Saturday, December 17
Houston, Texas
11:05 AM (MT)
Montana
6-5,0-0Big Sky
81
vs
76
Prairie View A&M
4-7,0-0SWAC
1
2
F
Montana
43
38
81
Prairie View
34
42
76
Offense stays hot as Griz win third straight
12/17/2022 3:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
When Travis DeCuire thought about the 2022-23 season, he knew the players in his locker room had potential to be a special group. But he also knew it would take some time. With several new players at key positions, the chemistry wasn't going to happen overnight. Now, as the team enters the final non-conference game, the vision is starting to come into focus.
Montana survived a late run from Prairie View A&M Saturday in Houston, holding off the Panthers to go over .500 for the first time this season at 6-5. The Grizzlies defeated the Panthers 81-76 in the first game of the Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic.
The offense shot a season-high 57 percent from the field, and Montana received big performances from a quartet of players. Brandon Whitney, Aanen Moody, Josh Bannan and Dischon Thomas all scored at least 16 points as Montana scored at least 81 for the third consecutive game.
As a team, Montana made seven out of eight three pointers in the second half, using a 17-1 run to put the game away. It came from all over the floor, as the four players for the Grizzlies each played a big part and fed off each other.
"I think the biggest thing is our confidence in one another. I think the biggest thing right now is, a lot of these guys hadn't played together before this season, and now they have confidence in one another and the things that they can achieve as a unit," DeCuire said. "Hopefully we continue growing and get a little stronger."
Bannan had 22 points, Moody 21, Thomas 17 and Whitney 16. They combined for 76 of Montana's 81 points, doing it on impressive shooting splits. They did a lot of their damage from the perimeter, scoring just 24 points in the paint.
Thomas led the team with seven rebounds while Bannan pulled down five. Whitney and Moody each had four assists and played good perimeter defense all game long. DeCuire noted how important all of the performancse were in their own ways.
"Moody with his scrappiness coming up with loose balls and his confidence at the three-point line. When we went on a 10-0 run, half of that was Dischon doing what he does," DeCuire said "When he gets hot, he sparks us offensively.
"Bannan has kind of been a rock on both sides. He's been a closer for us. He's one of our defenders that can guard multiple positions," DeCuire continued. "And when it's all said and done, Whitney's got the ball in his hands and knows there are going to be opportunities throughout the game where he's going to have to make it happen."
Bannan and Thomas started the scoring for the Griz, as they combined for the first 10 points as it went back-and-forth early. A delay to the game's start time didn't affect the Montana offense, as the Griz made 7 of the first 11 shots in the game.
Whitney started cooking midway through the first, making his first three shots and putting two of them in through contact and a foul. He had eight early points as Montana opened up a 23-16 lead.
Then it was Thomas, who had a large section of family in Houston for the game supporting him, who got hot. He hit threes on consecutive possessions and added a few free throws to contribute eight points to a 10-0 Montana run. It put Montana up 35-23, and gave Thomas 14 points on 5-8 shooting.
The Griz started by making 16-of-24 (67 percent) shots, but cooled off down the stretch and had a nine-point halftime lead.
Prairie View didn't go away, putting together an 8-0 run in the second half to cut the lead to 54-52. Bannan hit a triple to end the run, but the Panthers came right back with nine straight points to move ahead 61-57. It was a 17-3 run for the Panthers, who held Montana to just a single field goal over nearly eight minutes.
When Montana needed a shot, Lonnell Martin Jr. stepped up and delivered. He made just one shot all game long, but it may have been the most important basket of the day. Fading away and facing the last seconds of the shot clock, Martin Jr. hit on an improbable corner three. It took the lid off the basket for Montana. After missing 6-of-7 shots before the three, the Griz would finish the game making 6-of-9 field goals.
Thomas then hit a three to tie it up and Bannan followed it up with one of his own to put Montana ahead 66-63. Moody then got hot, hitting a couple of threes. He was undercut on the second one, going to the free throw line to finish off a four-point play that was a back breaker in the game. It capped off a 17-1 Montana run.
The offense caught fire, but Thomas said it was the defense that sparked the run.
"Once we kind of slowed down and got some stops defensively, rebounded and pushed the ball we got our confidence back," Thomas said.
The game was part of the Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic. Texas Tech and Jackson State played following the Montana-Prairie View A&M matchup. The day
"I think the biggest thing for me is education and comfort," DeCuire said of participating in the game. "They are the two best ways to fight it. If you don't have empathy and understand someone, you can't address the issues."
The Griz started the season on a sour note with some tough losses on the road. They went through injury problems and were missing their starting backcourt for a stretch. Now, with everyone playing and the chemistry clicking, the Griz are starting to look like a fully-realized team. When they faced a tough challenge in the second half, they came together for the win. They will aim to do it again on Tuesday against a Gonzaga team that has the nation's longest home winning streak.
"Adversity exposes those that aren't together," DeCuire said. "We knew that we were going to be challenged in terms of our chemistry, our belief, our confidence in one another. We played our two best basketball games coming into this game and so we knew how we can play."
Gallery: (12-18-2022) MBB: vs. Prairie View A&M (12.17.22)
GRIZ NOTES
Montana survived a late run from Prairie View A&M Saturday in Houston, holding off the Panthers to go over .500 for the first time this season at 6-5. The Grizzlies defeated the Panthers 81-76 in the first game of the Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic.
The offense shot a season-high 57 percent from the field, and Montana received big performances from a quartet of players. Brandon Whitney, Aanen Moody, Josh Bannan and Dischon Thomas all scored at least 16 points as Montana scored at least 81 for the third consecutive game.
As a team, Montana made seven out of eight three pointers in the second half, using a 17-1 run to put the game away. It came from all over the floor, as the four players for the Grizzlies each played a big part and fed off each other.
"I think the biggest thing is our confidence in one another. I think the biggest thing right now is, a lot of these guys hadn't played together before this season, and now they have confidence in one another and the things that they can achieve as a unit," DeCuire said. "Hopefully we continue growing and get a little stronger."
Bannan had 22 points, Moody 21, Thomas 17 and Whitney 16. They combined for 76 of Montana's 81 points, doing it on impressive shooting splits. They did a lot of their damage from the perimeter, scoring just 24 points in the paint.
Thomas led the team with seven rebounds while Bannan pulled down five. Whitney and Moody each had four assists and played good perimeter defense all game long. DeCuire noted how important all of the performancse were in their own ways.
"Moody with his scrappiness coming up with loose balls and his confidence at the three-point line. When we went on a 10-0 run, half of that was Dischon doing what he does," DeCuire said "When he gets hot, he sparks us offensively.
"Bannan has kind of been a rock on both sides. He's been a closer for us. He's one of our defenders that can guard multiple positions," DeCuire continued. "And when it's all said and done, Whitney's got the ball in his hands and knows there are going to be opportunities throughout the game where he's going to have to make it happen."
Bannan and Thomas started the scoring for the Griz, as they combined for the first 10 points as it went back-and-forth early. A delay to the game's start time didn't affect the Montana offense, as the Griz made 7 of the first 11 shots in the game.
The man is feeling it right now. @dischonthomas hits another triple, and he's already up to 15 points in the first half! 🔥#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/R3Pvh7jYNr
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 17, 2022
Whitney started cooking midway through the first, making his first three shots and putting two of them in through contact and a foul. He had eight early points as Montana opened up a 23-16 lead.
Then it was Thomas, who had a large section of family in Houston for the game supporting him, who got hot. He hit threes on consecutive possessions and added a few free throws to contribute eight points to a 10-0 Montana run. It put Montana up 35-23, and gave Thomas 14 points on 5-8 shooting.
The Griz started by making 16-of-24 (67 percent) shots, but cooled off down the stretch and had a nine-point halftime lead.
Prairie View didn't go away, putting together an 8-0 run in the second half to cut the lead to 54-52. Bannan hit a triple to end the run, but the Panthers came right back with nine straight points to move ahead 61-57. It was a 17-3 run for the Panthers, who held Montana to just a single field goal over nearly eight minutes.
When Montana needed a shot, Lonnell Martin Jr. stepped up and delivered. He made just one shot all game long, but it may have been the most important basket of the day. Fading away and facing the last seconds of the shot clock, Martin Jr. hit on an improbable corner three. It took the lid off the basket for Montana. After missing 6-of-7 shots before the three, the Griz would finish the game making 6-of-9 field goals.
Are you kidding!? Lonnell Martin Jr. with the 𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 in the corner. We've got a close one down the stretch here on https://t.co/2Yo4lzwV9X.#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/JCBlBF7IVq
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 17, 2022
Thomas then hit a three to tie it up and Bannan followed it up with one of his own to put Montana ahead 66-63. Moody then got hot, hitting a couple of threes. He was undercut on the second one, going to the free throw line to finish off a four-point play that was a back breaker in the game. It capped off a 17-1 Montana run.
The offense caught fire, but Thomas said it was the defense that sparked the run.
"Once we kind of slowed down and got some stops defensively, rebounded and pushed the ball we got our confidence back," Thomas said.
It got interesting down the stretch as a 12-2 Panther run cut the lead to three points, but the Griz would hang on for the third consecutive win. It guarantees a .500 record through a non-conference slate that was more difficult than anyone could have predicted.OH MY, MOODY! The four-point play puts us up 13 as the Griz are on a 17-1 run. Moody has 21 points, including four threes!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/qOi1BHhy3l
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 17, 2022
The game was part of the Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic. Texas Tech and Jackson State played following the Montana-Prairie View A&M matchup. The day
"I think the biggest thing for me is education and comfort," DeCuire said of participating in the game. "They are the two best ways to fight it. If you don't have empathy and understand someone, you can't address the issues."
The Griz started the season on a sour note with some tough losses on the road. They went through injury problems and were missing their starting backcourt for a stretch. Now, with everyone playing and the chemistry clicking, the Griz are starting to look like a fully-realized team. When they faced a tough challenge in the second half, they came together for the win. They will aim to do it again on Tuesday against a Gonzaga team that has the nation's longest home winning streak.
"Adversity exposes those that aren't together," DeCuire said. "We knew that we were going to be challenged in terms of our chemistry, our belief, our confidence in one another. We played our two best basketball games coming into this game and so we knew how we can play."
GRIZ NOTES
- Brandon Whitney put on another clinic in shooting efficiency. He scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. In his last three games, he has scored 61 points on 80.6 percent shooting. He hasn't missed more than two shots in his last five games.
- Dischon Thomas matched his best game as a Grizzly with 17 points. It was the eighth time in 11 games that he has reached double-figures.
- Aanen Moody nearly set a new season-high for points with 21. He has scored in double-figures in his last six appearances, and matched his season-high with four assists.
- Josh Bannan led the Griz with 22 points. He has combined for 49 points on 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) shooting in Montana's last two wins.
- This is the only neutral game of the season for Montana, who won their second game away from Dahlberg Arena in 2022.
Team Stats
Mont
PVAM
FG%
.569
.474
3FG%
.579
.300
FT%
.857
.727
RB
23
22
TO
14
10
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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