BOISE, Idaho – If you believe Money Williams, his scoring outburst Monday night in Montana’s first game at the Big Sky Tournament wasn’t a surprise.
“Since I woke up,” Williams said when asked when he knew it was going to be a good night for him. “I’ve been here before. We won the whole thing last year, and having younger guys I just want to play for them and play my heart out for the coaching staff as well.”
Roughly 12 hours after that premonition, Williams’ final two free throws dropped through the net, putting a stamp on the Grizzlies’ 95-89 win over Northern Colorado that sent the defending conference champs back to the semifinals, two wins away from another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
They also marked Williams’ 39th and 40th points of the night, capping an unforgettable and historic performance.
The final tally? 10 of 21 from the field, 2 of 5 from beyond the arc and 18 of 19 from the free-throw line, plus seven rebounds and three assists against four turnovers.
It was the fourth-highest scoring game in Big Sky Tournament history, behind dual 42-point performances from Anthony Johnson and Tyler Harvey and a 43-point classic from Southern Utah’s Randy Onwuasor in the Thunderbirds’ incredible triple-overtime win against Montana State in 2017.
“It’s kind of what Money does, and he’s a great player,” Northern Colorado head coach Steve Smiley said. “We told the guys, we are getting the A++ version of him tonight. And they have a great coaching staff, they’re going to find some different ways to get him loose and get him opened up a little bit. … He’s big, he’s physical, he’s crafty.”
The lofty placement on the historical list was a completely accurate representation of a game that Williams controlled and dominated throughout.
Attacking from the tip, he nailed a 3-pointer just over a minute into the game, and finished the first half with 18 points as the Griz, who lost to UNC 85-57 a week ago, led 49-32 at the break.
Already, chatter on media row was pinpointing his previous season high (35 at Idaho in January) – and, it turned out, that was just the warmup.
Northern Colorado scored the first seven points of the second half and continued its comeback from there, turning a laugher at halftime into a tense, close game.
As the importance of each possession ratcheted up, Montana put the ball in Williams’ hands over and over again, trusting the 6-foot-4 junior southpaw to make the right decision.
Over and over again, he delivered, torturing every defender Northern Colorado threw at him with his strength, handles and touch everywhere from the 3-point line to the rim. And with the game on the line, he made eight straight free throws in the final four minutes to help seal things for Montana.
“We played them recently, and they threw a lot of deny at me, a lot of face-guarding,” Williams said. “I knew they were going to be ultra aggressive, so just matching that intensity, I knew I was going to be able to get to the foul line.”
It was a career-defining night for the dynamic combo guard who’s been one of the top players in the Big Sky since he joined the Griz out of Oakland in 2023. He was a second-team all-league selection last season before earning first-team all-conference honors this year.
Even before he hit campus, Montana coaches were whispering that Williams might be among the most talented recruits in recent program history.
Nothing has changed that perspective since, even as Williams battled injuries his freshman season and off-court tragedy when his parents passed away within the same year.
There were plenty of highs, too. Williams was the Big Sky Reserve of the Year as a sophomore, accepting a role out of the starting lineup and pouring in 13.2 points per game for a Griz team that went to the NCAA Tournament.
This year, he’s pushed that average to (including Monday’s game) 20.3 points, leading the Big Sky and unanimously making first-team all-conference.
And yet, nothing matched the heights he reached Monday night.
The Griz now play No. 1 Portland State in the semifinals Tuesday evening. Montana is 2-0 against the Vikings this season.
