Thursday, February 24
Cedar City, Utah
7 PM
Montana
17-11, 10-7BSC
74
at
82
Southern Utah
18-9, 12-5BSC
1
2
F
Montana
44
30
74
Southern Utah
28
54
82
Griz can't sustain strong 1st half in Cedar City
2/24/2022 10:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CEDAR CITY, Utah – Thursday night's 82-74 loss to Southern Utah was a microcosm of Montana's season.
In the first half, Montana showed how good it can be, scoring 44 points and holding the preseason favorite Thunderbirds to 28. Montana shot .556 from the floor (15-of-27), .636 from deep (7-of-11) and out-rebounded the league's top rebounding team.
Entering the locker room, Montana held a 16-point lead with everything going its way.
As the Grizzlies have been prone to display, however, their inconsistencies cost them in the second half.
In a matter of just 13 game minutes, Montana went from a 16-point lead to a six-point deficit, as the Thunderbirds used a 26-4 run. The stretch continued as Montana made just one field goal in a 10-minute period, falling behind by as many as 11 points.
"For stretches of games, we've shown we can play with anyone," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "But our maturity is in question right now in terms of our ability to play through adversity, make adjustments or handle success."
The Grizzlies raced out to a 13-6 lead just 4 minutes into the contest, forcing an early Southern Utah timeout after back-to-back 3-pointers for the Griz. Montana made its first five shot attempts, three from long range.
The Grizzlies, who average a league-worst 5.9 made 3-pointers per game, had five triples – from five different players, no less – just 10 minutes into the contest. They made seven of their first 10 3-point shots, a big part of their first-half lead.
Still, Montana held a double-digit advantage, and led 52-40 following a Josh Bannan layup from Lonnell Martin Jr. with 15:18 to play.
That's when things turned for the worst.
Over the next 10:30, Montana made just one field goal (along with seven free throws), shooting 1-of-12 with three turnovers. Suddenly, a double-digit lead turned to a near-double-digit deficit, as a 30-9 run brought Southern Utah in front, 70-61.
Montana, which led for more than 27 consecutive minutes following an early 4-0 deficit, trailed for the final 10 after Southern Utah took a 59-57 lead with 9:56 to play.
"You can't get out-scored by 26 in a half," DeCuire said. "We didn't have guys making shots or going to get loose balls. We weren't playing hard enough to win. I thought, maybe, we were playing to hold on to a lead instead of to extend it."
Montana shot .556 in the first half, scoring a Division-I season-high 44 points in the opening frame, including 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. The Grizzlies, though, shot just .360 in the second half (9-of-25, 1-of-4 from deep) while Southern Utah connected on 61.3 percent of its second-half attempts.
Facing the league's top rebounding team, Montana out-rebounded Southern Utah in the first half, including five offensive boards that led to a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points. In the second half, though, Southern Utah dominated the battle of the boards 26 to 12, including 10 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. The 54 second-half points allowed were the most in a half by an opponent this season as John Knight III – one of nine Southern Utah seniors who were celebrated prior to the game – scored 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Knight had 10 points at the break, but Southern Utah's other four starters were held to a combined 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
In the second half, that group combined for 43 points on 15-of-27 shooting.
Coming off of back-to-back 20-plus scoring performances, Bannan again led the Grizzlies offensively, scoring 23 points in addition to a career-high four assists. The sophomore has now been in double figures for scoring in five consecutive games averaging 21.0 per game during that span.
While Montana is still in prime position for a top-five finish and a first-round bye in next month's conference tournament, Thursday's loss hurts. The Grizzlies entered the night a game back of Southern Utah and Northern Colorado in the conference standings. A win over the Thunderbirds would have pushed the Grizzlies – who beat Southern Utah earlier this month in Missoula – ahead of Southern Utah and Northern Colorado, which lost to Eastern Washington on Thursday night. Second-place Weber State also suffered a loss to Portland State.
Montana will now fly home and prepare for a rivalry game against first-place Montana State. The two teams – playing for the 303rd time, the fifth-most-played rivalry in college basketball history – will meet in Missoula for the first time since February 2020. The game was moved to Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. tip) to accommodate an ESPNU audience. Tickets can be purchased online.
"You want them upset. You want them angry," DeCuire said. "We're aggressive and play better when we're angry. I think we made it very obvious that we were good enough to win this game, but we didn't because we didn't sustain it.
"Now we have two days to prepare for a rivalry game, where we have to play good basketball, play together and execute."
In the first half, Montana showed how good it can be, scoring 44 points and holding the preseason favorite Thunderbirds to 28. Montana shot .556 from the floor (15-of-27), .636 from deep (7-of-11) and out-rebounded the league's top rebounding team.
Entering the locker room, Montana held a 16-point lead with everything going its way.
As the Grizzlies have been prone to display, however, their inconsistencies cost them in the second half.
In a matter of just 13 game minutes, Montana went from a 16-point lead to a six-point deficit, as the Thunderbirds used a 26-4 run. The stretch continued as Montana made just one field goal in a 10-minute period, falling behind by as many as 11 points.
"For stretches of games, we've shown we can play with anyone," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "But our maturity is in question right now in terms of our ability to play through adversity, make adjustments or handle success."
The Grizzlies raced out to a 13-6 lead just 4 minutes into the contest, forcing an early Southern Utah timeout after back-to-back 3-pointers for the Griz. Montana made its first five shot attempts, three from long range.
At the second media timeout, the Grizzlies were still doubling up the Thunderbirds, 22-10, after senior Scott Blakney – who made his first Montana start – corralled a loose ball and laid it in, one of five first-half offensive rebounds for the Grizzlies, leading to nine second-chance points.Bannan finds Whitney at the top to bury a 3 to continue the 13-2 run!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 25, 2022
💻: https://t.co/pmLdUVuGnO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/X62QjUugqZ
The Grizzlies, who average a league-worst 5.9 made 3-pointers per game, had five triples – from five different players, no less – just 10 minutes into the contest. They made seven of their first 10 3-point shots, a big part of their first-half lead.
To open the second half, though, Southern Utah scored on six of its first seven offensive possessions.BEASLEY FOR 3🔥 That makes for 7/10 from beyond the arch as a whole!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 25, 2022
💻: https://t.co/pmLdUVuGnO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/tXYiRutcFs
Still, Montana held a double-digit advantage, and led 52-40 following a Josh Bannan layup from Lonnell Martin Jr. with 15:18 to play.
That's when things turned for the worst.
Over the next 10:30, Montana made just one field goal (along with seven free throws), shooting 1-of-12 with three turnovers. Suddenly, a double-digit lead turned to a near-double-digit deficit, as a 30-9 run brought Southern Utah in front, 70-61.
Montana, which led for more than 27 consecutive minutes following an early 4-0 deficit, trailed for the final 10 after Southern Utah took a 59-57 lead with 9:56 to play.
"You can't get out-scored by 26 in a half," DeCuire said. "We didn't have guys making shots or going to get loose balls. We weren't playing hard enough to win. I thought, maybe, we were playing to hold on to a lead instead of to extend it."
Montana shot .556 in the first half, scoring a Division-I season-high 44 points in the opening frame, including 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. The Grizzlies, though, shot just .360 in the second half (9-of-25, 1-of-4 from deep) while Southern Utah connected on 61.3 percent of its second-half attempts.
Facing the league's top rebounding team, Montana out-rebounded Southern Utah in the first half, including five offensive boards that led to a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points. In the second half, though, Southern Utah dominated the battle of the boards 26 to 12, including 10 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. The 54 second-half points allowed were the most in a half by an opponent this season as John Knight III – one of nine Southern Utah seniors who were celebrated prior to the game – scored 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Knight had 10 points at the break, but Southern Utah's other four starters were held to a combined 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
In the second half, that group combined for 43 points on 15-of-27 shooting.
Coming off of back-to-back 20-plus scoring performances, Bannan again led the Grizzlies offensively, scoring 23 points in addition to a career-high four assists. The sophomore has now been in double figures for scoring in five consecutive games averaging 21.0 per game during that span.
Fellow sophomores Robby Beasley III (14 points, four assists, two steals) and Brandon Whitney (14 points, six rebounds, two steals) were also in double figures.Martin ➡️ Bannan on the inside for 2!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 25, 2022
💻: https://t.co/pmLdUVuGnO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/Uom5VAFwGr
While Montana is still in prime position for a top-five finish and a first-round bye in next month's conference tournament, Thursday's loss hurts. The Grizzlies entered the night a game back of Southern Utah and Northern Colorado in the conference standings. A win over the Thunderbirds would have pushed the Grizzlies – who beat Southern Utah earlier this month in Missoula – ahead of Southern Utah and Northern Colorado, which lost to Eastern Washington on Thursday night. Second-place Weber State also suffered a loss to Portland State.
Montana will now fly home and prepare for a rivalry game against first-place Montana State. The two teams – playing for the 303rd time, the fifth-most-played rivalry in college basketball history – will meet in Missoula for the first time since February 2020. The game was moved to Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. tip) to accommodate an ESPNU audience. Tickets can be purchased online.
"You want them upset. You want them angry," DeCuire said. "We're aggressive and play better when we're angry. I think we made it very obvious that we were good enough to win this game, but we didn't because we didn't sustain it.
"Now we have two days to prepare for a rivalry game, where we have to play good basketball, play together and execute."
KO with the put back❗
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 25, 2022
💻: https://t.co/pmLdUVuGnO #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/fSEiOpUAFO
Team Stats
UM
SUU
FG%
.462
.564
3FG%
.533
.467
FT%
.692
.591
RB
27
38
TO
9
11
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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