Montana’s defensive domination of Montana State star Tyler Hall Saturday night was best captured by the stats.
Hall, an all-Big Sky guard who’s averaging 18.1 points on the season, finished 2-of-16 from the field for 11 points. Four of those points came on technical free throws, and his only 3-pointer came with 39 seconds left in the game and cut Montana’s lead to 88-61.
The junior’s game log, especially in the first half, when he shot 1-for-10, was a gruesome catalogue of missed shots and turnovers.
“I think we did a great job executing on defense, we were locked in on their two main scorers,” Montana guard Michael Oguine said, referring to guard Harald Frey along with Hall. “As you can see, it made it difficult for them.”
Saturday was actually an improvement on Hall’s first outing against the Griz this season, when he scored 10 points and did not make a shot in the second half of UM’s 67-52 win over Montana State in Bozeman on Jan. 20.
The lackluster performances came after a 2016-2017 season in which Hall hung 22 and 37 points on the Griz in their two matchups.
So, how did the Griz flip the script, shut down a superstar, and finish off a season sweep on Saturday night? The answer lies in an adjusted gameplan and a good team effort.
Before the season, Montana coach Travis DeCuire modified his defense from a sagging man-to-man to a more aggressive scheme that uses traps to create pressure.
On Saturday, the Griz trapped Hall whenever they could, and that had an effect.
“We made too many turnovers against those traps, too many mistakes,” Hall said. “We put our heads down, especially me. We have to fight that.”
Montana junior Ahmaad Rorie traps Montana State junior Tyler Hall/ by Brooks Nuanez
Aside from making offensive players uncomfortable, the story all season long has been that the new scheme has allowed Montana defenders to be more comfortable in their roles.
“We know where our help is coming from, and in the past we never did,” DeCuire said. “[Last year], it was more of a reactive defense … now we create defensive schemes, we create rotations and know where guys are going to be.”
When Hall did get a one-on-one opportunity, he was usually matched up against Montana forward Bobby Moorehead, who started the game guarding Hall.
At 6-foot-7, the junior used his length to harass the Bobcats’ star, frustrating him by contesting shots and causing deflections. He finished with a game-high four steals.
When Moorehead went to the bench with his second foul midway through the first half, junior guard Ahmaad Rorie took over on Hall.
That was a little bit of a different look, as the Oregon transfer stands just 6-foot-1, but he made up for it with his quickness.
“We just made it hard for him to catch and shoot, or get shots off of the screens, and we made him work,” DeCuire said. “When he put it on the floor, we drove him into help, and when guys have to shoot in traffic or take the types of shots that aren’t necessarily the highest percentage shots, they are going to struggle.”
Devastating Depth
Of the eight Montana players who played more than three minutes on Saturday, six scored in double figures.
A seventh, Jamar Akoh, finished with nine in just 16 minutes, and the eighth, starting senior forward Fabijan Krslovic, added eight rebounds to his four points.
Montana true freshman Timmy Falls scored 14 first-half points against the Bobcats/ by Jason Bacaj
True freshman Timmy Falls and sophomore Sayeed Pridgett, with 14 points each off the bench, were co-leading scorers and the stars of the night as Falls took over the first half and Pridgett the second, but everyone had some moments.
Karl Nicholas, the third member of the bench gang, threw down a couple dunks and had an emphatic block, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Leading scorer Rorie had just two points at halftime, but took over coming out of the break with two quick-fire jumpers.
Moorehead, aside from shutting down Hall, made two of his three 3-point attempts and jammed home his first dunk of the year on a fast break to finish with 10 points.
The outburst from the bench overjoyed Oguine.
“They work just as hard as us in practice,” Oguine said. “When they’re able to get minutes, it just makes the whole team better. We all get hype when that happens.”
Montana is scary enough with leading scorers Rorie, Oguine and Akoh all clicking, but the Griz showed on Saturday that they have eight players who can positively impact a game when on a roll.
And if Falls and Moorehead can keep making 3s, and Pridgett and Nicholas can keep slicing to the basket for dunks and layups, opponents will find it even harder to focus on Montana’s big three.
Frustrating Fouls
DeCuire made it clear before the game that he wasn’t happy with the way Montana State guarded his big man, Akoh, in January’s matchup.
“They didn’t try to guard him,” DeCuire said. “They baited him into fouls. They grabbed him and held onto his arm and pulled him down on top of themselves. They fell down and flopped and tripped him on top of them. One official bit on it twice and got him in foul trouble.”
A despondent Jamar Akoh after fouling out in 16 minutes/ by Jason Bacaj
The Bobcats don’t have anyone on their roster within 30 pounds of Akoh’s listed 6-foot-8, 253-pound frame. Faced with that physical disadvantage, in DeCuire’s mind, they turned to trickery.
On Saturday, it was more of the same. Akoh fouled out in just 16 minutes and, to DeCuire, it wasn’t because his big man was playing too physically.
“[Montana State forward Sam Neumann] was holding us,” DeCuire said. “He was holding ball screens. He has a knack for wrapping his arm around other guys and then making it seem like he’s on the receiving end [of the foul]. And the official bit.”
DeCuire did call a first-half timeout and spend it talking exclusively with the officials in an effort to prove his point.
“I had just finished having a conversation with the other official about it and he said, ‘I know, I know,’” DeCuire said. “I said, ‘If you know, you have to communicate that to the others.’ The third official, it was his first time officiating that player, so he got caught on that a little bit.”
Akoh eventually fouled out on a bad call in the second half when Harald Frey stepped on the big man’s foot and slipped.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez & Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved.
