Griz welcome Yellowstone Christian to Missoula, look to stay perfect at home

With a perfect 5-0 record at home this season, Montana will look to make it six in a row when the Grizzlies host their non-conference home finale Friday afternoon vs. Yellowstone Christian College. The game will tip at 3 p.m. to accommodate Montana's quarterfinal football game at James Madison (please note the time change).

On Wednesday, the Grizzlies defeated a hot Air Force squad, snapping the Falcons' seven-game winning streak. Montana fell behind early, 10-4, but took a 14-13 lead with 9 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the first half and never trailed again, leading by double figures for all but 9 seconds of the second half.

The Grizzlies were strong defensively, holding Air Force – which ranked in the top 20 nationally for shooting – to season lows for scoring and shooting. Montana also doubled up the Falcons on the boards (41 to 20), marking the first time this season that the Grizzlies have won the rebounding battle against a Division-I opponent.

The Grizzlies will now turn their attention to Yellowstone Christian, an opponent they have little information on, considering their own athletics website is inaccessible because the webpage is expired.

The Centurions play in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and were most-recently scheduled to play last Friday at Utah Valley, but the game was canceled. Big Sky foe Montana State played YCC in an exhibition game last month, beating the Centurions 116-42.

According to the roster that Montana State received prior to the game in November, YCC has 11 players who hail from eight different states, plus Cameroon, Africa. Freshman guard Josh Venman (Kalispell) is the only Montana native on YCC's roster, and one of only three players from west of the state of Texas.

This marks the second consecutive season that Montana will host YCC, with the Grizzlies beating the Centurions 102-42 last December. The two teams were scheduled to play twice more in March, after Montana's series vs. Idaho was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, but those games were also canceled, instead being filled with two games against Warner Pacific.

Montana's 60-point margin of victory over YCC on Dec. 12 was the third-largest in school history and the widest in more than 40 years. Montana made 13 of its first 16 shot attempts and led by 21 midway through the first half. The Grizzlies used a 17-0 run in the second half to extend their lead even further. Montana shot .684 from the floor while holding YCC to .279 shooting. The Grizzlies also crashed the glass, securing 49 rebounds while giving up just 15 (+34). Six players were in double figures for scoring, including Josh Bannan (19 points on 8-of-10 shooting); Brandon Whitney (15 points on 7-of-9 shooting); Josh Vazquez (15 points); Cameron Parker (12 points and nine assists); and Kyle Owens (10 points and 13 rebounds).

According to its most up-to-date roster, YCC has four current players who saw the floor last December in Missoula. The quartet totaled 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

Yellowstone Christian College was established in 1974 as a private Christian liberal arts school, offering degrees in Christian leadership, music and worship, psychology, business, sports management and exercise science. Previously located in Billings, the college is in the middle of a transition to Kalispell, with classes currently split between the two locations across the state (the basketball team trains in Kalispell). YCC has an approximate enrollment of 55 for the fall 2021 semester, with 25 students learning in Kalispell and 30 still enrolled in Billings.

Fans who are unable to watch the Grizzlies in person can instead tune in to the ESPN+ broadcast.

Griz welcome Yellowstone Christian to Missoula, look to stay perfect at home

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Players Mentioned

Josh Bannan

Kyle Owens

Cameron Parker

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

University of Montana Athletics