Wildcats respond on offense, win rematch

Saturday, February 13

Missoula, Mont.

2:30 PM

Montana

9-10, 5-7BSC

Weber State

12-5, 7-3BSC

Weber State

Montana

Photo by: Todd Goodrich

2/13/2021 7:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

MISSOULA, Mont. – After putting together one of its biggest wins of the season on Thursday, the Grizzlies couldn't repeat the feat on Saturday, falling to Weber State 91-82.

The Grizzlies' 82 points were a regulation season high against Division-I competition, but while the offense was good for the second consecutive game, Montana's defense couldn't maintain the same tenacity it showed on Thursday.

In that game, an 80-67 Montana victory, the Grizzlies held one of the nation's top scoring teams to 67 points – 18 below its season average and its second-lowest total of the season. Montana out-scored and out-shot a team that ranked in the top 10 nationally for scoring, shooting and 3-point efficiency.

On Saturday, however, Weber State responded with 91 points on .622 shooting, both season highs for a Griz opponent.

"Successful 80 minutes are hard to come by right now," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "Weber State is at the top of the standings for a reason. They're a good basketball team, and they made some adjustments that we had a hard time with."

Montana started the game strong and led for 16 minutes in the first half. However, after trading punches early in the second half – which featured six lead changes and five ties through the first 8 minutes alone – Weber State scored on three straight possessions, in just 63 seconds, to build a 57-51 lead, which was the largest lead for either team up to that point.

After forcing a back-court turnover, sophomore Kyle Owens connected on a mid-range jumper to bring Montana within two points, 62-60, but the Wildcats flexed their muscles from there, scoring 14 points in the next 4 minutes, turning seven of their next eight possessions into points.

Montana's deficit would hover between four and nine points for the final 8 minutes. The Grizzlies led for 18 minutes, 20 seconds on the day – more time than Weber State did – but never over the game's final 14 minutes.

"We scored 82 points, and when you do that you should win," DeCuire said. "Our issue is the inconsistency on the defensive end. If we get more defensive rebounds and get more loose balls on the defensive end, they get fewer opportunities and maybe we score 90 and win."

Parker kicks the ball out to Vazquez to hit the corner 3! #GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/wM0PGwb80a
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 13, 2021

Five Grizzlies were in double figures for scoring, with a sixth scoring nine points. The balanced offense was led by sophomore Josh Vazquez, who scored a career-high 17 points, draining three 3-pointers. Junior Cameron Parker was strong once again off the bench, scoring 15 points in addition to seven assists and just one turnover.

In addition to shooting .622 from the floor, including .667 in the second half, Weber State's offense was also aided by its 38 attempts from the free-throw line. The Grizzlies – who rank 10^th nationally for free-throw shooting – shot a season-high .955 from the line (21-of-22), but took 16 fewer attempts than Weber State.

Gallery: (2-13-2021) MBB: vs. Weber State (02.13.21)

Game Notables

Montana held a lead for more than 18 minutes, more time overall than Weber State did.
Weber State entered the week ranked in the top 10 nationally for scoring offense (84.5 points per game), field-goal shooting (.503) and 3-point shooting (.410). After holding the Wildcats significantly under those averages on Thursday, Weber State's offense showed up on Saturday, scoring 91 points on .622 shooting, including .417 from deep.
- The point total and shooting percentage were season highs for Griz opponents.
- Montana entered the game having held 15 consecutive opponents to 70 or fewer points, ranking in the top 40 nationally for scoring defense and top 80 for field-goal defense.
Montana forced Weber State into 15 turnovers, resulting in 21 points for the Griz.
- Eleven of Montana's first 21 points to open the game came off of Weber State miscues as the Wildcats turned the ball over seven times on their first 18 possessions.
Montana shot a season-high .955 from the free-throw line, connecting on 21 of 22 attempts.
- The Grizzlies entered the week ranked 10^th nationally for free-throw shooting (.790).
- While Montana attempted 22 free throws, Weber State drew 26 fouls and attempted 38 shots from the charity stripe (making 30).
Montana had five players score in double figures: Josh Vazquez (17), Cameron Parker (15), Kyle Owens (12), Josh Bannan (10) and Brandon Whitney (10).
Sophomore Josh Vazquez scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
- Vazquez reached double figures for the seventh time this season, and first time since Jan. 14.
Junior Cameron Parker scored 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep.
- The three 3-pointers tied a season high, with the junior also connecting on three triples at Southern Utah (Dec. 5).
- After starting the game 2-for-2 from deep, Parker had made seven consecutive made 3-pointers dating back to Jan. 23 at Sacramento State.
- Since Dec. 3, he has made 15 of his past 21 3-point attempts, and on the season is shooting .593 from long range (16-of-27) after shooting .293 (12-of-43) a season ago.
- Parker also played a team-high 34 minutes, despite coming off the bench.
Freshman Josh Bannan scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, reaching double figures for the second consecutive game.
- Bannan made his first two shot attempts to give Montana a 12-8 lead. At that point, he had made nine straight shots, dating back to Feb. 6, after missing 11 of his previous 14 shots prior to that. Further, prior to Bannan's 9-for-9 stretch, he was previously 9-for-31.
After going scoreless through the first half, and only taking one shot attempt, freshman Brandon Whitney finished the game with 10 points, in addition to four assists and two steals.
Sophomore Kyle Owens scored 10 points, in addition to drawing two charges in the first half.
Led by Parker's 15, Montana's bench scored 40 points.
In large part due to Weber State's low number of misses, Montana was held to 23 rebounds. Three Grizzlies had four rebounds apiece.
Montana led for 16 minutes of the first half, but an 11-2 run over the final 3:22 gave the Wildcats a 36-34 advantage at the break.
The first 8 minutes of the second half featured six tie scores and five lead changes, with neither team holding more than a one-point lead.
The Wildcats used a 6-0 run in a span of 63 seconds to take a 57-51 advantage and force a Montana timeout.
Montana got within two points, 62-60, but Weber State again responded, scoring on seven of their next eight possessions to build a nine-point lead.
Montana's deficit ranged from four to nine points over the final 8 minutes, with the Grizzlies' final lead coming at the 14-minute mark.
Montana used the same starters as Thursday, marking the first time in seven games that the Grizzlies used the same starting five.
The game featured three technical fouls.
In a battle of the top two teams in the history of the Big Sky Conference, Weber State improved to 72-62 all-time against Montana. Saturday marked just the Wildcats' second win in Missoula in their last 15 tries and first since December 2016. Overall, the Grizzlies are 7-2 against Weber State since March 2017.

Parker gets in on the 3 point parade 🤩#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/rq4omqnP3G
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 13, 2021

Quoting The Griz
"We made it difficult for them to get the shot they wanted (on Thursday), and today, I felt like they got it almost every time up the court. On Thursday, we pressured them out of their offense. We forced a lot of turnovers. We didn't allow them side to side, so today, they didn't even try to go side to side. They just threw it inside and drew a lot of fouls." – DeCuire on Weber State's offense

"We just didn't bring the defensive intensity we brought on Thursday. Our defensive principles weren't the same. Their magic number is 80; once they score 80, they've won almost all of their games, and we were trying to limit them to that." – Parker on the defense

"I know these guys are going to find me. I got a little bit more open tonight, and I was more confident and knocked them down." – Vazquez on his career-high 17 points

"We've got to keep grinding. We have a very inexperienced basketball team, and when you play someone twice in less than 48 hours, the game is never going to be the same. You're making adjustments but you don't know what adjustments they're going to make. The team that can handle change on the fly the most is going to be the most successful, and we're just not good enough right now." – DeCuire on a fourth consecutive loss in a rematch

"We have three series left, we can't keep saying we're a young team or we haven't figured it out yet. We've played enough games that Coach shouldn't have to keep reminding us." – Parker on moving forward

Looking Ahead
Montana finished a weekend series with a split for the fifth consecutive time, beating Weber State on Thursday before losing on Saturday. The Grizzlies (5-7) next play first-place Eastern Washington in a home-and-home series (Thursday in Cheney, Saturday in Missoula). The Grizzlies then travel to Idaho State (Feb. 25-27) before closing the regular season at home vs. Idaho (March 4-6).

Steadman rocking' the rim as the Griz start the game with some authority!#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/vNtiN8V61M
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 13, 2021