Saturday, February 15
Missoula, Mont.
7:00 PM
Montana
19-8,12-2Big Sky
65
vs
58
Weber State
9-18,3-10Big Sky
1
2
F
Weber St.
33
25
58
Montana
32
33
65
Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana
Griz win eighth straight to take sole possession of first place
2/15/2025 11:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Montana Grizzlies celebrated Senior Night on Saturday, honoring five players that all had different paths to Missoula. The group has put together a special season and kept it going with a 65-58 win over Weber State to increase the winning streak to eight games.
After a Northern Colorado loss earlier in the day, it also meant that for the first time this season the Grizzlies now sit alone atop the Big Sky Conference standings with just four games remaining.
Montana (19-8, 12-2) relied on its defense on Saturday to hold off a pesky Weber State team. Blaise Threatt, one of the league's best players statistically speaking, gave Montana some problems and led his team to a 33-32 lead at the end of the first half.
It was the first time that Montana had trailed at the break since the last meeting between these two schools back on Jan. 16 and just the third time all year in conference play. Montana's defense slowed Threatt down over the final 20 minutes and held the Wildcats to just 25 second half points to secure the win.
The extra emotions of Senior Night, a special announcement pre-game from Joe Pridgen that he will return in 2025-26, and the Northern Colorado result early in the day all provided potential distractions for the Grizzlies.
"It's very easy to go into this game distracted, and I felt that we were in the first half," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "There was no energy, the bench wasn't very loud, I felt guys were flat coming in and out. We got it going in the second half, but we gave up 56 percent in the first half. We can't win like that, but for the first time without scoring 80 points we found a way to win when our offense wasn't clicking and we needed that."
Indeed it had been Montana's offense that was winning games for the Grizzlies. They had scored at least 80 points in five straight games and have been doing it behind the best field goal and three point shooting percentages in the country during the stretch.
On Saturday night, they flipped the script. The 58 points are the fewest by a D-1 opponent this season. Montana's 65 points are by far the fewest scored in a win for the Grizzlies this year.
They were particularly good in the second half, holding Weber State to just 40.9 percent shooting. The Wildcats had just one assist compared to seven turnovers in the half as Montana upped its defensive pressure.
"Defense. We got stops when we needed to," DeCuire said of the second half turnaround. "Once we started containing Threatt, things changed. We didn't give up uncontested threes to do that, which is really the key. Keep him out of the paint, and don't give up threes while you do it. Once we settled that down, we were able to make some runs and get out in transition."
Montana actually opened the game well, going on an early 10-0 behind some hot shooting from three point range. Malik Moore connected on his first two attempts from the arc and Brandon Whitney added one of his own as the Griz built a 13-2 lead.
The offense slowed the rest of the half, particularly in the final four minutes. Weber State went on a 7-0 run from the four-minute mark to get its biggest lead of the game at 33-29. Moore knocked down his fourth three pointer of the opening half in the closing seconds to cut the deficit to just one point entering the break.
Moore matched his career high with six made three pointers and was the leading scorer on the night for Montana with 22 points on 61.5 percent shooting. He added four assists, distributing the ball just as well as he scored it.
"Malik's selflessness. Yeah, he had 22, but he passed the ball. There were so many times that we ran plays to him to get the shot and he turned it down for a drop-off to (Sawyer) and a couple of other people," DeCuire said. "It kept (Weber State) off balanced. His decision making has really grown as a go-to scorer."
Montana still shot over 50 percent in the half, but committed six turnovers and were outrebounded by four in the opening 20 minutes.
The Wildcats held on to the lead for the first seven minutes of the second half, but once Montana got it rolling there was little that they could do to stop it. Jalen Foy got extended minutes in the second half and was the one to tie the game up in the second half, making a shot-clock buzzer beater that made it 43-all.
It was part of an 8-0 Grizzly run that they extended into a 17-3 stretch. Seven different Grizzlies scored during the run that turned a 43-41 deficit into a 56-46 lead.
But once again, it was the defense that was the key. Montana held Weber State to one made field goal and just three total points over the nearly nine minute stretch. It wasn't a red-hot offense that flipped the game, but instead a stonewall defense.
They continued the form over the final minutes and had a 65-53 lead inside the final 60 seconds. Weber State scored the final five points of the game to make the final score closer than it could have been, but Montana emerged with the season sweep, its eighth straight win, and sole possession of first place.
It's the longest winning streak for Montana since the 2018-19 team won 10 straight games. The win also improved the Grizzlies to 14-1 at home. The 14 wins are tied for the most at home under DeCuire. The last time the Grizzlies had 15-or-more home wins was 2012-13.
All-in-all, it made for a pretty special Senior Night for Kai Johnson, Austin Patterson, Adam Shoff, Te'Jon Sawyer, and Brandon Whitney.
"They've been great. We've got a guy here for five years, we've got others for two, and everybody else you are borrowing for 10 months," DeCuire said. "They've been fantastic because they've been selfless. As a senior it's easy to come out here with individual goals, and those guys have really set that aside and have been OK with sacrificing it for wins."
Te'Jon Sawyer had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 (.778) shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists.
"Te'Jon was in all the right spots and finishing, but what stood out was his defensive presence shutting down the rim, contesting shots, and his communication in the ball screens," DeCuire said. "He was phenomenal on defense."
The Grizzlies shot over 50 percent as a team for the seventh straight game. They shot 36.4 percent from the three point line, an above average number that was also their worst outing from arc over the last six games.
Wins are great, but the good news for Montana also extended well before the first tip. It started in Portland, where PSU handed Northern Colorado its third loss of the conference season.
But there was also good news at home as Montana found out that Joe Pridgen would be able to return to Missoula for the 2025-26 season. Pridgen announced the news to a standing ovation inside Dahlberg Arena before the game.
"It means a lot. He's our heart and soul," DeCuire said. "He's our tough guy, our physical player, our energy. He's our leader. When he speaks, the guys listen. He does it without yelling. He just communicates and the guys respond really well because he puts forward the effort that he's asking for. He's a big, big piece to why we're having some success right now."
DeCuire has history in his sights as well. He won his 220th career game on Saturday, and now sits just one behind legendary figure George "Jiggs" Dahlberg for the most in program history. He will have a chance to tie the record on the road next week at Montana State.
The focus for the team is just on the next game. Even before this game, DeCuire did not talk with his team about results around the league or the standings.
"We're looking forward. We haven't said anything. My message to the team has been to prove it," DeCuire said. "You guys have won some games. Revenge, get-back, emotional games. This is a team in the bottom of the standings that you've beaten. Prove that you can get up for this one and play with the same mojo that you've played with the last seven games. We found a way to do it."
Montana will now turn its attention to the eastern part of the state as they get ready to head to Bozeman for the second meeting with the Montana State Bobcats. MSU is in sole possession of 4th place in the league standings at 7-7.
After a Northern Colorado loss earlier in the day, it also meant that for the first time this season the Grizzlies now sit alone atop the Big Sky Conference standings with just four games remaining.
Montana (19-8, 12-2) relied on its defense on Saturday to hold off a pesky Weber State team. Blaise Threatt, one of the league's best players statistically speaking, gave Montana some problems and led his team to a 33-32 lead at the end of the first half.
It was the first time that Montana had trailed at the break since the last meeting between these two schools back on Jan. 16 and just the third time all year in conference play. Montana's defense slowed Threatt down over the final 20 minutes and held the Wildcats to just 25 second half points to secure the win.
The extra emotions of Senior Night, a special announcement pre-game from Joe Pridgen that he will return in 2025-26, and the Northern Colorado result early in the day all provided potential distractions for the Grizzlies.
"It's very easy to go into this game distracted, and I felt that we were in the first half," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "There was no energy, the bench wasn't very loud, I felt guys were flat coming in and out. We got it going in the second half, but we gave up 56 percent in the first half. We can't win like that, but for the first time without scoring 80 points we found a way to win when our offense wasn't clicking and we needed that."
Indeed it had been Montana's offense that was winning games for the Grizzlies. They had scored at least 80 points in five straight games and have been doing it behind the best field goal and three point shooting percentages in the country during the stretch.
On Saturday night, they flipped the script. The 58 points are the fewest by a D-1 opponent this season. Montana's 65 points are by far the fewest scored in a win for the Grizzlies this year.
They were particularly good in the second half, holding Weber State to just 40.9 percent shooting. The Wildcats had just one assist compared to seven turnovers in the half as Montana upped its defensive pressure.
"Defense. We got stops when we needed to," DeCuire said of the second half turnaround. "Once we started containing Threatt, things changed. We didn't give up uncontested threes to do that, which is really the key. Keep him out of the paint, and don't give up threes while you do it. Once we settled that down, we were able to make some runs and get out in transition."
Montana actually opened the game well, going on an early 10-0 behind some hot shooting from three point range. Malik Moore connected on his first two attempts from the arc and Brandon Whitney added one of his own as the Griz built a 13-2 lead.
The offense slowed the rest of the half, particularly in the final four minutes. Weber State went on a 7-0 run from the four-minute mark to get its biggest lead of the game at 33-29. Moore knocked down his fourth three pointer of the opening half in the closing seconds to cut the deficit to just one point entering the break.
Moore matched his career high with six made three pointers and was the leading scorer on the night for Montana with 22 points on 61.5 percent shooting. He added four assists, distributing the ball just as well as he scored it.
"Malik's selflessness. Yeah, he had 22, but he passed the ball. There were so many times that we ran plays to him to get the shot and he turned it down for a drop-off to (Sawyer) and a couple of other people," DeCuire said. "It kept (Weber State) off balanced. His decision making has really grown as a go-to scorer."
Montana still shot over 50 percent in the half, but committed six turnovers and were outrebounded by four in the opening 20 minutes.
The Wildcats held on to the lead for the first seven minutes of the second half, but once Montana got it rolling there was little that they could do to stop it. Jalen Foy got extended minutes in the second half and was the one to tie the game up in the second half, making a shot-clock buzzer beater that made it 43-all.
Bucket for Foy and we're all tied up 🗣️#GrizHoops | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/EB8s9ikLpN
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2025
It was part of an 8-0 Grizzly run that they extended into a 17-3 stretch. Seven different Grizzlies scored during the run that turned a 43-41 deficit into a 56-46 lead.
But once again, it was the defense that was the key. Montana held Weber State to one made field goal and just three total points over the nearly nine minute stretch. It wasn't a red-hot offense that flipped the game, but instead a stonewall defense.
poetry in motion ✒️@mooremalikk | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/eeWxl8DQkw
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2025
They continued the form over the final minutes and had a 65-53 lead inside the final 60 seconds. Weber State scored the final five points of the game to make the final score closer than it could have been, but Montana emerged with the season sweep, its eighth straight win, and sole possession of first place.
It's the longest winning streak for Montana since the 2018-19 team won 10 straight games. The win also improved the Grizzlies to 14-1 at home. The 14 wins are tied for the most at home under DeCuire. The last time the Grizzlies had 15-or-more home wins was 2012-13.
All-in-all, it made for a pretty special Senior Night for Kai Johnson, Austin Patterson, Adam Shoff, Te'Jon Sawyer, and Brandon Whitney.
"They've been great. We've got a guy here for five years, we've got others for two, and everybody else you are borrowing for 10 months," DeCuire said. "They've been fantastic because they've been selfless. As a senior it's easy to come out here with individual goals, and those guys have really set that aside and have been OK with sacrificing it for wins."
Te'Jon Sawyer had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 (.778) shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists.
"Te'Jon was in all the right spots and finishing, but what stood out was his defensive presence shutting down the rim, contesting shots, and his communication in the ball screens," DeCuire said. "He was phenomenal on defense."
Tay came to play 😤
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2025
9 points on perfect shooting for the big man.@tejxn__ | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/9m8zyvs31E
The Grizzlies shot over 50 percent as a team for the seventh straight game. They shot 36.4 percent from the three point line, an above average number that was also their worst outing from arc over the last six games.
Wins are great, but the good news for Montana also extended well before the first tip. It started in Portland, where PSU handed Northern Colorado its third loss of the conference season.
But there was also good news at home as Montana found out that Joe Pridgen would be able to return to Missoula for the 2025-26 season. Pridgen announced the news to a standing ovation inside Dahlberg Arena before the game.
"It means a lot. He's our heart and soul," DeCuire said. "He's our tough guy, our physical player, our energy. He's our leader. When he speaks, the guys listen. He does it without yelling. He just communicates and the guys respond really well because he puts forward the effort that he's asking for. He's a big, big piece to why we're having some success right now."
Montana had just the two players in double figure scoring. Brandon Whitney had five points and four assists, bringing his career total up to 425. He now trails DeCuire by just 10 assists for the program record.𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🗣️
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 16, 2025
Joe will be back.#GrizHoops | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/AIOGF8HuSt
DeCuire has history in his sights as well. He won his 220th career game on Saturday, and now sits just one behind legendary figure George "Jiggs" Dahlberg for the most in program history. He will have a chance to tie the record on the road next week at Montana State.
The focus for the team is just on the next game. Even before this game, DeCuire did not talk with his team about results around the league or the standings.
"We're looking forward. We haven't said anything. My message to the team has been to prove it," DeCuire said. "You guys have won some games. Revenge, get-back, emotional games. This is a team in the bottom of the standings that you've beaten. Prove that you can get up for this one and play with the same mojo that you've played with the last seven games. We found a way to do it."
Montana will now turn its attention to the eastern part of the state as they get ready to head to Bozeman for the second meeting with the Montana State Bobcats. MSU is in sole possession of 4th place in the league standings at 7-7.
Team Stats
Weber
Mont
FG%
.489
.500
3FG%
.357
.364
FT%
.875
.714
RB
25
25
TO
14
9
STL
2
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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