The Montana Grizzlies finally played tough in the clutch, riding the momentum of Andrew Strait's last-second offensive rebound and kick-out to Jordan Hasquet for his own last-second clutch three that sent the game into OT in a 72-63 win over Idaho State.
That set the stage for overtime where Montana, sparked by the stellar play of Cameron Rundles during the extra period, pulled away for the nine-point win.
During the final minutes of regulation, several Grizzly players made critical stops on defense and in late-minute rebounds.
But perhaps the best thing to see in this tough road win was the re-emergence of Rundles, who scored five points in overtime and controlled the pace of the overtime to secure Montana's win.
"I can't even tell you..." said Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle, responding to Mick Holien's post-gme question about how good it feels to finally get a clutch win.
Strait and Hasquet were the critical factors in a second half that saw Montana gain the overall rebounding lead in a game where they had earlier trailed by seven boards. The two Montana big men were particularly effective on grabbing offensive boards... Hasquet a grab of a Missed Strait free throw and Strait the board that helped set up Hasquet for his game-tying trey.
Strait scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Hasquet scored 13 and pulled down 12 boards. Ryan Staudacher also sank a critical trey on well-executed inside-outside action to spring the Griz in overtime.
Montana shot an improved 15-of-19 from the free throw line.
Montana's man-on defense came up big down the stretch, often forcing the Bengals into poor shot selection, including Matt Stucki's rushed, off-balance shot at the end of regulation.
After allowing the Bengals to shoot 50 percent from the field during the first half, Montana clamped down, holding ISU to 41.7 % from the field during the second half. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Bengals 31-30, grabbed five steals, forced nine Bengals turnovers and had four blocked shots.
PHOTOS: Andrew Strait (top, against NAU) scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including a clutch offensive board and dish to Jordan Hasquet with 16 seconds remaining in regulation. Hasquet's shot tied the game and sent it into overtime. Cameron Rundles (bottom, against NAU) came up clutch in overtime with five points, including a critical trey and 2-for-2 shooting from the free throw line.
The win dramatically improves Montana's post-season playoff chances, moving them to 7-7 in conference play. Montana can increase its seeding considerably by finishing out the season with wins at home against Northern Colorado and Portland State. With two Montana wins and the right combination of losses by Montana State and/or Idaho State, the Grizzlies still have a shot at hosting a first-round game.
