Defense leads Montana to fourth straight win

Thursday, February 9

Pocatello, Idaho

7 PM

Montana

13-12,7-6Big Sky

Idaho State

9-16,6-6Big Sky

Montana

Idaho St.

2/9/2023 10:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana Grizzlies relied on what has become strength of the team on the road against Idaho State, riding a standout defensive performance in the second half to pick up their fourth straight win. It wasn't without drama at the end, which is to be expected for a team and conference that have become used to close games in recent weeks, but a wire-to-wire win for the second time in three games meant the Grizzlies left Reed Gym happy.

The Griz had a nine-minute stretch without allowing a point to the Bengals in the second half, leading them to a double-digit lead and hold off a hot finish from the hosts. Montana never trailed in the game, completing the season sweep of the Bengals. The 69-61 win puts Montana above .500 in conference play for the first time at 7-6. The Griz are now 13-12 overall.

Perimeter shooting provided the difference in the game as Dischon Thomas and Lonnell Martin Jr. combined for eight made threes on just 12 attempts. Thomas led Montana with 16 points while Martin Jr. was in double figures for the fourth time in his last five games with 12 points. The duo outshot the Bengals on their own, as Montana held Idaho State to just 3-of-18 from beyond the arc.

There were a few keys to the victory and the big second half, according to head coach Travis DeCuire.

"One, we talked about playing harder. I didn't think we played hard enough in the first half," DeCuire said. "Two, I had a couple of adjustments up my sleeve defensively and offensively that we went to late with the ball movement, and you know Lonnell made some big shots."

Montana had four players in double figures as Josh Bannan (14 points) and Aanen Moody (11) also hit the mark. Moody came up just shy of a major career milestone, increasing his scoring total to 998 points across his five years.

Gallery: (2-9-2023) MBB: at Idaho State (2.9.23)

In the second half, Montana limited Idaho State to just 34 percent from the floor and a single made three-pointer, which came in the dying moments of the game. The Griz, on the other hand, shot 46 percent and made 4-of-7 threes to win the second half 35-27.

The Grizzlies also limited Brayden Parker, who had scored in double-figures in six straight games, to just two points. Parker had four combined points in Montana's two wins in the series this year. Against the rest of the Big Sky, he has averaged over 16 points per game.

The advantage at the three-point line, as well as a 15-of-18 mark from the free throw line, allowed Montana to overcome a huge disadvantage in the rebounding department. Idaho State outrebounded Montana 39-24, but the Griz made up for it by forcing 11 turnovers.

The tough finish from @Bwhit_10 takes us into the first media timeout of the night. Good start for the Griz!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/DEstuleW6o
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 10, 2023

The Griz started well, scoring first and jumping out to a 15-8 lead. Thomas started his impressive night early, hitting a three at the 10-minute mark to make it 18-10 before knocking down back-to-back from beyond the arc a few minutes later to make it 31-21 Montana.

Similar to last Thursday against Northern Colorado, the Grizzlies held control of the game but couldn't quite pull away. A four-minute scoring drought allowed the Bengals to reel off eight straight points, cutting the Griz lead to just two. Montana would add a free throw, but a late three from Brock Mackenzie tied it at the half for the first time since the opening tip.

Idaho State shot 57 percent in the opening half, an impressive number but one offset by a Grizzly defense that caused havoc. The Griz forced the Bengals into seven turnovers in the opening period.

"Defense wins. We started the game off getting a ton of stops and forcing them into tough shots," DeCuire said. "We rebounded the ball and forced some turnovers. They did a good job with their scout defensively and took some things away from us so we had to figure some things out. We got it going and got up 10, and probably should not have subbed out of that run.

"I wasn't happy at halftime with myself to be honest. I told the guys that defense wins, and if we defend we will be fine," DeCuire said.

It was just the second time this year that the Griz were tied at the break, and they would go on to improve to 2-0 on the year in those games. Montana also has a four-game winning streak for the 15^th consecutive season, a remarkable feat for a program entrenched in history.

The teams traded the first couple of baskets in the second period, but then Montana went on a game-deciding run. It started with the defense, as the Grizzlies forced the Bengals into 13 consecutive missed field goals. They limited Parker to just one attempt during the stretch, not allowing Idaho State to get into the flow of their offense.

"The pressure," DeCuire said was the key to slowing Parker and the Bengals down. "They were running offense from about 28 feet when they are used to catching close to the three-point line with a short distance on the entry to the post. Then also, Thomas, Oke, Bannan did a good job of just pushing him out. Fighting the touch early and making him go get it way out, and then he had to dribble six or seven times to get to his shot."

It led to a scoreless drought of 9:11, and a 10:09 stretch without a field goal. During that time, Montana's' offense was able to get rolling again.

Josh Vazquez came in off the bench to knock down a jumper in the lane. Then Martin Jr. connected on a shot from distance. A few moments later, he hit from deep again, this time several steps beyond the arc. It pushed the lead back into double-figures for the Griz.

𝒃𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔

Lonnell Martin Jr. hits back-to-back threes and is up to 12! It's the fourth time in five games he has scored 10-plus, and it caps off an 8-0 Griz run!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/QZ36BaGeSj
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 10, 2023

"The first half the ball was moving and we got great shots, and we made those shots. And then it got sticky, guys started dribbling and holding the ball, and we had a hard time getting good shots," DeCuire said. "In the second half, it was just let it go. Whoever is open is going to get a shot, so just let the ball move and don't' hold on to it so much. Lonnell ended up being the one left open on back-to-back possessions which was huge."

Thomas hit a three a few possessions later to extend the lead to a game-high 12 points. The lead felt safe, but it wasn't secured until the final moments of the game. Idaho State finally ended the drought and reeled off a 5-0 run to make it 55-48. They kept it close, and then scored on back-to-back possessions inside the final minute to make it just a four-point game.

𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱. of the 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.@dischonthomas is up to 16.#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/Wzdmh1I6lU
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 10, 2023

But it is difficult to stage a comeback against one of the 10 best teams in the country at the free throw line. Montana made 9-of-10 attempts from the charity stripe in the final minute, successfully closing out the 69-61 win.

"I congratulated them. I think they are playing together as well as they have all year on both side of the ball. They are sharing, they are supporting one another coming into timeouts," DeCuire said. "They are giving each other positive reinforcement and there's no bickering.

But the biggest thing I reminded them of is that you can play well and lose and have a nasty taste in your mouth. You can play not as well as you want and win, and be OK with it," DeCuire continued. "So we've just got to play hard and play to win every night and we will be happy with the product we put out there most of the time."

The win makes it 24 out of the last 25 against Idaho State that have gone in favor of Montana. It also avenges a big loss in Pocatello last season, one which ended a winning streak in the series that dated back to 2010, long before DeCuire coached his first game for Montana.

Now, the Grizzlies are shifting opponents but looking for more redemption as they travel to face Weber State. In the first meeting between the two in Missoula, Montana led in the final seconds of the game and had possession of the ball, but a turnover allowed the Wildcats to win it at the buzzer.

"That one hurt, just the way that we lost it," DeCuire said. "We know we played well enough to beat them but now we've got to do it again. It's going to be hard in their place, but there is a lot more to play for so I think this group is going to be heavily motivated to go in and play the right way, play hard and play together."

The Wildcats defeated Montana State on Thursday night in Ogden, which sets up Saturday's game as a battle between the third and fourth-placed teams in the Big Sky. Montana brings the second-longest active winning streak in the conference into the game, while Weber State will be brimming with confidence after ending the Bobcats' five-game run. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.