Grizzlies rout Bengals in return to action

Thursday, December 30

Missoula, Mont.

7 PM

Montana

9-5, 2-1BSC

Idaho State

2-10, 0-3BSC

Idaho State

Montana

Photo by: Derek Johnson

12/30/2021 10:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana had an 11-day layoff for the holidays but showed no rust in its return to the court, beating Idaho State, 78-54, Thursday night inside Dahlberg Arena. The win was Montana's 22^nd in a row over the Bengals dating back to December 2009.

Sophomore Robby Beasley III knocked down a 3-pointer less than 1 minute into the game, an omen for what was to come. The Grizzlies made eight 3-pointers – including six in the first half, from five different players – which allowed the home team to jump out to a 41-29 halftime advantage.

Junior Kyle Owens knocked down a triple on the final possession of the first half to give Montana a double-digit lead, which it would hold for the entirety of the second half. On the night, the Grizzlies out-shot Idaho State .474 to .383 and got double-digit scoring from five different players (the first time this season against a Division-I opponent).

That's one way to end the first half‼️#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/n1StXwOIKq
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2021

"Our guys came out with the right intent, focusing on winning on the defensive end and sharing the ball on the offensive end," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "Any time you hold a team under 40 percent, take care of the ball and get shots like we did, you're probably going to out-score them more times than not. I thought we did a phenomenal job of sharing the ball and getting high-percentage shots."

Sophomore Josh Bannan led the group with 19 points and 10 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season, while senior Mack Anderson chipped in with 12 points, all coming in the second half.

After not taking a shot attempt in the first half, Anderson scored six consecutive Griz points midway through the second half, including a huge alley-oop slam on the fast break, fed from behind the 3-point arc from Bannan. That pushed Montana's lead to 67-49 with 5:52 to play.

BRINGING THE ENERGY TO DAHLBERG!#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/FtF6QZC6Hy
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2021

"When Mack plays good minutes, we typically win," DeCuire said. "He made our defense work and his energy is incredible. He's dangerous in the ball screen because he attracts so much attention because he's such a good finisher and such a good athlete."

The Grizzlies trailed for just 20 seconds – at 4-3 – and held a lead that hovered around 20 points for much of the second half.

In addition to its strong shooting, Montana – which entered the contest ranked ninth nationally with just 9.8 turnovers per game – turned the ball over a season-low six times, with the final turnover coming in the final second of the contest, a shot-clock violation instead of running up the score. On the flip side, Montana forced Idaho State into 16 turnovers.

The highlight reel continues for the Griz‼️#GoGriz pic.twitter.com/4bXmQ7kwxp
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2021

With an 8-0 record at home – and a 10-game home winning streak dating back to last March – Montana will now turn its attention to a Weber State squad sitting atop the Big Sky standings following Thursday's road win at Montana State. Saturday's clash will be a battle of the top-two teams in Big Sky Conference history for wins, conference championships and NCAA tournament berths.

"I always look forward to programs who expect to win every night," DeCuire said of the rivalry. "That's been us and always will be – before and after me – and any time you have an opportunity to face a team that has that stigma to them, those are exciting, energetic games. I'm excited to play them, and I'm excited that we get them at home first."

Gallery: (12-30-2021) MBB: vs. Idaho State (12.30.21)