermore, Sacramento State entered the game ranked 16^th nationally for turnover margin (+4.6), 28^th for scoring margin (+14.1) and 48^th for rebounding margin (+6.3). On Thursday, Montana committed a season-low nine turnovers – two fewer than the Hornets – was even on the glass and scored 78 points.

Following a 5-minute drought early in the first half, Montana rattled off 16 consecutive points to build a double-digit lead, 18-8 with 9 minutes, 28 seconds to play in the opening half. Sophomore Kyle Owens, who came off the bench Thursday for just the third time this season, was instrumental in the stretch, scoring 11 of Montana's 16 points. On the night, he scored a career-most 22 points, making 8-of-13 shots, including a career-high-tying three 3-pointers (all in the first half).

Once Montana took a 9-8 lead less than 7 minutes into the game, the Grizzlies never trailed again.

Sophomore @kodoesit has 17 career 3-pointer. 6 of them have come in this building, as Owens is up to 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting tonight!#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/7prxIahOuy
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 22, 2021

The home team didn't go down without a fight, however, scoring 10 of the first 12 points to open the second half, which tied the game at 35-35. The score was tied one other time, at 37-37, and Montana held a slight 41-40 lead with 9 minutes to play, before the Grizzlies fully took over.

Montana scored 14 points over the next 3:31, with four different Grizzlies scoring. Moments later, junior Mack Anderson gave the Grizzlies their largest lead of the night with a huge, one-handed put-back dunk that got the entire bench on its feet.

Anderson played a major role in the second half, scoring 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. During a 35-second stretch alone, the Bozeman native had a steal, fast-break basket and block on the other end. Anderson's 12 points come after scoring 13 points through 13 games entering the evening. He played just 10 minutes in the previous six games, before having his name called on Thursday.

MACK ANDERSON‼️‼️#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/ssJuWsrrrQ
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 22, 2021

Game Notables

The Grizzlies scored 78 points, their highest total against a Division-I opponent this season.
- The 78 points were also a season high by a Sacramento State opponent, who entered the night allowing just 58.3 points per game, which ranked fifth nationally.
- Montana shot .490 from the floor, making 24 of 49 shot attempts.
The Grizzlies led for 32 minutes on the night and didn't trail once over the final 33 minutes of the contest, after building a 9-8 lead.
Sophomore Eddy Egun made his second career start. It marked the first time in 12 games that Montana used a different starting lineup.
Montana got 55 of its 78 points from its bench.
Montana turned the ball over just nine times, including twice in the second half. The total was a season low, and came against a team that ranks 16^th nationally with a +4.6 turnover margin.
Montana was even on the glass (29-29) against a Sacramento State team that ranks 49^th nationally with a +6.3 margin.
- Three different Grizzlies had five or more rebounds, led by senior Michael Steadman's seven.
Sophomore Kyle Owens scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
- Owens scored 16 points in the first half alone, including 11 points during a 16-0 Montana run.
- Owens tied a career high with three 3-pointers (all in the first half). During his career, the sophomore has 17 career made 3-pointers, with seven coming in three games against Sacramento State, and six coming in two contests at The Nest.
Junior Mack Anderson scored 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, in addition to 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Anderson also added two rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot.
- Anderson reached double figures for scoring for the fifth time in his career.
- Anderson scored 12 points, despite totaling just 13 points in the previous 13 games to open the season. He had played 10 minutes in the previous six games.
Freshman Robby Beasley III scored 17 points, including six in a row during a second-half Montana run.
- Beasley III was 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, extending his perfection to 33-of-33 to begin his career.
Junior Cameron Parker recorded seven assists (season high against a Division-I opponent) compared to just one turnover.
Freshman Brandon Whitney scored 14 points, with all but two coming in the second half.
Steadman scored a second-chance layup on Montana's first offensive possession to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game, but the Montana was scoreless on its next six possessions (0-for-4 with two turnovers over the next 5:13).
Following an 8-0 Sacramento State run, allowing the Hornets to take a game-high 8-2 lead, Montana rattled off 16 consecutive points to build a double-digit advantage (18-8).
- During the stretch, Sacramento State shot 0-of-8 with two turnovers during a stretch of 6:46.
- The 16-0 run comes one game after Montana opened Saturday's contest on a 17-0 run.
After Montana led by at least seven points over the final 11 minutes of the first half, Sacramento State scored 10 of the first 12 points to open the second half and tied the game at 35-35.
- The Hornets started the second half 4-of-5 shooting, compared to 1-of-6 for Montana.
Montana never trailed in the second half, however, thanks in large part to a period of 3:31 in which the Grizzlies scored 14 points (4-of-5 shooting, 5-of-5 from the free-throw line).
Montana has led at the 5-minute mark of all seven conference games this season. After being out-scored 73 to 42 down the stretch entering the night, the Grizzlies turned things around on Thursday, scoring six consecutive points from 4:54 to 4:04 (and 19-14 overall).
Montana allowed just four made field goals over the game's final 9 minutes.
Montana has eight California natives on its roster. The Grizzlies are one of seven teams in the country with eight players from one state, and are tied for the nation's lead for most players from one state, not being the team's home state.

Freshman Robby Beasley III has 6 straight points, and he extends Montana's lead in the 2nd half!#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/uKaKza8wIv
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 22, 2021

Quoting DeCuire
(on paying attention to the details)
"When you pay attention to the details, you tend to make fewer mistakes, and that's really what we did today."

(on Montana's 78 points scored)
"We played three guards most of the game, so that allows us to spread the floor and have better ball handling and decision making in a lot of areas. It also made us harder to guard."

(more on the offense)
"We settled down and the offense we ran was new, we put it in about a week and a half ago. We just hadn't had enough time to get comfortable in it. This was the first time where we said, 'We're just gonna stick with it.'"

(on Anderson's breakout night)
"He's a Griz all the way through. The toughness, the readiness, he's about it. When we've been good and we've accomplished the things we've put in front of us, we've had five guys on the floor who are about the same thing. We're still trying to define that. Guys are learning, but Mack knows what that is. He stays ready and he makes the most of his opportunities. Even when he doesn't play well, he doesn't get down and he's ready to go. He's coachable and a phenomenal teammate, and when you're a good teammate, when you're about the W's, good things happen for you. This is a special one for Mack."

(on switching up the starting lineup)
"We went to a defensive lineup. I just wanted to focus on the right things, and I wanted the guys that are defensive minded on the floor first. I wanted the right matchups."

Gallery: (1-21-2021) MBB: at Sacramento State (01.21.21)

Looking Ahead
After beginning his career 2-4 vs. Sacramento State, Travis DeCuire has now won eight in a row over the Hornets since the start of the 2017-18 season. The Grizzlies will try to extend the streak on Saturday, with a matinee tip vs. the Hornets (12 p.m. MT). The game can be watched on Pluto TV (ch. 1052) and heard on the Grizzly Radio Network.

That's a career-high 22 points for @kodoesit, giving Montana a double-digit lead once again!#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/IQ2wm6dMBa
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 22, 2021