Thursday, December 2
Sacramento, Calif.
8 PM (MT)
Montana
5-3, 1-0BSC
65
at
58
Sacramento State
3-4, 0-1BSC
1
2
F
Montana
31
34
65
Sacramento State
26
32
58
Griz open Big Sky play with wire-to-wire road win
12/2/2021 10:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – For the 12th time in 13 years, Montana opened Big Sky Conference play with a win, defeating Sacramento State, 65-58, Thursday night in Sacramento.
The Grizzlies never trailed in the contest, but the Hornets made Montana work for the victory.
"Hard-fought win," head coach Travis DeCuire said after the game. "Coming to Sac State, it's never a clean win, so you'll take them however you can get them."
After Montana opened the game on a 21-4 run, Sacramento State held Montana to just one made field goal over the final 6 minutes of the first half to get to within five, 31-26, at the break.
Montana's lead was twice cut to a single point in the second half, but both times, the visitors had an answer.
The Hornets brought the score to 35-34 with 14:22 to play, before junior Lonnell Martin Jr. knocked down a mid-range jumper, followed by back-to-back layups from senior Scott Blakney and another layup from Cameron Parker, to extend the lead back to nine, 43-34.
Moments later, a Sacramento State 3-pointer trimmed the score to 47-46 with 6:02 to play, but Parker had the answer this time, scoring the game's next four points.
Parker played just two minutes in the first half, but scored 10 points in the second half, with many points coming in big moments.
"We needed to keep scoring and stay aggressive," DeCuire said. "We wanted to spread the floor, so we went with a lineup that allowed us to do that, and it gave Parker a little room to wiggle."
Parker was one of four Grizzlies in double figures for scoring, led by 13 from sophomore Robby Beasley III, a dozen from sophomore Brandon Whitney and 10 from Martin Jr.
Whitney scored his 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting after missing Monday's game at Oregon due to a foot injury. He was back in the starting lineup and played a team-high 34 minutes.
Thursday was a stark difference from Monday, in which Montana had its worst offensive and defensive shooting percentages in eight seasons under DeCuire. On Thursday, Montana shot .511 from the floor while holding Sacramento State to a .423 clip.
A big part of that was Montana's start to the game, jumping out to a 21-4 lead behind eight makes on its first 11 shot attempts. The Grizzlies got points from six different players during the stretch, which included a 10-0 run over 2:37.
Sacramento started the game shooting 2-of-12 with five turnovers through nearly 10 minutes.
Montana had a season-high-tying 13 turnovers, but forced the Hornets into 17 giveaways, leading to 21 points. The Grizzlies used a balanced attack, with six different players scoring at least six points and eight making a field goal.
"When we share the ball and spread the floor and play fast, the ball starts to move and we get high-percentage shots," DeCuire said. "When you shoot 50 percent, you're typically going to have a good chance to win the game."
Montana will continue its road trip, traveling to a Northern Colorado squad that beat Montana State in overtime on Thursday. Tipoff is slated for Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
"It's going to be another fight against another good team," DeCuire said. "They're well-coached and strong defensively, and most importantly, a team that can score from the 3-pint line. We have to get over there, get fresh, get prepared, and when the ball goes in the air, be ready for a grind."
The Grizzlies never trailed in the contest, but the Hornets made Montana work for the victory.
"Hard-fought win," head coach Travis DeCuire said after the game. "Coming to Sac State, it's never a clean win, so you'll take them however you can get them."
After Montana opened the game on a 21-4 run, Sacramento State held Montana to just one made field goal over the final 6 minutes of the first half to get to within five, 31-26, at the break.
Montana's lead was twice cut to a single point in the second half, but both times, the visitors had an answer.
The Hornets brought the score to 35-34 with 14:22 to play, before junior Lonnell Martin Jr. knocked down a mid-range jumper, followed by back-to-back layups from senior Scott Blakney and another layup from Cameron Parker, to extend the lead back to nine, 43-34.
Moments later, a Sacramento State 3-pointer trimmed the score to 47-46 with 6:02 to play, but Parker had the answer this time, scoring the game's next four points.
That was the final blow for the Hornets, as they didn't score again for nearly 3 consecutive minutes at a crucial point in the game, and the Grizzlies capitalized with a 9-0 run to push the lead to double figures for the first time in the second half.Parker finishes at the rim to extend the lead!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 3, 2021
💻 https://t.co/C7u134bLoO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/Qy71NkKNKP
Parker played just two minutes in the first half, but scored 10 points in the second half, with many points coming in big moments.
"We needed to keep scoring and stay aggressive," DeCuire said. "We wanted to spread the floor, so we went with a lineup that allowed us to do that, and it gave Parker a little room to wiggle."
Parker was one of four Grizzlies in double figures for scoring, led by 13 from sophomore Robby Beasley III, a dozen from sophomore Brandon Whitney and 10 from Martin Jr.
Whitney scored his 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting after missing Monday's game at Oregon due to a foot injury. He was back in the starting lineup and played a team-high 34 minutes.
Thursday was a stark difference from Monday, in which Montana had its worst offensive and defensive shooting percentages in eight seasons under DeCuire. On Thursday, Montana shot .511 from the floor while holding Sacramento State to a .423 clip.
A big part of that was Montana's start to the game, jumping out to a 21-4 lead behind eight makes on its first 11 shot attempts. The Grizzlies got points from six different players during the stretch, which included a 10-0 run over 2:37.
"I thought it was actually our defense that helped us build that lead," DeCuire said of the start. "We got stops, and eventually we got into transition and attacked the rim, which was one of our key goals. We did that in the first half, and it allowed us to get off to that strong start."Blakney catches the lob pass and gets the basket to extend the Griz lead!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 3, 2021
💻 https://t.co/C7u134bLoO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/sEVmM4DgPG
Sacramento started the game shooting 2-of-12 with five turnovers through nearly 10 minutes.
Montana had a season-high-tying 13 turnovers, but forced the Hornets into 17 giveaways, leading to 21 points. The Grizzlies used a balanced attack, with six different players scoring at least six points and eight making a field goal.
"When we share the ball and spread the floor and play fast, the ball starts to move and we get high-percentage shots," DeCuire said. "When you shoot 50 percent, you're typically going to have a good chance to win the game."
The Griz have now won five of the past six games inside The Nest.Beasley hits the THREE!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 3, 2021
💻 https://t.co/C7u134bLoO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/bTrAfnsrbg
Montana will continue its road trip, traveling to a Northern Colorado squad that beat Montana State in overtime on Thursday. Tipoff is slated for Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
"It's going to be another fight against another good team," DeCuire said. "They're well-coached and strong defensively, and most importantly, a team that can score from the 3-pint line. We have to get over there, get fresh, get prepared, and when the ball goes in the air, be ready for a grind."
Whitney finishes at the rim and all but seals the deal for the Griz in this game, extending their lead to 9 with under a minute left!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 3, 2021
💻 https://t.co/C7u134bLoO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/fo7weCzssV
Team Stats
UM
SAC
FG%
.511
.423
3FG%
.333
.538
FT%
.667
.583
RB
27
31
TO
13
17
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
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