Tuesday, March 7
Boise, Idaho
6:30 PM
Montana
17-14,10-7Big Sky
71
vs
83
(9) Northern Arizona
12-22,5-13Big Sky
1
2
F
Northern Ariz.
32
51
83
Montana
34
37
71
Photo by: UM Photo/Tommy Martino
Griz fall in Big Sky semifinal
3/7/2023 10:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana's tournament run came to an end on Tuesday against Northern Arizona in the semifinals of the Big Sky Championships. The Lumberjack offense got hot in the second half, scoring 51 in the final 20 minutes on the way to an 83-71 win.
It's just the second loss in the last 10 games for Montana, who end the season with a 17-14 record overall. It was a remarkable turnaround after a 3-6 start to Big Sky play.
"This group has come a long way. To win eight of nine and find yourself in the semifinals with the start that we had to conference is huge," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "They found a way to come together, trust one another, and play good basketball. It's unfortunate that at some point in time you have to lose."
Josh Bannan had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Dischon Thomas had a big offensive night with 19 points. The Lumberjacks put an emphasis on limiting Aanen Moody, denying him the ball all night to limit him to just six points.
Brandon Whitney was also in double-figures for Montana with 10 points and five assists.
Mack Anderson made his 134th career appearance for Montana, tying Bobby Moorehead's program record.
The Lumberjacks were hot from the start on Tuesday, jumping out to an 8-2 lead early. Jalen Cone made his first five three-point attempts in the game, all in the first half. It was part of a 28-point for Cone, who shot 8-for-12 overall and made 60 percent of his threes.
"Cone showed up. That's what happens in March. Cone played way better than he did two days ago," DeCuire said. "A couple of things happened. They had a day to prepare and actually had a practice in between games and so when you steal the No. 1 seed, you steal that double-bye advantage for the first and second seed."
Fouls and turnovers plagued Montana early in the game, as they were called for four offensive fouls in the opening half. It got Bannan into foul trouble and limited him to just nine first half minutes.
Laolo Oke, as he has done for much of the past month, provided good minutes off the bench. He grabbed four first half rebounds, two of which came on the offensive end. He also was fouled twice while going up for offensive rebounds, giving Montana some extra possessions.
Thomas continued his good first half, knocking down another three to help Montana take a 34-32 lead into halftime. He had 11 first half points.
Montana started the second half well, scoring within the first eight seconds on a Bannan lay-in. After that, Northern Arizona reeled off a 9-2 run to take the lead for good. Bannan scored eight of the first 10 points in the second half for Montana, and finished the second half alone with a near double-double at 12 points and seven rebounds.
But the Grizzlies just couldn't keep up with a red-hot Northern Arizona offense. The Lumberjacks made seven out of eight shots to extend the lead into double figures at 58-46. They would score 51 points in the second half, the most allowed by Montana in a single period all season.
The Griz did a good job chasing them off the free throw line, holding NAU to 2-of-11 from deep in the second half. But the Lumberjacks countered by making 15 of their 19 shots from inside the arc and 15-of-17 from the free throw line.
Montana would get it close late. Vazquez hit a three, followed by some Moody free throws and a basket from Bannan that cut the lead to just five points at 70-65 with 2:21 to play. It was as close as the Grizzlies would get, as Northern Arizona made its final 11 free throw attempts to keep the lead until the end.
"It's tough. There are some guys that put a lot into being in this situation and an opportunity gets away," DeCuire said. "Those are heartbreaking moments which is what makes college athletics so special."
The turnover battle proved costly to a Montana team that typically takes very good care of the basketball. The Griz turned it over 15 times, leading to 15 Northern Arizona points. It was one of the only statistical categories that the Lumberjacks won on the night as Montana finished with more rebounds and assists, but it was a difference-maker.
There is a possibility that Montana's season will continue with a postseason invitation, but no official decision has been made. For now, Montana concludes the Big Sky Tournament with an overall record of 17-14. It is the 15th straight winning season for Montana, making them one of just 15 teams in the country with such a streak.
It's just the second loss in the last 10 games for Montana, who end the season with a 17-14 record overall. It was a remarkable turnaround after a 3-6 start to Big Sky play.
"This group has come a long way. To win eight of nine and find yourself in the semifinals with the start that we had to conference is huge," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "They found a way to come together, trust one another, and play good basketball. It's unfortunate that at some point in time you have to lose."
Josh Bannan had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Dischon Thomas had a big offensive night with 19 points. The Lumberjacks put an emphasis on limiting Aanen Moody, denying him the ball all night to limit him to just six points.
Brandon Whitney was also in double-figures for Montana with 10 points and five assists.
Mack Anderson made his 134th career appearance for Montana, tying Bobby Moorehead's program record.
The Lumberjacks were hot from the start on Tuesday, jumping out to an 8-2 lead early. Jalen Cone made his first five three-point attempts in the game, all in the first half. It was part of a 28-point for Cone, who shot 8-for-12 overall and made 60 percent of his threes.
"Cone showed up. That's what happens in March. Cone played way better than he did two days ago," DeCuire said. "A couple of things happened. They had a day to prepare and actually had a practice in between games and so when you steal the No. 1 seed, you steal that double-bye advantage for the first and second seed."
Fouls and turnovers plagued Montana early in the game, as they were called for four offensive fouls in the opening half. It got Bannan into foul trouble and limited him to just nine first half minutes.
Laolo Oke, as he has done for much of the past month, provided good minutes off the bench. He grabbed four first half rebounds, two of which came on the offensive end. He also was fouled twice while going up for offensive rebounds, giving Montana some extra possessions.
Moody finally got free for his first shot attempt of game to tie it up at 21-all. Then, with 4:16 left in the half Montana took its first lead of the game on a beautiful team play. Moody hit Bannan on a pick-and-roll, and the forward made a quick decision to find Thomas on a cut. Thomas threw it down to make it 25-24.𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑡
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 8, 2023
Beautiful ball movement, Griz have the lead for the first time tonight at 25-24!#GrizHoops #BigSkyInBoise #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/H0hy3lQVxo
Thomas continued his good first half, knocking down another three to help Montana take a 34-32 lead into halftime. He had 11 first half points.
DT is 🔥hot🔥 early. Corner three here gives Montana a 30-27 lead. #GrizHoops #BigSkyInBoise #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/XIXIwRFjDv
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 8, 2023
Montana started the second half well, scoring within the first eight seconds on a Bannan lay-in. After that, Northern Arizona reeled off a 9-2 run to take the lead for good. Bannan scored eight of the first 10 points in the second half for Montana, and finished the second half alone with a near double-double at 12 points and seven rebounds.
But the Grizzlies just couldn't keep up with a red-hot Northern Arizona offense. The Lumberjacks made seven out of eight shots to extend the lead into double figures at 58-46. They would score 51 points in the second half, the most allowed by Montana in a single period all season.
The Griz did a good job chasing them off the free throw line, holding NAU to 2-of-11 from deep in the second half. But the Lumberjacks countered by making 15 of their 19 shots from inside the arc and 15-of-17 from the free throw line.
Montana would get it close late. Vazquez hit a three, followed by some Moody free throws and a basket from Bannan that cut the lead to just five points at 70-65 with 2:21 to play. It was as close as the Grizzlies would get, as Northern Arizona made its final 11 free throw attempts to keep the lead until the end.
NOT DONE YET! Bannan puts it in and the lead is down to 70-65!#GrizHoops #BigSkyInBoise #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/gWIhhuXAbE
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 8, 2023
"It's tough. There are some guys that put a lot into being in this situation and an opportunity gets away," DeCuire said. "Those are heartbreaking moments which is what makes college athletics so special."
The turnover battle proved costly to a Montana team that typically takes very good care of the basketball. The Griz turned it over 15 times, leading to 15 Northern Arizona points. It was one of the only statistical categories that the Lumberjacks won on the night as Montana finished with more rebounds and assists, but it was a difference-maker.
There is a possibility that Montana's season will continue with a postseason invitation, but no official decision has been made. For now, Montana concludes the Big Sky Tournament with an overall record of 17-14. It is the 15th straight winning season for Montana, making them one of just 15 teams in the country with such a streak.
Team Stats
NAU
Mont
FG%
.500
.455
3FG%
.381
.333
FT%
.850
.933
RB
28
31
TO
7
15
STL
6
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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