Montana guard Matt Martin rose up big with clutch shooting for the second straight game, leading the Montana Grizzlies past the intense full-court pressure of the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils for a 69-62 win in the fifth game of Washington State Cougar Hispanic College Fund Challenge Sunday at the Spokane Arena.
Martin made 6-for-10 shots, several on slashing drives down the left key, and paced Montana’s gradual separation from the Devils for the 7-point win.
PHOTO: Matt Martin drives past Jordan Hasquet's pick for two of his game-high 16 points.
The Montana victory assured the team the second-place trophy in the tournament. Grizzly point guard, Cameron Rundles, was named to the all-tournament team.
Although the Grizzlies shot 63.6% from the field and out-rebounded the Delta Devils 31-20, their shooting was offset by18 turnovers, forced from constant on-ball defense that kept the Delta Devils in the game until the Grizzlies opened up a late 8-point margin on a baseline jumper from Martin at the 5:22 mark. Martin’s shot extended the Grizzly lead to 55-47, and allowed the Griz room to fight off several more charges.
Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said some of the ragged Montana play was caused by fatigue. But Tinkle was also upset that half of the18 turnovers were committed by his post players or on in-bounds plays.
PHOTO: Andrew Strait battles against Delta Devils pressure. Strait had 10 points and 8 boards.
“Our guards did a good job of penetrating and dishing it low, but the passes went through (post players’) hands and out of bounds. We’ve got to shore that up,” said Tinkle.
“But I give credit to Mississippi Valley,” said Tinkle. “They came out and outplayed us. We weren’t able to come out and set the tone they way I’d like,”
Rundles aggravated a chronic foot injury and was limited in second half play.
So, reserve guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor stepped up, nailing a critical
three-point shot off of a pretty feed from a hobbled Rundles and then later sinking two key freethrows down the stretch to help seal Montana’s win. Elgin-Taylor scored 11 on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field.
“Cam set me up perfectly on that shot,” said Elgin-Taylor. “He took the ball up past a high (screen) and dragged two guys with him and turned back and hit me and I was wide open. It was all Cam’s play,” said Elgin-Taylor.
PHOTO: Junior drives for two of his 11 points against Delta Devils pressure defense.
Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, Martin, and backcourt mate Ryan Staudacher had perhaps their best full-game outings of the season in the win.
“Matt showed a lot of leadership for our team tonight,” said Tinkle. “And Ceylon Elgin-Taylor gave us a huge boost in the second half with his 11 points.”
Tinkle noted that Staudacher’s improved play is critical to Montana’s success.
“We had a chat yesterday morning and I told Ryan he can’t play 35 minutes and only take two shots.
“I said ‘You can’t look to me to call plays for you all night long, you’ve got to find a way to score.’ Today he did a nice job of getting open in transition,” said Tinkle.
Power forward Jordan Hasquet scored 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting and post Andrew Strait had 10 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.
PHOTO; Despite the pressure, Jordan Hasquet made this shot for two of his 13 points.
Rundles scored four points but had a game-high 6 assists.
Despite the ragged outing, Tinkle was excited with his team’s progress.
“We’re definitely not playing at the level we want, but we’re showing some awfully good signs,” he said.
“As much as being disappointed by our effort at times,” said Tinkle, “I was even more happy by the way this team responded and found a way to win.”
The Grizzlies will now prepare for a home contest Friday against the high-powered Cal State Fullerton Titans.
