THE MATCHUP
If Gonzaga isn’t quite the powerhouse it was last year – when the Zags earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row – they still represent quite the test for any Big Sky Conference team.
Montana visited Spokane on Tuesday night to close out its non-conference schedule by measuring itself against the Bulldogs. Gonzaga entered at No. 11 in the country, with losses to Texas, Purdue and Baylor that matched its regular-season loss total from a year ago. The Bulldogs also owned wins over top-five Kentucky and Alabama, with the latter coming on Saturday, three days before they tipped off against the Griz. Montana entered with three straight wins that pushed the Griz above .500 at 6-5.
THE RESULT
Montana opened and closed the game with big runs, but couldn’t quite close the deal in an 85-75 loss. The Griz closed to within five points with the ball and under three minutes to go, but Aanen Moody missed two free throws, Drew Timme made two on Gonzaga’s ensuing possession and the Bulldogs closed things out from there.
Montana led 20-10 nearly nine minutes into the game before Gonzaga ended the first half on a 26-8 run. The Bulldogs led by double digits for most of the second half and by as many as 17 with 12:55 to go after a dunk by Timme, but Montana, keyed by two 3s by Moody and one by Dischon Thomas, chipped the deficit down to single digits again. It was the second straight tough loss for Montana to the Zags under Travis DeCuire after a 61-58 setback in Spokane in 2015.
THE STANDOUTS
Montana’s top two scorers continued their efficient seasons, as Josh Bannan led the Griz with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting and Brandon Whitney added 15 on 7 of 10 shooting. Thomas also scored 15 for the Griz, going 6 of 6 from the free-throw line despite a tough shooting night from the field, and Moody put up 13 points despite making just 3 of his 10 3-point attempts. Between those four and Lonnell Martin Jr.’s eight points, Montana’s five starters combined to score 70 of the Grizzlies’ 75 total points.
Gonzaga’s national player of the year candidate Drew Timme put up his best scoring line of the season so far with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Julian Strawther added 15 and 10 for the Bulldogs.
QUOTABLE
“There’s a lot of confidence in that locker room right now. But there’s a lot of disappointment in terms of the fact that we let one get away. We could have cut it to three and put the heat on them a little bit. Some of that was gas. Some of that was fatigue.”
— Montana head coach Travis DeCuire
“I remember it used to be like this at home. Their fans are going to show up no matter who they’re playing. They don’t care who the opponent is. They come to see Gonzaga.”
— DeCuire
SOCIAL MEDIA
WHAT’S NEXT
Montana opens up Big Sky Conference play at home against Eastern Washington on Thursday December 29.
