Saturday, December 31
Missoula, Mont.
2 PM
Montana
7-7,1-1Big Sky
67
vs
56
Idaho
6-9,0-2Big Sky
1
2
F
Idaho
20
36
56
Montana
33
34
67
Photo by: Shanna Madison
Griz end 2022 with win over Idaho
12/31/2022 6:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
There was a clear message from head coach Travis DeCuire to his team following Thursday night's loss to Eastern Washington. The team had to be better on the defensive side of the floor. His team clearly received the message.
Montana had one of its best defensive performances of the season to limit Idaho to just 56 points on 35 percent shooting, leading comfortably for much of a 67-56 win. It brings the Griz back to .500 in Big Sky play after two game and on the season at 7-7.
"It was a point of emphasis yesterday," DeCuire said of the defensive intensity. "We got after it and scrapped during practice probably a little longer than normal on a day before a game but I think it was important for us to be tougher, mentally and physically, on the defensive side of the ball. We did that."
The Griz led by double-figures in the first 10 minutes of the game and didn't allow the Vandals back within five the rest of the way. It was the defense, which allowed a season-low 21.7 percent shooting in the first half, and the aggressive play of Brandon Whitney that built Montana its lead.
Whitney got into foul trouble early against Eastern Washington and never found the flow offensively in that game. It was a completely different story on Saturday. The offense flowed through him right from the tip as he had the first six points and 14 of the first 17 for Montana. After a jumper with 11:11 to play in the first half, he was outscoring the entire Idaho team 14-10 and shooting 6-of-7 from the floor with a pair of threes.
The rest of the team pitched in as the Griz ran off a 14-0 run to jump ahead 23-10. The offense was hot, making five straight shots, but the tone was being set on the other side of the floor. Idaho missed eight straight shots over a four-plus minute stretch early, and another four consecutive misses right after to allow Montana to jump ahead.
"We took away the big fella because we crowded him and we kind of dared Moffitt to shoot a little bit," DeCuire said. "H he took three threes during that stretch and we got into transition so that helped. We forced a couple of turnovers too in that stretch and were pretty good in transition."
Montana cooled off a bit offensively, although Josh Vazquez did come in to provide 16 very solid first half minutes. He hit a three to end a three-minute drought offensively for Montana and also passed out four first-half assists. He ended the game with five dimes, a team-high that also matched his career best.
The Griz allowed just 20 first-half points to the Vandals, the fewest by a D-I opponent against Montana all season. Idaho made just five field goals, as nearly half of their first half scoring came from the free throw line where they shot 8-for-13. Divant'e Moffitt, the Big Sky's fifth leading scorer at 17 points per game entering the night, was held without a made basket in eight attempts.
Whitney wasn't just stellar on the offensive end. His defense on Moffit was outstanding all night long, keeping the slashing guard out of the paint. He was held to 1-for-12 shooting on the night, nine points and three assists. He entered averaging 5.5 assists per game as the top passer in the conference.
The Vandals leaned on the Big Sky's second-leading scorer Isaac Jones in the second half, and after an early score DeCuire took a timeout just a minute into the half.
"We just made a few execution adjustments at halftime and then it was more sustain the intensity. We came out and we didn't do that," DeCuire said. "We gambled, we weren't playing hard, we took bad shots, so 13-point lead turns to 10 and I just wanted to get their attention and remind them that you don't win games if you don't make winning plays."
Jones scored 12 of their first 15 points in the period, but was just trading baskets with the Griz after the DeCuire timeout. Montana bumped the lead up to a game-high 16 points after a pair of Bannan free throws with 14:12 remaining.
Idaho cut the lead to single digits with a mini 5-0 run near the 10-minute mark as they went on a nine makes out of 11 shots. The Griz defense responded and the offense just kept on chugging to extend it back into double-figures.
Free throws would allow Idaho to get it back within six points late, but a three from Josh Vazquez with 49 second left provided the exclamation point to the Griz win.
Whitney led Montana with 20 points and added five rebounds. Josh Bannan scored 16 points – 12 of which came in the second half – and added seven rebounds to narrowly miss out on a second-straight double-double.
After a big first half, Josh Vazquez received plenty of minutes while doing all the little things right in the second. He had quite the final stat line, closing with six points, five assists, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
"We always tell these guys when you're focused on the details and the winning plays, whether it's a contest at the rim, a loose ball, a charge, rotations defensively, things like that, then the rest takes care of itself," DeCuire said. "When you look up, he's got two steals and three blocks. The grit plays, that kept him on the floor. He played well enough to a point that I felt I couldn't take him out."
Laolu Oke played some crucial first half minutes in relief of Thomas and was a force on the glass, pulling down a season-high five rebounds in just seven minutes of play.
The Griz were clinical with the ball, turning it over just six times in the game and handing out 12 assists. The Grizzlies turned the Vandals over 11 teams, leading to 12 Montana points. The Grizzly bench also outscored the Vandal reserves, just the second time that has occurred in a game for Montana this season.
The defensive stats all leaned heavily in favor of Montana in the game. The Griz had seven steals to the Vandals' one, and nine blocks compared to just two for Idaho. Vazquez and Thomas each had three blocks, while Vazquez, Moody and Bannan had two steals apiece.
The Griz led for more than 34 minutes and only trailed for 73 seconds, dominating all the way against their regional rival. The Griz have now won seven of the past eight meetings against the Vandals and haven't lost to Idaho in Missoula since 2017.
2023 will start on the road for Montana as they will next play Northern Arizona on Jan. 5. The split on opening weekend may not have been exactly what the Griz had in mind entering Big Sky play, but they remain right in the thick of it in a tight Big Sky conference.
"You hate to let one get away, but for us maybe that was the learning experience we needed for our discipline, for our grit and to understand how important it is to play the game the right way for 40 minutes and not just 30 or 35," DeCuire said. "The race is wide open. Anybody can win this conference. The teams that take care of business the most in terms of playing the right way and playing for good stretches are the ones that are going to win."
Gallery: (12-31-2022) MBB: vs. Idaho (12.31.22)
GRIZ NOTES
Montana had one of its best defensive performances of the season to limit Idaho to just 56 points on 35 percent shooting, leading comfortably for much of a 67-56 win. It brings the Griz back to .500 in Big Sky play after two game and on the season at 7-7.
"It was a point of emphasis yesterday," DeCuire said of the defensive intensity. "We got after it and scrapped during practice probably a little longer than normal on a day before a game but I think it was important for us to be tougher, mentally and physically, on the defensive side of the ball. We did that."
The Griz led by double-figures in the first 10 minutes of the game and didn't allow the Vandals back within five the rest of the way. It was the defense, which allowed a season-low 21.7 percent shooting in the first half, and the aggressive play of Brandon Whitney that built Montana its lead.
Whitney got into foul trouble early against Eastern Washington and never found the flow offensively in that game. It was a completely different story on Saturday. The offense flowed through him right from the tip as he had the first six points and 14 of the first 17 for Montana. After a jumper with 11:11 to play in the first half, he was outscoring the entire Idaho team 14-10 and shooting 6-of-7 from the floor with a pair of threes.
The man is 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆! @BWhit_10 hits another triple and has 12 of our 15 out of the gates! #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/7h7u7KXEWs
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2022
The rest of the team pitched in as the Griz ran off a 14-0 run to jump ahead 23-10. The offense was hot, making five straight shots, but the tone was being set on the other side of the floor. Idaho missed eight straight shots over a four-plus minute stretch early, and another four consecutive misses right after to allow Montana to jump ahead.
Make it 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 points for your Griz! #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/JFGtOxrvjv
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2022
"We took away the big fella because we crowded him and we kind of dared Moffitt to shoot a little bit," DeCuire said. "H he took three threes during that stretch and we got into transition so that helped. We forced a couple of turnovers too in that stretch and were pretty good in transition."
Montana cooled off a bit offensively, although Josh Vazquez did come in to provide 16 very solid first half minutes. He hit a three to end a three-minute drought offensively for Montana and also passed out four first-half assists. He ended the game with five dimes, a team-high that also matched his career best.
The Griz allowed just 20 first-half points to the Vandals, the fewest by a D-I opponent against Montana all season. Idaho made just five field goals, as nearly half of their first half scoring came from the free throw line where they shot 8-for-13. Divant'e Moffitt, the Big Sky's fifth leading scorer at 17 points per game entering the night, was held without a made basket in eight attempts.
Whitney wasn't just stellar on the offensive end. His defense on Moffit was outstanding all night long, keeping the slashing guard out of the paint. He was held to 1-for-12 shooting on the night, nine points and three assists. He entered averaging 5.5 assists per game as the top passer in the conference.
Get 𝗨𝗣 Mack! The senior throws it down on the nice assist from Nap and the vibes are very, very good right now in Missoula.#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/vuLXE0kGiT
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2022
The Vandals leaned on the Big Sky's second-leading scorer Isaac Jones in the second half, and after an early score DeCuire took a timeout just a minute into the half.
"We just made a few execution adjustments at halftime and then it was more sustain the intensity. We came out and we didn't do that," DeCuire said. "We gambled, we weren't playing hard, we took bad shots, so 13-point lead turns to 10 and I just wanted to get their attention and remind them that you don't win games if you don't make winning plays."
Jones scored 12 of their first 15 points in the period, but was just trading baskets with the Griz after the DeCuire timeout. Montana bumped the lead up to a game-high 16 points after a pair of Bannan free throws with 14:12 remaining.
Idaho cut the lead to single digits with a mini 5-0 run near the 10-minute mark as they went on a nine makes out of 11 shots. The Griz defense responded and the offense just kept on chugging to extend it back into double-figures.
Free throws would allow Idaho to get it back within six points late, but a three from Josh Vazquez with 49 second left provided the exclamation point to the Griz win.
Whitney led Montana with 20 points and added five rebounds. Josh Bannan scored 16 points – 12 of which came in the second half – and added seven rebounds to narrowly miss out on a second-straight double-double.
After a big first half, Josh Vazquez received plenty of minutes while doing all the little things right in the second. He had quite the final stat line, closing with six points, five assists, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
"We always tell these guys when you're focused on the details and the winning plays, whether it's a contest at the rim, a loose ball, a charge, rotations defensively, things like that, then the rest takes care of itself," DeCuire said. "When you look up, he's got two steals and three blocks. The grit plays, that kept him on the floor. He played well enough to a point that I felt I couldn't take him out."
While the defensive intensity may have been the biggest turnaround from Thursday night, Montana's effort on the boards was also much improved. The Griz outrebounded Idaho 35-34, improving to 6-1 when they finish with more rebounds than their opponent. Dischon Thomas led Montana with eight, while Bannan added seven.The exclamation point from @JoshVazquez3 to put this one away!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/pHbr3V2xIE
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 31, 2022
Laolu Oke played some crucial first half minutes in relief of Thomas and was a force on the glass, pulling down a season-high five rebounds in just seven minutes of play.
The Griz were clinical with the ball, turning it over just six times in the game and handing out 12 assists. The Grizzlies turned the Vandals over 11 teams, leading to 12 Montana points. The Grizzly bench also outscored the Vandal reserves, just the second time that has occurred in a game for Montana this season.
The defensive stats all leaned heavily in favor of Montana in the game. The Griz had seven steals to the Vandals' one, and nine blocks compared to just two for Idaho. Vazquez and Thomas each had three blocks, while Vazquez, Moody and Bannan had two steals apiece.
The Griz led for more than 34 minutes and only trailed for 73 seconds, dominating all the way against their regional rival. The Griz have now won seven of the past eight meetings against the Vandals and haven't lost to Idaho in Missoula since 2017.
2023 will start on the road for Montana as they will next play Northern Arizona on Jan. 5. The split on opening weekend may not have been exactly what the Griz had in mind entering Big Sky play, but they remain right in the thick of it in a tight Big Sky conference.
"You hate to let one get away, but for us maybe that was the learning experience we needed for our discipline, for our grit and to understand how important it is to play the game the right way for 40 minutes and not just 30 or 35," DeCuire said. "The race is wide open. Anybody can win this conference. The teams that take care of business the most in terms of playing the right way and playing for good stretches are the ones that are going to win."
GRIZ NOTES
- Montana is now 7-0 this season when shooting a better percentage than its opponent and 0-7 when shooting worse.
- The Griz improved to 5-2 inside Dahlberg Arena and closed out the month of December with a 4-2 record.
- Dischon Thomas scored his 600th career point in the win.
- This was the sixth game this season in which Montana held its opponent under 60 points. The Griz are 5-1 when doing so.
Team Stats
UI
Mont
FG%
.348
.431
3FG%
.300
.333
FT%
.692
.833
RB
34
35
TO
11
6
STL
1
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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