Griz shake off rust with Maroon-Silver Scrimmage

Wednesday, October 27

Missoula, Mont.

6:30 PM

Montana

Maroon-Silver Scrimmage

Photo by: Derek Johnson

10/27/2021 8:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

Montana welcomed fans inside Dahlberg Arena on Wednesday night for its annual Maroon-Silver Scrimmage. The Silver squad came away with a 44-43 victory.

The result of the game, which consisted of two, 15-minute halves, didn't mean a whole lot. Some players who started on the Maroon squad switched to Silver at halftime, and vice versa.

Instead, the biggest benefit to the night was an opportunity to play in front of fans.

While Griz fans were excited to witness their team for the first time since March 2020, the team was equally excited to play in front of spectators.

Last year's scrimmage, like all of Montana's home games, was played in an empty gym, meaning two entire classes were making their Dahlberg Arena debuts with fans.

In total, just five of the Grizzlies' 16 roster members had done so prior to Wednesday.

Gallery: (10-27-2021) MBB: Maroon-Silver Scrimmage (10.27.21)

Junior guard Lonnell Martin Jr. was one of those newcomers, and despite it being a scrimmage, playing in front of an audience got him excited to experience Griz Nation in full.

"It felt good," said Martin, a transfer from Otero Junior College in Colorado. "Coming from JuCo, I hadn't really experienced anything like this; we weren't able to have fans at my school. It was good to be able to play in front of fans and it really got me excited for the season."

Martin played both halves for Silver, tying for the team high with nine points, in addition to recording three steals. He let the ball fly from long range, knocking down three 3-pointers.

"At the beginning of the summer, I was struggling a little bit, but I started to pick it up and get in the gym more," Martin said. "Coach Trav (DeCuire) has a lot of confidence in me, and I've gained confidence as I've started to make more shots."

Junior guard Josh Vazquez led all scorers on the night with 18 – all for Maroon – connecting on 7-of-10 shot attempts, including 4-of-5 from deep.

Trailing 44-29 with 5 minutes to play, Maroon closed the scrimmage on a 14-0 run to get to within a single point. Vazquez played a big part in that, hitting a 3-pointer before stealing a pass and taking it the length of the floor for a transition layup. He swished another 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded.

Overall, Montana combined for 11 made 3-pointers in the 30-minute scrimmage.

Down low, senior Mack Anderson recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Maroon, in addition to blocking two shots and stealing another. He was one of three players who never came off the floor.

Sophomore forward Josh Bannan played for both sides, leading Silver in the first half with nine of his team's 23 first-half points, shooting 4-of-5 to go along with five rebounds. After switching to Maroon, he added four more points and three more rebounds, many during Maroon's late run.

"Tonight was good for us," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "Most importantly, we got to see what type of shape we're in. To go two, 15-minute halves and have some guys never get a sub is a good sign. I thought it was a good outing, and now it gives us a chance to see some stuff on film and see what we need to improve on."

DeCuire got a rare chance to observe rather than coach. The Silver team was coached by associate head coach Chris Cobb and graduate manager DJ Broome, while Maroon was led by assistants Jay Flores and Zach Payne.

Fans' next chance to see the Griz play in person will be on Tuesday, Nov. 9, when Montana opens its 2021-22 season against Dickinson State. Season tickets, mini plans and non-conference single-game tickets are now on sale.