The Grizzlies play a noon PST contest against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, so I'll make most of my posts later today.
I wanted to post this photo of Matt Martin, who nailed three of four free throws in the final 27 seconds (along with one from Greg Spurgetis) for the Montana victory.
It's precisely this kind of game -- very tough contests against ranked teams (Air Force had a Sagarin rating of 73 going into this contest) that will test the Grizzlies' mettle in preparation for Big Sky Conference action.
Martin, and teammate Cameron Rundles, produced in the clutch for a well-earned victory.
The surprise in this game wasn't that the Grizzlies folded a bit under intense pressure. It was, in fact, a surprise that the Griz built such a huge early lead against a tough defensive team. It was, bar none, their best half of the year so far. I'm certain we'll see more of this.
A couple of reader comments indicate the Grizzlies should have taken more long-range shots in the second half.
Answer: Air Force defenders were employing two types of jump-traps on the outside shooters and there were not many open opportunities like the Griz worked in the first half. A couple of open looks on the baseline just didn't fall. However, Jordan Hasquet and Andrew Strait did have several good looks down low that just didn't fall (bounce, bounce, & out).
Truth is, the Griz had good open shots, but did stiffen a bit when they lost momentum late.
I think this was the perfect kind of pre-season test for what will continue to be a very tough non-conference schedule.
