Saturday, February 11
Ogden, Utah
7 PM
Montana
14-12,8-6Big Sky
74
at
69
Weber State
13-13,8-5Big Sky
1
2
F
Montana
37
37
74
Weber St.
31
38
69
Griz beat Wildcats for fifth straight win
2/11/2023 11:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Montana Grizzlies extended their winning streak to five games on Saturday night against Weber State, sweeping their first Big Sky road trip since 2019 to move into a tie for third place with the Wildcats.
The Griz won 74-69, leaving Ogden with a win for the first time in four years. It's been a resurgent Montana team since the start of February, a month that the Grizzlies have yet to lose in. It's also a massive turnaround from the first time these teams met, a heartbreaking loss in a game that Montana led for most of the way and looked to have clinched before bad luck at the end.
Since winning at Portland State, the luck has changed for the Grizzlies. They now have won five consecutive games, and once again were able to close out a tight game in a hostile environment. After a 3-6 start that saw them sit in seventh place, the Griz are now 8-6 in league play and one of 28 teams in the country that have won at least five straight games.
They may not have been here if not for a team meeting following a disappointing loss to Sacramento State. The loss in the first matchup with Weber State was certainly one that rattled the confidence a bit, as it kicked off a stretch in which Montana lost four out of five. It ended in Sacramento, and Montana haven't looked back since.
"There was a thin line from confidence and breaking down a few weeks back just because of the way we were losing," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "There were games we knew we earned in the first 30 minutes. How to stick together and hang together to finalize games, and you can't do it if you don't trust one another and more importantly if you don't believe in one another.
"Sometimes you have to fight before you hug, which is what we did. Now we're a unit," DeCuire continued. "Once we became a unit, we play better basketball and we execute better, but more importantly we fight better."
It was also a special night for senior guard Aanen Moody, who scored the 1,000th point of his career early in the game that helped set the tone early. It was part of a 12-point first half for Moody. He finished with 23 points, the third time in four games he's scored more than 20 points.
The Grizzlies game out red-hot, and finished the night matching their season high with 14 three-pointers. They did it on the second-best percentage of the year, making 14-of-25 (56 percent) from the arc and getting them from all over.
Moody had five made threes. Dischon Thomas went 4-of-5 from three, improving his numbers on the weekend to 8-of-11 from the arc. He finished with 14 points. Lonnell Martin Jr. and Brandon Whitney each made multiple threes as well. It all helped Montana lead for more than 32 minutes in the game, increasing the deficit to as many as 16 points in the second half.
Weber State jumped out to the early lead, going ahead 12-6 in the first four minutes. Montana countered with the deep ball, starting the game with four straight makes from the arc. Whitney added a layup, and the Griz had pulled it back to a 14-14 tie.
"They started off hot, and once we turned them off Martin Jr. and Moody banged shots to build a lead for us," DeCuire said. "Then Thomas hits two, and when those three get open shots we score at a high rate."
Moody would give Montana its first lead of the game with a jumper from just outside the paint to make it 18-16. It was part of an 11-0 Grizzly run, which Moody also capped with a three-pointer a few minutes later to increase the lead to 25-16.
DeCuire got great first half minutes from big man Laolu Oke. He scored on the block and then registered a huge rejection on the other end. He capped off his minutes with a tip-in layup. He had four points and four rebounds, blocking a shot and finishing with a plus-eight in the box score.
"Oke gave us probably the biggest minutes of the night. That stretch defensively he gave us where he just really shut them down. They couldn't score so they tried to go power game and he just really would not let them get good shots," DeCuire said. "He's a team player if there is one. He defines attitude, commitment and team player as much as any player we've had."
Weber State went on a 9-0 run late in the half to cut the lead to just three, but Martin Jr. ended the half with a three-pointer to make it 37-31 at the break. The Griz shot 60 percent from the floor in the first 20 and hit seven of the 12 three-point attempts.
The offense started to cool off a bit in the second half, but Whitney went on a run that was a difference maker in the game. He scored nine consecutive points for the Grizzlies, all part of an 8-for-8 shooting start for the guard. It buoyed the Montana offense, and set them up for a big run.
"We got to a spot in the second half where we couldn't get a good shot. We were turning the ball over, everybody was tired, and we were waiting on a media," DeCuire said. "I knew the one guy that could kind of play through fatigue was Whitney. He put us on his back long enough to hold onto that lead to get to the media."
Dischon Thomas would proceed to hit consecutive threes, the second of which he hoisted off one foot as the shot clock expired, to increase Montana's lead to 13 points. Moody then hit a three after a Thomas offensive rebound, giving the Griz a game-high 16-point lead at 58-42.
"It was long stretches defensively where got stops, got the rebound and we flowed," DeCuire said of Montana's run to take the big lead. "We put in a new motion offense yesterday in about 15 minutes of practice and it had them distorted. I think that's why we shot 60 percent in the first half. Offensively, we just kept punching and I think that's why we survived their runs."
It seemed as if Montana might be running away with the game, but Dillon Jones and the third-place Wildcats wouldn't go away. The hosts got hot from deep to cut the lead to eight points with five minutes to play.
Martin Jr. then hit another big three, putting Montana up 65-54. The Wildcats would reel off seven consecutive points to make it just a four-point game, but Josh Bannan was able to slip a pass inside for a Thomas dunk to end the momentum.
Jones would hit a three on the next possession and then counter another Moody three with an and-one finish to cut it to just 70-67 Montana. The Wildcats got the ball back with a chance to tie the game. Junior Ballard drove the lane and went up for a layup, but Josh Vazquez timed a jump perfectly to reject the shot at the last second.
The ball went out of play with under a minute to play, and Montana was able to force Weber State into a difficult shot after the inbound. Moody and Vazquez would then close the game out by making the final four free throw attempts, finishing off a perfect game from the line on six attempts for the Griz.
"That was an emotional rollercoaster," DeCuire said. "We knew that you can build leads on this team but when you've got a guy like Dillon Jones they're going to make runs. You have to survive the runs."
It's one of the best offensive performances of the season for Montana and is the most points they have scored since a win against Idaho State nearly a month ago. The Griz shot better than 50 percent for the seventh time this season, improving to 6-1 when doing so.
The offense also had 18 assists on 27 made baskets, tied for the second-most in a game this season. Josh Bannan had a team-high six, the 10th straight game with four or more assists. Martin Jr. also had four assists for the fourth time in the last five games. Six different Grizzlies finished the game with multiple assists, as the ball moved around the floor all night.
"It was less dribbling and more passing. Trust one another and let people make plays," DeCuire said of his offense. "We don't need to be ball dominant. The reality is we're a better shooting team off the catch than we are off the bounce, so we needed to create more catch-and-shoot opportunities and if you can put the defense on its heels you can get those. "
Gallery: (2-11-2023) MBB: at Weber State (2.11.23)
The winning streak will now be put to the test on the road against another rival. This time, it's second-place Montana State who will aim to stop the Grizzly winning streak. The Bobcats lost in Ogden on Thursday night, but bounced back on Saturday with a win against Idaho State in Pocatello.
Montana State won the first meeting this season, making three free throws late in the game to end Montana's long home winning streak in the rivalry.
The Griz won 74-69, leaving Ogden with a win for the first time in four years. It's been a resurgent Montana team since the start of February, a month that the Grizzlies have yet to lose in. It's also a massive turnaround from the first time these teams met, a heartbreaking loss in a game that Montana led for most of the way and looked to have clinched before bad luck at the end.
Since winning at Portland State, the luck has changed for the Grizzlies. They now have won five consecutive games, and once again were able to close out a tight game in a hostile environment. After a 3-6 start that saw them sit in seventh place, the Griz are now 8-6 in league play and one of 28 teams in the country that have won at least five straight games.
They may not have been here if not for a team meeting following a disappointing loss to Sacramento State. The loss in the first matchup with Weber State was certainly one that rattled the confidence a bit, as it kicked off a stretch in which Montana lost four out of five. It ended in Sacramento, and Montana haven't looked back since.
"There was a thin line from confidence and breaking down a few weeks back just because of the way we were losing," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "There were games we knew we earned in the first 30 minutes. How to stick together and hang together to finalize games, and you can't do it if you don't trust one another and more importantly if you don't believe in one another.
"Sometimes you have to fight before you hug, which is what we did. Now we're a unit," DeCuire continued. "Once we became a unit, we play better basketball and we execute better, but more importantly we fight better."
It was also a special night for senior guard Aanen Moody, who scored the 1,000th point of his career early in the game that helped set the tone early. It was part of a 12-point first half for Moody. He finished with 23 points, the third time in four games he's scored more than 20 points.
𝐀𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧 𝟏𝐊.
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023
Congrats to Aanen Moody for scoring his 1,000th career point. #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/DZlYBqbURp
The Grizzlies game out red-hot, and finished the night matching their season high with 14 three-pointers. They did it on the second-best percentage of the year, making 14-of-25 (56 percent) from the arc and getting them from all over.
Moody had five made threes. Dischon Thomas went 4-of-5 from three, improving his numbers on the weekend to 8-of-11 from the arc. He finished with 14 points. Lonnell Martin Jr. and Brandon Whitney each made multiple threes as well. It all helped Montana lead for more than 32 minutes in the game, increasing the deficit to as many as 16 points in the second half.
Weber State jumped out to the early lead, going ahead 12-6 in the first four minutes. Montana countered with the deep ball, starting the game with four straight makes from the arc. Whitney added a layup, and the Griz had pulled it back to a 14-14 tie.
"They started off hot, and once we turned them off Martin Jr. and Moody banged shots to build a lead for us," DeCuire said. "Then Thomas hits two, and when those three get open shots we score at a high rate."
Moody would give Montana its first lead of the game with a jumper from just outside the paint to make it 18-16. It was part of an 11-0 Grizzly run, which Moody also capped with a three-pointer a few minutes later to increase the lead to 25-16.
DeCuire got great first half minutes from big man Laolu Oke. He scored on the block and then registered a huge rejection on the other end. He capped off his minutes with a tip-in layup. He had four points and four rebounds, blocking a shot and finishing with a plus-eight in the box score.
"Oke gave us probably the biggest minutes of the night. That stretch defensively he gave us where he just really shut them down. They couldn't score so they tried to go power game and he just really would not let them get good shots," DeCuire said. "He's a team player if there is one. He defines attitude, commitment and team player as much as any player we've had."
GET IT OUT! Laolu Oke playing 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/sdDP1ig41B
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023
Weber State went on a 9-0 run late in the half to cut the lead to just three, but Martin Jr. ended the half with a three-pointer to make it 37-31 at the break. The Griz shot 60 percent from the floor in the first 20 and hit seven of the 12 three-point attempts.
The offense started to cool off a bit in the second half, but Whitney went on a run that was a difference maker in the game. He scored nine consecutive points for the Grizzlies, all part of an 8-for-8 shooting start for the guard. It buoyed the Montana offense, and set them up for a big run.
"We got to a spot in the second half where we couldn't get a good shot. We were turning the ball over, everybody was tired, and we were waiting on a media," DeCuire said. "I knew the one guy that could kind of play through fatigue was Whitney. He put us on his back long enough to hold onto that lead to get to the media."
When @Bwhit_10 is on, opponents beware. He's got nine straight Grizzly points and puts us up 49-40.#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/d8d9CHRUoT
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023
Dischon Thomas would proceed to hit consecutive threes, the second of which he hoisted off one foot as the shot clock expired, to increase Montana's lead to 13 points. Moody then hit a three after a Thomas offensive rebound, giving the Griz a game-high 16-point lead at 58-42.
"It was long stretches defensively where got stops, got the rebound and we flowed," DeCuire said of Montana's run to take the big lead. "We put in a new motion offense yesterday in about 15 minutes of practice and it had them distorted. I think that's why we shot 60 percent in the first half. Offensively, we just kept punching and I think that's why we survived their runs."
It seemed as if Montana might be running away with the game, but Dillon Jones and the third-place Wildcats wouldn't go away. The hosts got hot from deep to cut the lead to eight points with five minutes to play.
Martin Jr. then hit another big three, putting Montana up 65-54. The Wildcats would reel off seven consecutive points to make it just a four-point game, but Josh Bannan was able to slip a pass inside for a Thomas dunk to end the momentum.
Needed a bucket, and @dischonthomas delivered with the slam. Would you expect anything other than an exciting game with these two teams?#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/vu8tQ2SzuT
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023
Jones would hit a three on the next possession and then counter another Moody three with an and-one finish to cut it to just 70-67 Montana. The Wildcats got the ball back with a chance to tie the game. Junior Ballard drove the lane and went up for a layup, but Josh Vazquez timed a jump perfectly to reject the shot at the last second.
The defense from Vazquez! The Griz are trying to close this out for five straight wins!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/kw2CvRWw5Q
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023
The ball went out of play with under a minute to play, and Montana was able to force Weber State into a difficult shot after the inbound. Moody and Vazquez would then close the game out by making the final four free throw attempts, finishing off a perfect game from the line on six attempts for the Griz.
"That was an emotional rollercoaster," DeCuire said. "We knew that you can build leads on this team but when you've got a guy like Dillon Jones they're going to make runs. You have to survive the runs."
It's one of the best offensive performances of the season for Montana and is the most points they have scored since a win against Idaho State nearly a month ago. The Griz shot better than 50 percent for the seventh time this season, improving to 6-1 when doing so.
The offense also had 18 assists on 27 made baskets, tied for the second-most in a game this season. Josh Bannan had a team-high six, the 10th straight game with four or more assists. Martin Jr. also had four assists for the fourth time in the last five games. Six different Grizzlies finished the game with multiple assists, as the ball moved around the floor all night.
"It was less dribbling and more passing. Trust one another and let people make plays," DeCuire said of his offense. "We don't need to be ball dominant. The reality is we're a better shooting team off the catch than we are off the bounce, so we needed to create more catch-and-shoot opportunities and if you can put the defense on its heels you can get those. "
The winning streak will now be put to the test on the road against another rival. This time, it's second-place Montana State who will aim to stop the Grizzly winning streak. The Bobcats lost in Ogden on Thursday night, but bounced back on Saturday with a win against Idaho State in Pocatello.
Montana State won the first meeting this season, making three free throws late in the game to end Montana's long home winning streak in the rivalry.
Team Stats
Mont
Weber
FG%
.519
.483
3FG%
.560
.421
FT%
1.000
.625
RB
33
23
TO
16
10
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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