Williams shines on emotional day to lead Montana to big win

Saturday, December 2

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

San Jose State

Photo by: Ryan Brennecke/ University of Montana

Williams shines on emotional day to lead Montana to big win

12/2/2023 5:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

You couldn't tell watching Money Williams on Saturday afternoon that anything may have been wrong. The true freshman dazzled the Dahlberg crowd to the tune of 21 points and nine rebounds, showcasing his vast talent time after time with deep threes and drives to the rim.

It was a performance for the ages for Williams, who is doing things that few, if any, freshman have ever done in a Grizzly uniform. It's one that people will remember years from now as a coming out party for the freshman, a declaration that he's not afraid of the moment and that he's no ordinary first-year player.

He led Montana to a 75-58 win over San Jose State, snapping Montana's three-game losing streak.

But for Williams, the game held more meaning than anyone in the gym could have known. His father passed away on Wednesday, and the freshman played for him on Saturday afternoon.

"It felt really special," Williams said of his game. "I dedicated this game to my pops that passed away recently. I just told him that I'm going to try my best and leave it all out for him, and that's what I did."

The mental toughness to just arrive for the game is impressive enough. Williams didn't just show up, he put Montana on his back early and led them to a Mountain West win. It snapped a three-game losing streak for Montana and improved them to 3-4 on the year with a pair of NAIA opponents upcoming.

"It's one thing just to show up, it's another thing to play the way he played," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "It says a lot about what he has inside."

"I gave him every opportunity to not be here and suggested that he be home with his family. He wanted to be here," DeCuire added. "He came home with us after the game at Nevada, where he found out after the game he lost his father. You can never tell anyone how to handle this type of adversity, and you can't speak to what it feels like for them. I think we learned a lot today about his mental toughness, his fortitude, and how much he loves the game.

He set season highs in points, rebounds, and minutes in the win. He's now averaging 14.4 points per game and nearly five rebounds.

"My teammates and the coaches just trusted me and told me to play my game, and that's what I did," Williams said. "I played my game and was very efficient."

Williams' quick start was the result of some changes made by DeCuire and his staff. Montana switched up the starting lineup for the first time this season, inserting Money and Josh Vazquez into the first five. It led to a dream start for Montana.

𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑬𝒀 💰

He's got 11 points on 100 percent shooting!#BANDTOGETHER x #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/PYgs1Laq7F
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 2, 2023

After falling behind 11-0 at Houston and 15-2 at Nevada, they needed to find some early offense to not fall out of games early. The new starters provided that, as Vazquez knocked down an early three and Williams had eight of the first 15 points.

DeCuire also went to Te'Jon Sawyer off the bench early, another move that paid dividends. Sawyer had four quick points as the trio combined to give Montana a 15-4 lead early. They would hold it for the entire game, leading for over 39 minutes in a game that featured no ties or lead changes.

It's been a theme this year for Montana, who have played five games this year that have had zero lead changes. There hasn't been a lead change in the second half of any of Montana's games.

Sawyer's fast start continued throughout the entire game, as the transfer had a career-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He played a season-high 24 minutes.

"We had to make some adjustments," DeCuire said. "We've been working on them since the second half of the Houston and Nevada games. I was finding some lineups that I had a lot of confidence in on both sides of the ball. I thought guys responded really well today."

Gallery: (12-2-2023) MBB: San Jose State (12.2.23)

The Grizzlies outrebounded the Spartans 35-29, outshot them 48-to-44 percent, and made a season-high eight three-pointers on 36.4 percent shooting from deep. They also had 18 assists a team, the most against a DI opponent this year.

Brandon Whitney led the way in that category with four, also playing great perimeter defense. Whitney had started 91 straight games before today, but adjusted to the role off the bench well and was a plus-22 in the box score.

Montana extended the lead to 15 points at the 10-minute mark of the first half on a three from Money, and it looked like it would be smooth sailing to a victory for the Griz.

They hit some rough waters following the play, however. Montana made just two baskets over the next seven minutes, and San Jose State climbed back into it at 27-22. The Grizzlies needed a response and got one. Whitney ended a 7-0 Spartan run with a layup.

Money got to the bucket for a lay-up and Laolu Oke added a hook shot in the paint to push the lead back to double figures. The moment of the game came just before halftime. The clock ticked down as Money dribbled near the halfcourt line.

He stepped forward toward his defender, crossing over to his right and bringing it behind his back on a step-back to the left. He elevated over the defender, knocking down a deep three to beat the shot clock buzzer and send the Grizzlies into the break with all the momentum.

The kid is special. @mxney___ sends us into the break in style.#BANDTOGETHER x #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/5GhA55itSM
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 2, 2023

It capped a 16 point, eight rebound half for Williams, who also had two assists. He did a bit of everything in the half, and no matter who San Jose State matched up with him Money found a way to his spot.

"He puts a lot of pressure on defenses because he's so versatile," DeCuire said. "If you bring to many people, he's going to find an open man and create shots for other guys. His ability to score at three levels, his strength getting to the rim, the way he draws fouls, he's a hard cover. He's finding ways to blend with the other aggressive offensive players that we have."

The Griz started the second half on an 8-1 run to build the lead to 44-25 and never let San Jose State anywhere near for the rest of the game. They would increase it to as much as 25 points with five minutes to play, holding on for the 17-point win.

Money and the offense drew a lot of the attention on the night, but the Grizzlies played a solid game defensively as well. The 58 points from San Jose State are the fewest by a Grizzly opponent all year as Montana held them to 44 percent from the floor and forced 16 turnovers.

San Jose State applied constant pressure to Aanen Moody all game long, as every Grizzly opponent has so far this season. The respect given to the veteran opened up the floor for others. It's part of the reason that DeCuire made a change to the starting five, to relieve some pressure from Moody.

"I thought they were locked in," DeCuire said of the opening lineup. 'A little more offensive punch to start and I think we're harder to defend when we have more than just two or three guys that can put the ball in the basket on the floor. I thought if we put pressure on them offensively, we could wear them down and then have a better opportunity to set up our defense."

The Grizzlies have had great bench scoring all season, partially thanks to Money typically coming in later in games. The trend continued even as he was slotted into the starting lineup. Montana's bench had 33 points.

LAOLU NO-KE 🚫#BANDTOGETHER x #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/qWXsgyjNKW
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 2, 2023

Sawyer had over half of them with his 17-point performance. Montana have been looking for consistent offense from the post, and DeCuire said they added a power package to try to get Sawyer more opportunities. It's a tricky balance to try not to overload a team that features plenty of newcomers with new information, but it worked well for Montana on Saturday.

"I think that gives us that versatility, that high-low and inside-out that we need, and they were forced to double which led to a lot of open jump shots and guys were catching and shooting as opposed to shooting off the dribble," DeCuire said. "The balance is there now, we just have to be consistent."

The Grizzlies had played the 10^th hardest schedule in the country coming in and were far from any concerns that the season was going in the wrong direction. But Saturday still felt like an important win to snap a losing streak and try to build some momentum heading into December.

"I put compete with desperation on the board," DeCuire said of his pregame message. "It's been a while since I've used that term. It was for another team, but I think this team needed it as much."

Montana remain at home next week for pair of in-state matchups. The Grizzlies will host MSU-Northern on Tuesday night and Montana Tech on Friday night.

After that, the Grizzlies will have an extended period of time on the road. They play five consecutive away from home for the first time since 2016-17, spending a full 28 days away from Dahlberg Arena. They won't be back at home until January 6 following these next two games.

Saturday's result should give them some confidence heading into the trip. A team with plenty of newcomers and one that is still adjusting to roles should only get better as the season goes along.

"We've got to continue to grow," DeCuire said. "Now that we're settling in a bit to the rotations we've got to do a better job of making sure that everybody is ready because we'll be calling on guys with foul trouble and things like that, there will still be opportunities for guys to compete. We have to stay locked in and continue to get better."

Money Williams received the game ball from his coaches after the game. San Jose State head coach Tim Miles applauded him as he checked off the court for the final time. The crowd applauded his every basket with enthusiasm. It's a performance that will be remembered for a while in Missoula.