THE MATCHUP
Montana needed a win coming into Monday after a two-game losing streak that included a shocking 86-63 defeat at Idaho State, arguably the worst team in the Big Sky, on Saturday. The schedule didn’t set up well for the Griz to break the streak as they faced off against Southern Utah, one of the preseason favorites in the conference. The T-Birds came in with a 9-3 Big Sky record and a four-game winning streak.
THE RESULT
A Cam Parker 3-point play and a Robby Beasley 3-pointer broke a 37-37 tie and gave Montana a six-point lead midway through the second half, and the Griz never let SUU get back even in a 78-67 win.
In a physical game, both teams were in the bonus with eight minutes left in the second half, helping Montana put the game away at the free-throw line. The Griz finished 23 of 27 from the charity stripe, including 8 of 8 by Beasley and 8 of 9 by Josh Bannan.
Montana led 30-29 at halftime after a Derrick Carter-Hollinger 3-pointer with under a minute to go in the first half.
The Grizzlies’ grinding defense held Southern Utah’s one-on-one scorers to 38.9% shooting. The T-Birds’ starting backcourt of John Knight III and Dre Marin combined for nine points, all by Knight, on 2 of 14 shooting.
THE STANDOUTS
Sophomore forward Bannan finished with a career-high 26 points and added eight rebounds for Montana. Bannan was unstoppable whether he was facing up from the perimeter or catching the ball in the post, shooting 9 of 15 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
It was the fifth 20-point effort of his career and third in his last seven games.
Beasley added 13 points for Montana. Lonnell Martin Jr. had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench, making 3 of 6 3-pointers including a crucial one with just over five minutes to go.
Brandon Whitney scored 10 points for Montana and was the primary defender on Knight, holding the T-Birds’ dynamic point guard to nine points on 2 of 9 shooting with five turnovers.
Preseason conference MVP Tevian Jones led Southern Utah with 23 points.
QUOTABLE
“(Losing to Idaho State) was a wake-up for our guys. I think we had their undivided attention going into this game. They were excited, it was another opportunity against a team at the top of the standings. The more wins you can chip away at against teams at the top of the standings, the more confidence you have going into the conference tournament.” – Montana head coach Travis DeCuire
“You always want to see how guys respond to adversity. Bannan had some last year and he bounced back well through that and finished the season strong. We had a rough weekend, the ending to the Weber game and then obviously Saturday, and to see him come out and play the way he did tonight says a lot about his maturity and how serious he is about the game.” – Montana head coach Travis DeCuire
BOX SCORE (CLICK)
SOCIAL
WHAT’S NEXT
Montana (16-8, 9-4 Big Sky Conference) hosts Northern Arizona on Thursday.
Southern Utah (15-7, 9-3) travels to Sacramento State on Saturday.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
