Friday, November 26
Missoula, Mont.
7:30 PM
Montana
4-2, 0-0BSC
74
vs
62
Southern Miss
-43, 00 CUSA
1
2
F
Southern Miss
33
29
62
Montana
29
45
74
Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Griz come from behind to beat Southern Miss, win Zootown Classic
11/26/2021 10:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana stayed unbeaten at home this season with a 74-62 win over Southern Miss on Friday night to win the Zootown Classic tournament. The win is Montana's fourth consecutive home tournament title (2003, 2006, 2009, 2021) and gives the Grizzlies 14 consecutive Division-I non-conference home wins dating back to November 2016.
"I thought this was a great week for us because we saw some adversity, we played through some adversity and we came out and made big plays, which shows that we're growing up," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "It was great for us to come out on top."
Through 31 minutes, Montana and Southern Miss were locked in a tight battle. The game had featured seven lead changes up to that point, with neither team being able to pull away by more than six points.
Then, in a matter of 64 seconds, things changed for the better for the Griz.
It started after senior guard Cameron Parker drove coast to coast for a quick bucket, plus a free throw, as the Golden Eagles were caught off guard by Parker's pass-first tendencies. Montana forced a quick missed shot on the other end, before sophomore Josh Bannan canned a 3-pointer in front of the Griz bench, giving Montana a four-point advantage and forcing a Southern Miss timeout. Montana wasn't done, forcing another missed shot before sophomore Robby Beasley III got in on the fun, draining a 3-pointer from a similar spot as Bannan's.
In just 64 seconds, Montana had turned a two-point deficit into its largest lead of the night.
From that point forward, Montana led by at least two possessions and by as many as 13 points.
Bannan, who was named the Zootown Classic MVP, was held in check early, scoring just two points while being limited to 14 minutes after being whistled for his fourth foul just 6 minutes into the second half. After sitting for 4 minutes, Bannan checked back in and made an immediate impact, scoring 37 seconds later and totaling 13 points over the final 9 minutes of the game.
He finished with another double-double – his third of the season – recording 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Early on, though, the story was junior Lonnell Martin Jr., who finished with 20 points, including 13 in the first half. For comparison, Martin had scored 20 points total through the season's first five games before reaching that threshold behind four 3-pointers on Friday night.
"We knew that at some point the transition to Division I and the game would slow down for him," DeCuire said. "He played with a lot of confidence and kept the trigger cocked. I thought the biggest thing, though, is that he helped us on the defensive end with rebounds, block-offs and loose balls."
Montana out-scored Southern Miss by 16 in the second half, thanks in large part to 52.2-percent shooting, including a 50.0-percent mark from deep. The Grizzlies were also 16-of-17 from the free-throw line in the second half.
Gallery: (11-26-2021) MBB: vs. Southern Miss (11.26.21)
Montana led for more than 13 minutes in the first half, but went to the locker room trailing by four, 33-29, after the Golden Eagles closed the half on a 10-2 run. Montana was held to 1-of-10 shooting over the half's final 5 minutes, but started the second half with a bang.
The Grizzlies got a fast-break layup from junior Derrick Carter-Hollinger before Martin knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Grizzlies a 34-33 lead. Defensively, Montana held Southern Miss without a point for the first 4 minutes of the second period (0-for-4 with two turnovers).
Senior Mack Anderson played a career-high 33 minutes on Friday, scoring six points while pulling down six rebounds – one being a huge offensive board that led to a second-chance bucket for Montana – while also adding an assist and two blocked shots.
"I don't think there's anyone in Montana who questions if Mack Anderson loves the Griz," DeCuire said. "He stays ready and opportunities present themselves. I don't think he went into this game thinking he was going to play 33 minutes, but we had to make some defensive adjustments, and one of those was to protect the basket, and he's the guy who can do that."
"It's hard to put on a tournament like this, and the worst thing is to have one and no one shows up because it's a holiday," DeCuire said. "With our students being gone, I thought this was a great turnout and we're grateful for the support. That's why we're all here; we all know how much Griz Athletics means to this community."
Zootown Classic Standings
Southern Miss 80, UNC Wilmington 66
Montana 71, UC San Diego 61
Southern Miss 56, UC San Diego 55
Montana vs. UNC Wilmington – canceled
UC San Diego vs. UNC Wilmington – canceled
Montana 74, Southern Miss 62
Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team
Josh Bannan, Montana (MVP)
Robby Beasley III, Montana
Tyler Stevenson, Southern Miss
Isaih Moore, Southern Miss
Francis Nwaokorie, UC San Diego
Bryce Pope, UC San Diego
"I thought this was a great week for us because we saw some adversity, we played through some adversity and we came out and made big plays, which shows that we're growing up," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "It was great for us to come out on top."
Through 31 minutes, Montana and Southern Miss were locked in a tight battle. The game had featured seven lead changes up to that point, with neither team being able to pull away by more than six points.
Then, in a matter of 64 seconds, things changed for the better for the Griz.
It started after senior guard Cameron Parker drove coast to coast for a quick bucket, plus a free throw, as the Golden Eagles were caught off guard by Parker's pass-first tendencies. Montana forced a quick missed shot on the other end, before sophomore Josh Bannan canned a 3-pointer in front of the Griz bench, giving Montana a four-point advantage and forcing a Southern Miss timeout. Montana wasn't done, forcing another missed shot before sophomore Robby Beasley III got in on the fun, draining a 3-pointer from a similar spot as Bannan's.
In just 64 seconds, Montana had turned a two-point deficit into its largest lead of the night.
"We were missing a lot of wide-open shots because they didn't want us to attack the paint; they were daring us to shoot 3's, and I think guys were surprised how open they were, so they became hesitant," DeCuire said. "We know what type of shooting team we can be, so I just told them, 'Just let it go'.Beasley does it AGAIN!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) November 27, 2021
💻 Watch: https://t.co/4a3JnYDP2X#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/vCsCZMn51z
From that point forward, Montana led by at least two possessions and by as many as 13 points.
Bannan, who was named the Zootown Classic MVP, was held in check early, scoring just two points while being limited to 14 minutes after being whistled for his fourth foul just 6 minutes into the second half. After sitting for 4 minutes, Bannan checked back in and made an immediate impact, scoring 37 seconds later and totaling 13 points over the final 9 minutes of the game.
He finished with another double-double – his third of the season – recording 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Beasley – who joined Bannan on the all-tournament team after averaging 18.0 points across the two games – connected on five 3-pointers to total 17 points, while senior Cameron Parker totaled eight assists and nine points while making all three of his shot attempts.Josh Bannan from inside the arc puts the Griz up 57-48!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) November 27, 2021
💻 Watch: https://t.co/4a3JnYDP2X#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/1Pkhs5GK9z
Early on, though, the story was junior Lonnell Martin Jr., who finished with 20 points, including 13 in the first half. For comparison, Martin had scored 20 points total through the season's first five games before reaching that threshold behind four 3-pointers on Friday night.
"We knew that at some point the transition to Division I and the game would slow down for him," DeCuire said. "He played with a lot of confidence and kept the trigger cocked. I thought the biggest thing, though, is that he helped us on the defensive end with rebounds, block-offs and loose balls."
Montana out-scored Southern Miss by 16 in the second half, thanks in large part to 52.2-percent shooting, including a 50.0-percent mark from deep. The Grizzlies were also 16-of-17 from the free-throw line in the second half.
Montana led for more than 13 minutes in the first half, but went to the locker room trailing by four, 33-29, after the Golden Eagles closed the half on a 10-2 run. Montana was held to 1-of-10 shooting over the half's final 5 minutes, but started the second half with a bang.
The Grizzlies got a fast-break layup from junior Derrick Carter-Hollinger before Martin knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Grizzlies a 34-33 lead. Defensively, Montana held Southern Miss without a point for the first 4 minutes of the second period (0-for-4 with two turnovers).
Senior Mack Anderson played a career-high 33 minutes on Friday, scoring six points while pulling down six rebounds – one being a huge offensive board that led to a second-chance bucket for Montana – while also adding an assist and two blocked shots.
"I don't think there's anyone in Montana who questions if Mack Anderson loves the Griz," DeCuire said. "He stays ready and opportunities present themselves. I don't think he went into this game thinking he was going to play 33 minutes, but we had to make some defensive adjustments, and one of those was to protect the basket, and he's the guy who can do that."
Montana will have Saturday off before traveling on Sunday to Eugene, Oregon, to take on the Oregon Ducks (Monday at 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks). The Grizzlies will play three games in six days next week, including their Big Sky Conference opener at Sacramento State (Thursday) and Northern Colorado (Saturday).Mack Anderson with the offensive rebound sets up Lonnell Martin for the bucket! Griz up by 3 with 7:10 left to play.
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) November 27, 2021
💻 Watch: https://t.co/4a3JnYDP2X#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/0fcgG2EYVG
"It's hard to put on a tournament like this, and the worst thing is to have one and no one shows up because it's a holiday," DeCuire said. "With our students being gone, I thought this was a great turnout and we're grateful for the support. That's why we're all here; we all know how much Griz Athletics means to this community."
Zootown Classic Standings
Southern Miss 80, UNC Wilmington 66
Montana 71, UC San Diego 61
Southern Miss 56, UC San Diego 55
Montana vs. UNC Wilmington – canceled
UC San Diego vs. UNC Wilmington – canceled
Montana 74, Southern Miss 62
Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team
Josh Bannan, Montana (MVP)
Robby Beasley III, Montana
Tyler Stevenson, Southern Miss
Isaih Moore, Southern Miss
Francis Nwaokorie, UC San Diego
Bryce Pope, UC San Diego
DJ Carter-Hollinger with the STEAL and the BUCKET 💪
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) November 27, 2021
💻 Watch: https://t.co/4a3JnYDP2X#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/3e5tWuL0vP
Team Stats
USM
UM
FG%
.407
.436
3FG%
.400
.417
FT%
.526
.889
RB
42
29
TO
11
7
STL
0
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
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