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Lady Griz roll over UNC Bears, 71-51

In the long run it didn’t matter that the Northern Colorado Bears held Montana’s all-everything senior point guard Mandy Morales to two first-half points.

Or even that the Bears gave the Lady Griz a tough fight through the first 10 minutes of the opening frame.

The Lady Griz – before a strangely passive, almost ‘ho-hum’ crowd of 3317 – responded by sharing the ball and the scoring with an efficient 51.9 percent shooting effort that set the stage for yet another Big Sky Conference runaway win... this one 71-51 over the Bears at Dahlberg Arena.

The catalyst in Montana’s first-half breakaway was senior center Britney Lohman, who mailed-home two three-point shots from the tip of the key that helped expand a slim 12-11 margin to a 35-23 halftime lead.

PHOTO: Montana guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson is stopped by Northern Colorado defender Cassie Lambrecht on a drive to the basket during first-half action. No foul was called on the play.

Sophomore reserve Stephanie Stender added her own trey during the span, while starters Sarah Ena, Sonya Rogers and Lauren Beck each scored a bucket. But it was Montana’s iron-clad man-on defense and several key offensive rebounds by Ena and Lohman that gave balance to Montana’s steady pull-away.

PHOTO: Reserve Misty Atkinson has the ball stripped by Bears' guard Cassie Lambrecht in second half action. Atkinson lost control of the ball, which was recovered by Lambrecht.

The Lady Griz also limited the Bears to only 28.6 percent shooting in the first half, and with each stop or steal, the Bears’ shooting became ever-more tentative.

Montana coach Robin Selvig credited the Bears' early efforts against his squad.

“Well it was nice to get a little run toward the end of the half,” said Selvig. “They’re a good team, I mean they run good things and we were working hard and they were defending us well and... you know, we just can’t expect to be up 15 right away on people that’re good teams.”

Any doubts after first-half action were quickly erased as the second half got underway.

In typical Lady Griz fashion, Montana put an exclamation point on its first-half dominance with a quick trey by Rogers and two treys and a jumper by Morales in the first 135 seconds of the second half.

Suddenly, the Lady Griz were up by 19 at 46-24 with 17-plus minutes of game time remaining.

PHOTO: Senior reserve center Tamara Guardipee posts up against Bears' defender Cayla Maneotis in second half action. Guardipee, who scored four points and grabbed two rebounds, made the shot on this play.

Morales finished the game with 13 points and five assists, and was joined in double figures by 13 from Lohman, 12 from Rogers and 10 from Ena, who dominated the boards at both ends with 11.

Six other Lady Griz scored in a game where eight Montana players logged floor time in double digits.

Selvig – who rotated his entire bench liberally into the game action – was visibly pleased with his squad’s efforts.

“Everybody’s contributing,” said Selvig. “Everybody’s... you know, earlier in the year maybe somebody’s going to kill you on defense... but that’s not the case (tonight). We’ve got kids communicating well, playing good defensively.”

The Bears got an outstanding effort from junior guard Whitley Cox, who scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, most on quick-pivot dribble enter drives past Montana defenders. No other UNC player scored more than nine points.

The Bears were also hurt by 14 turnovers, but what hurt most was their miserable first-half shooting that improved only marginally – to 33.3 percent – by game’s end.

Montana out-rebounded the Bears by six, forced 14 UNC turnovers and had seven steals.

The win upped Montana’s record to 13-1 in conference play, 24-4 overall, and into a statistical half-game hold onto first place ahead of the 12-1 Portland State Vikings.

The Bears slipped to 5-8, tied with Eastern Washington in a battle for the final post season tourney playoff spot.

Johnson paces Montana in 79-64 victory over Bengals

 

The saying about it being tough to keep a good man down for long... or a good team down for that matter, was true on Sunday.

Montana junior guard Anthony Johnson -- who, along with his teammates, had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night in Montana’s Thursday loss to Weber State --  erupted for 20 second-half points to lead the Grizzlies to a 79-64 Big Sky Conference victory over the Idaho State Bengals before 3821 fans in Missoula’s Dahlberg Arena Sunday.

The victory upped Montana’s record to 17-10, 11-4 in league play, and solidified the Grizzlies’ hold on second place in the Big Sky, while also improving its chances of earning a first-round bye in the post-season tournament.

PHOTO: Montana Guard Anthony Johnson is cut off by Idaho State's Matt Stucki. Johnson scored 26 points to lead Montana past the Bengals.

Johnson, who had been limited by the Bengals to just six first-half points on 3-of-5 shots, was unstoppable over the final 20 minutes.

The flashy, slashing Griz point guard dialed the game tempo up several notches during second half action and made 4-for-5 shots on a variety of full-throttle drives to pace the Griz. When the Bengals did stop Johnson, they usually fouled him. The result was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line for the Big Sky’s leading scorer and free throw shooter.

PHOTO: Senior post Kyle Sharp posts for two of his 10 points. Sharp also pulled down 10 rebounds and had two steals.

ISU Coach Joe O’Obrien and Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle were equally in awe of Johnson’s performance.

“He’s a bear to guard,” said O’Brien. “I mean, man... he can turn the corner in a heartbeat. I think he’s leading the league in free throw attempts per game, he might be leading the league in free throw percentage. You just can’t afford to foul him.”

“I put Donnie (Carson) on him, who’s our best on-the-ball defender,” Obrien added. “I brought Phil (Taylor) off the bench for a couple of minutes to give Donnie a blow. Amorrow (Morgan) tried to guard him...

“And when you do get him stopped, he’s good at drawing help and then he kicks to somebody like Ryan Staudacher,” said O’brien, shaking his head.

“I tell you, he (Johnson) had quite a performance.,” said Tinkle. “Seven for 10 from the field, 12 of 12 from the free throw line, six assists, only one turnover,”

“We were disappointed in his effort the other night,” said Tinkle. “And so we challenged him to be better and he certainly answered the call.”

Meanwhile, senior post Kyle Sharp, playing his final league game as a Grizzly,  hammered out a blue-collar double-double in the low blocks, scoring 11 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and nabbing two key steals during a critical late stretch where Montana expanded a four-point lead to 12.

“I wasn’t doing a very good job playing post defense,” said Sharp. “My man was scoring a little too much, so I knew I needed to try to make some plays, especially something that we could get going, where I could get the ball to AJ and let him go,” Sharp added.

Building from Sharp’s solid defensive play, Johnson became catalyst of the late Montana run. Johnson fed junior guard Ryan Staudacher for a three-point conversion from the right corner, then grabbed a rebound and was fouled on his outlet drive.

His free throws extended Montana’s lead from 62-58 to 67-58 with 3:31 remaining, which was expanded to 70-58 just 20 seconds later on Jack McGillis’ trey from the right elbow.

PHOTOS: (three above) Jordan Hasquet is ambushed by four Bengals as he posts up for a shot in the first half. Hasquet scored seven points and pulled down six rebounds. (Above, middle) Reserve guard sophomore Michael Taylor scored 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting night. (above) Junior Ryan Staudacher scored 12 points on four three-point shots, three in the second half.

Johnson said his coaches told him to take charge in the second half... to “Just attack.”

“They told me to attack at the free throw line,” said Johnson. “I’m a play-maker, so if I didn’t have the lane then I found someone else who had the shot. Luckily Mike (Taylor) was on early, Ryan Staudacher was on early and especially late in the game, so that was it... being aggressive,” said Johnson.

“I knew if I had it in transition I could just use my speed and try to capitalize. Luckily I was getting to the free throw line a little bit and it just worked out for us,” said Johnson.

Taylor had perhaps his best game of the year, scoring 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field -- eight of those points coming during a critical first-half run that extended Montana’s lead to from 17-14 to 27-17 in a brief two-minute span midway through the first half.

Staudacher equaled Taylor’s effort with similar second-half play. Staudacher made 4-of-7 treys for the game, three of them at critical second-half junctures that stemmed mini-runs by ISU.

The Bengals -- despite shooting a blistering 52 percent from the field for the game -- were never able to draw any closer than four points, after Montana’s first-half surge and 10-point lead.

But every time Montana appeared poised to break the game open, the Bengals responded with their own runs. Reserve guard Austin Kilpatrick was particularly effective, nailing 4-of-6 three-point shots in two stretches that catapulted the Bengals back into contention.

And Montana defenders seemed incapable of stopping Bengal post Lucas Steijn, who scored 14 points, most of them mid-key jumpers over Montana defenders.

Five Bengals scored in double figures, led by Steijn. Chron Tatum had 13, Kilpatrick and Amorrow Morgan 12 each, and Matt Stucki 10.

“Credit goes to Idaho State,” said Johnson. “I mean, they’re always a tough, physical team. They’re an in-your-face, long, big, physical team. They’re bigger than we are, especially their guards. That Amorrow Morgan... Oh, man. He’s a tough guard. Tough physical guard,” said Johnson.

Tinkle agreed. “That’s a very good defensive team, they’re physical and athletic. They don’t give up percentages like that, and I’m really proud of the way our guys responded tonight.”

The win, Tinkle admitted, shook a huge monkey off the coach’s back. It was just a year ago, on senior night, that Portland State mauled the Griz 108-56.

Asked about that game, Tinkle laughed and said, “I had my arm around Sharpie and Jordan on the way up the tunnel and I said ‘Guys, what a difference a year makes as far as senior night goes.’ “

“It’s big,” said senior Jordan Hasquet.  “You always want to go out with a win, no matter where you’re at. It was real cool to get a standing O... That was awesome.”

The Bengals slipped to 10-18, 7-7 in conference standings at fourth place. ISU maintained its chances to host a first-round tourney game.

Montana now travels to Northern Colorado for its final conference game of the year, while the Bengals will host the league’s cellar-dwellers Northern Arizona (8-17) and Sacramento State (2-25).

Johnson's 26 points lead Griz past ISU

Junior guard Anthony Johnson erupted for 20 second-half points and led the Montana Grizzlies to a 79-64 Big Sky Conference victory over the Idaho State Bengals before 3821 fans in Missoula’s Dahlberg Arena Sunday.

Johnson, who had been limited to just six first-half points on 3-of-5 shots, was unstoppable over the final 20 minutes, making 4-for-5 from the field. When the Bengals stopped Johnson, they usually fouled him. The result was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line for the conference’s leading scorer and free throw shooter.

Complete game story with additional photos will be posted later tonight.

Montana bids goodbye to three seniors

Montana men's basketball fans will bid 'goodbye' to three seniors playing their final home game as Grizzlies today against the Idaho State Bengals.

Senior starters Jordan Hasquet and Kyle Sharp and backup point guard Ceylon Elgin Taylor will be honored in pre-game ceremonies just prior to the crucial conference match against the Idaho State Bengals.

#2 JORDAN HASQUET

Hasquet and Sharp are both career Griz, having played as teammates since their freshman seasons in 2006, when the Grizzlies won the Big Sky Conference Tourney and won a first-round NCAA playoff game against Nevada before losing to Boston College.

Hasquet has been a three-year starter for Montana, while Sharp played a vital role as a first-line backup before winning the starting role as Montana post early in conference play.

#40 KYLE SHARP

Elgin-Taylor was Montana's starting guard through most of the 2008 season and pre-season 2009. He has usually been the first player off the bench in conference play.

READ Grizzly Journal's profile of KYLE SHARP here (or click on the profile header in the left column.

#5 CEYLON ELGIN-TAYLOR

READ Missoulian Sports Editor Bob Meseroll's excellent profile of JORDAN HASQUET here.

Montana Griz, Weber State game photos

Grizzly Journal's game photos for the Montana-Weber State conference tilt February 19 at Missoula's Dahlberg Arena are available for viewing. The photos can be viewed HERE.

The Wildcats, behind the first-half scoring of freshman guard Damian Lilliard (photo, right) defeated the Grizzlies 69-58 in a battle for first place in the Big Sky Conference on Thursday.

With the win over the Griz, the Wildcats claimed the title and home-court host role for the post-season tournament, which is scheduled for March 10-11 in Ogden, Utah.

Montana junior guard Anthony Johnson (photo, with ball) scored 17 points against the Wildcats... keeping him on pace for consideration as Big Sky MVP, along with outstanding senior point guard Kellen McCoy of WSU.

Montana has a must-win game against the Idaho State Bengals today. A Montana win places the Griz in good position for second place and a first-round bye in the tournament. Otherwise, it's not so simple.

A loss to the Bengals makes earning second place and a tourney bye much more difficult for the Griz. In the event of a second-place tie between the Griz and Portland State, my 'early' calculations give the Griz a shot at earning the tie-breaker with the Vikings.

However, in the event of a third-place tie with the Bengals in conference play, Idaho State would most likely earn the tie-breaker. The worst Montana is likely to finish would be in fourth place, with a home-court first-round playoff game.

Grizzly Journal will post game photos and a story of the Griz-Bengals game later tonight.

Weber State claims Big Sky title with 69-58 win over Montana

In a game billed as the battle for the Big Sky Conference title, the Weber State Wildcats left no doubt in the mind’s-eye view of a partisan Montana crowd of 5558, claiming the regular season conference crown with a convincing 69-58 win over the Grizzlies at Dahlberg Arena Thursday.

The win – the Wildcats’ 12th in Big Sky play and seventh road triumph – ensured Weber State the host role in the conference post-season tourney and propelled them to an impressive 18-8 record so far.

Weber State jumped quickly and rode the shooting prowess of freshman guard Damian Lillard, whose 12 first-half points catapulted the Wildcats to a 33-27 first half lead.

“I thought he (Lillard) gave our team a lot of confidence,” said Weber State head coach Randy Rahe. “He got off to a great start shooting the ball, and he was ready to go tonight. I thought he was the biggest key to why we got that first half lead.”

Though Lilliard finished with 16, several of his court-mates took control of the second half from there.

“I thought they (the Wildcats) were the aggressor tonight,” said Montana assistant coach Nate DuChesne.

“ I’m not sure why. We’ve been the aggressor of late. Tonight we allowed them to be a little too comfortable on the offensive end and get some good looks early. When you do that, you play with a lot more confidence. And they did that,” said DuChesne.

PHOTOS: Montana guard Anthony Johnson scores twoof his game-high 17 points against Wildcat guard Damian Lilliard. Johnson made only 6-for-16 shots on the night. (Below) Four Weber State defenders surround Montana guard Ceylon Elgun-Taylor in a scramble for the ball. Elgin Taylor regained control of the ball and scored the basket for two of his four points. Pictured are: (?) Kellen McCoy, Kyle Bullinger, Elgin-Taylor, Johnson, and Daviin Davis.

Wildcat senior center Steve Panos, plagued by first-half foul trouble, dominated the paint in the second half, netting 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the low blocks over Montana post defenders. The result was a stretch of mid-half Wildcat play that boosted the league-leaders to leads as large as 15 before they coasted to the final 11-point margin on a ball-control passing game offense.

“When we’ve been successful defensively, and when we kind of turned this thing around, it’s because our bigs were able to go one-on-one at the post...” said DuChesne. “(But) their bigs had their way with us tonight for the majority of the game,” said Duchesne.

Rahe agreed with Duchesne.

“I thought the biggest difference was I thought we really defended,” said Rahe. “And we really rebounded well. Those were the two areas that we had to  try to outdo them if we were going to be successful. And those were the two areas that I thought were the biggest reasons that we had a chance.”

“We challenged them going in that if we can out-defend them and out-rebound them, we’ll have a chance going down the stretch,” said Rahe.

PHOTOS: Montana senior Kyle Sharp controls the ball in a post-up move where he scored two of his four points on the night. Wildcat post Steve Panos defends. (bottom) Montana post Brian Qvale posts up against Panos in second-half action. Qvale scored nine points and had eight rebounds. Panos scored 13 points and had four rebounds.

Nonetheless, it was Wildcat reserve guard Daviin Davis who wreaked perhaps the most damage at the most critical junctures. Davis scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, several on slashing baseline drives past or behind Montana defenders.

When Davis wasn’t scoring, he was helping to put the clamps defensively on Montana’s all-everything point guard, Anthony Johnson.

Johnson scored 17 to pace the Grizzlies. But the league-leading scorer shot an uncharacteristic 6-of-16 from the field on several tries that were altered by Wildcat defenders.

Johnson’s backcourt starting teammate, Ryan Staudacher, had an even more disastrous shooting night, missing all six of his shots and one of-two free throws for one point. Power forward Jordan Hasquet made only 1-of-5 shots, though he made all four of his free throws to finish with seven.

“I thought Johnson had a good night,” said Rahe. “But he was six-for-16. He’s been shooting over 50 percent.”

Only reserve guards Michael Taylor (nine points) and Ceylon Elgin-Taylor (seven points) and center Brian Qvale (nine points) shot with any accuracy. But their efforts were not enough to boost the Grizzlies, who trailed the entire game after Lilliard knocked down two quick first-half treys to propel the Wildcats to a seven point lead midways through the first half.

Though Montana would mount two second-have rallies that pulled them within five points, five was as close as they could get. Each time the Wildcats got clutch plays by Davis, or Panos. Or – in one short span of time – guard Nick Hansen, who nailed back-to-back treys to put space between the Wildcats and the Griz with just under eight minutes remaining.

The loss leaves Montana where they were before the game, in second place with an opportunity still before them to  claim a first-round bye in the post season tournament.

That prospect kept Montana coach Wayne Tinkle upbeat after the game.

“We told our guys, we tried to say 'fellas.... let’s give it our best shot,' ” said Tinkle. “We said it all week... 'You guys have put yourselves in the position to make this a big game.' "

“I’m disappointed we didn’t respond a little bit better,” said Tinkle. “But at the end of the day, had we won, we would still have been in second place.

“But the more important thing is we’ve got a really tough team coming in on Saturday,” cautioned Tinkle. “And we’ve got to regroup.”

That team is the Idaho State Bengals, which rocked Montana State 63-56 in Bozeman Thursday. A win over the Bengals puts the Grizzlies into position to earn the bye. A loss to the Bengals and-or to Northern Colorado next week could push the Grizzlies into third, or perhaps fourth place.

That would then force Montana into first-round play, with the most-likely scenarios as a host to either the Bobcats or Northern Colorado.

Game photos of Lady Griz' 76-48 win over Northern Arizona

Game photos of the Montana Lady Griz' 76-48 win over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are now posted at the Grizzly Journal photo site.

Photos can be viewed HERE.

Montana senior point guard, Mandy Morales, scored 19 points in the win, while senior guard Sonya Rogers netted 4-of-6 shots from beyond the three-point arc and finished with 14 points and three assists. Junior forward Lauren Beck also had solid night offensively, making 6-of-9 shots for 14 points total. Junior reserve guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson scored five points, dished out four assists, and had a steal in 14 minutes of action.

Montana’s zone defense limited the Lumberjacks to 26.7 percent for the game and only 22.6 percent in the second half, when the Lady Griz extended a 9-point 37-28 lead to high double digits in the first five minutes of play, before extending the lead gradually to the final 28-point margin.

PHOTO: Sophomore guard/forward Stephanie Stender sets to shoot against Lumberjack defender Jenna Galloway, while Tiffany Amos looks on. Stender has provided steadily increasing minutes off the bench for Montana coach Robin Selvig in recent games. On Thursday, she scored 10 points against Sac State. Against the Lumberjacks, Stender scored two points, grabbed two rebounds, and had two assists and two steals in nine minutes of play.

Game Photos of the Lady Griz' 75-48 win over Sac State

Game photos of the Montana Lady Griz' 75-48 win over the Sac State Hornets are now posted at the Grizzly Journal photo site. Photos can be viewed HERE.

Montana senior point guard, Mandy Morales, scored 22 points in the win, while senior center Britney Lohman had 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Reserve guard/forward Stephanie Stender added 10 points and four rebounds.

Montana held the Hornets to 33.3 percent shooting for the game and outrebounded Sac State by 16, 48-32.

PHOTO: Reserve center Shadra Robison battles Sac State's  Charday Hunt for a loose ball in second half action. Robison had two points and a block in the game. Hunt led the Hornets with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Lady Griz maul Northern Arizona 76-48

Fans of anagrams and basketball will take pleasure in some tidy game-time digit reversals in the Montana Lady Griz’ 76-48 thrashing of the NAU Lady Lumberjacks  before 4421 fans Saturday.

The difference in the game was a matter of efficiency all around the court: Montana’s machine-like offense produced 17 assists – distributed evenly by  seven players – while committing a mere 10 turnovers. For NAU, a reversal in those numbers added up to 10 assists... and 17 turnovers.

And for the second straight night the Lady Griz held their opponents to precisely 48 points, this time winning by 28, compared to a 27-point victory (75-48) against Sac State Thursday.

Thursday, Montana limited the Hornets to 20 first-half points and 28 second half points. Saturday, NAU scored 28 in the first half, while netting a measly 20 in the second.

PHOTO: Sophomore forward Sarah Ena is fouled by NAU's Lauren Hoisington in first-half action. Ena, who had seven points and 11 rebounds, made one of her two free throws.

There was little trickery in the primary cause for Montana’s resounding victory however. From tipoff the Lady Griz covered the floor with a suffocating zone defense, and held the hapless Lady Jacks to a mere 22.6 percent in second-half field goals and 26.7 percent total on 16-of-60 field goals total.

PHOTO: Montana forward Lauren Beck is congratulated by teammates Shadra Robison and Stephanie Stender after scoring 14 points and dishing four assists in Montana's win against the Lumberjacks.

A relaxed Montana coach Robin Selvig said afterward, “I always think it’s important to not let the other team get easy baskets to get going when they come in here. “(It’s important) to take control, don’t let them get anything easy.”

“I thought our defense was good,”he added. “I thought we communicated... I just thought the ladies did a nice job in the zone.”

PHOTO: Senior guard Mandy Morales fights for a loose ball with NAU's Katie Schafer in second half action. Morales finished with 19 points and four rebounds.

Junior forward Lauren Beck said the Lady Griz played zone for the entire game.

“Going into the zone you eliminate the straight shot down the lane, but then you have to get to the open shooters too, and so you make them hit threes and if they don’t then there’s long rebounds and so you go on the offensive end and you get layups yourself.” 

As usual, Montana’s senior all-league, MVP point guard Mandy Morales was the focal point. She scored 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line, most of them coming in the paint, where she posted up against her smaller defenders – most frequently Jacks’ guard Sade Cunningham.

PHOTO: Montana reserve post Tamara Guardipee scored eight points in six minutes of playing time. Guardipee scored on this post-up move against Melissa Spaich of NAU.

And – when the NAU defense collapsed in an attempt to corral Morales, she reversed the ball to the perimeter where senior guard Sonya Rogers or junior forward Beck were set-up. Each scored 14 points, Beck on 6-for-9 efficiency and Rogers netting 5-of-her 12 shots.

“I think I integrated myself in the offense a little bit more,” said Beck. “Mandy did a great job down low, and so when people collapse down on her, the other guards are going to be open from the outside.

“Sonya hit some really big shots down the stretch there when Mandy was triple-teamed,” Beck added. “So you move to open places, and Mandy’s a good enough player that she’ll get you the ball.”

The only lead NAU had was on the first possession, when forward Katie Schafer made the game’s first shot from beyond the tip of the key to give NAU a 3-0 lead.

From there momentum reversed for good, and the Lady Griz ran off an 18-2 run to claim a 13 point, 18-5 margin. The game – though the Jacks were game throughout –  was academic from there.

Montana quickly expanded its nine-point halftime lead at the start of the second half, pushing the margin to 20 before Selvig altered his rotation to get his reserves into the fray.

Ten of the 12 Lady Griz to see action scored. Reserves Shaunte Nance-Johnson and Tamara Guardipee played particularly well. Guardipee scored eight points in six minutes of play while Nance-Johnson had four assists and scored five points on two first-half mid-range jumpers.

The Lumerjacks won the battle of the boards, 41-39, with forward Katie Schafer pulling down 13, while Montana forward Sarah Ena had 11 to go with seven points

The win boosted Montana’s conference record to 10-1 and within a half-game of the leading Portland State Vikings at 11-1.

The Lady Griz head out for their final road trip of the season with games at Weber State and at third-place Idaho State, a team that has improved greatly since dropping a 70-48 decision to Montana earlier in the season.

NAU heads home where they’ll finish out league play with four straight home-court games.

Lady Griz whip Sacramento State Hornets 75-48

In the latest of a string of lopsided victories at Missoula’s Dahlberg Arena, the Montana Lady GrizSacramento State Hornets pounced quickly on the overmatched and cruised to an easy 75-48 Big Sky Conference victory before 4305 fans Thursday.

With the win, Montana moved to 20-4 and maintained joint ownership of first place in the Big Sky, tied with the Portland State Vikings at 9-1 with four of their final six games at home, including a looming rematch with the Vikings in the final conference game of the year.

PHOTO: Center Shadra Robison battles for a loose ball with Hornets Charday Hunt and Karri Gallagher. Robison had a blocked shot and two rebounds in six minutes of action.

Montana’s golden point guard Mandy Morales continued to establish her credentials as one of the best players in Big Sky Conference history, scoring 22 points and grabbing three rebounds to pace all scorers.

Morales was joined in double figures with 13 points and nine rebounds from center Britney Lohman and first-line reserve guard Stephanie Stender, who made 4-of-6 shots from the field and grabbed four rebounds.

The Hornets were paced by forward Charday Hunt, who scored 13 points and had five rebounds.

PHOTO: Mandy Morales goes up for two in heavy traffic during first-half play. Morales made 8-of-16 field goals, 4-of-6 from three point range, and grabbed three rebounds for Montana.

While the Lady Griz shot a respectable 44.4 percent from the field Thursday, it was defense that spelled defeat for the Hornets. Montana limited Sac State to 7-of-17 first half shots, a percentage of 25.9. The Hornets finished with a 33.3 percentage rate on the evening, and made ten fewer field goals than Montana (28-28).

The Hornets, like a majority of Montana foes lately, concentrated on shutting down the Lady Griz perimeter game, and limited shooting specialist Sonya Rogers to seven points on 1-of-6 shooting. The Lady Griz made only7-of-16 from beyond the arc, but in actuality... didn’t need to.

That’s because Lohman, forward Sarah Ena and reserve forward Jessa Linford dominated the inside game on offense and defense. The Lady Griz owned the glass, clearing 48 rebounds compared to the Hornets’ 32. Added to that dominance was the intimidation factor inside, which included four Montana blocked shots.

PHOTO: Montana senior center Britney Lohman looks to pass to a teammate in first-half action. Lohman made 5-of-7 shots from the field for 13 points. She grabbed nine rebounds, had two assists and a block in 25 minutes of play.

Montana’s frontline reserves, Stender, Linford and guard Shaunte Nance-Johnson continue to increase their playing time off of the bench, which will become a factor as conference play wraps up. If there is a single contrast between this year’s Lady Griz compared to last year’s championship squad, it’s that two forwards off the bench play nearly at the level of the starters.

PHOTO: Reserve guard-forward Stephanie Stender makes two of her 10 points against the Hornets. Stender shot 4-of-6 from the field, and pulled down four rebounds.

And if senior post Tamara Guardipee, recuperating from a chronic hip injury, can steadily increase minutes, the Lady Griz stand to get even better. Guardipee played eight minutes Thursday, scoring four points,

Montana’s next game is Saturday at 7 p.m., when they host Northern Arizona, which dispatched Montana State 79-60 in Bozeman Thursday.

MONTANA GRIZ: Contenders or Pretenders?

In post-game comments after his Montana Grizzlies had almost effortlessly dispatched the Montana State Bobcats by 15 points on their home court, Montana coach Wayne Tinkle repeated his season-long mantra that his diverse group of veterans and newcomers, would jell slowly.

That’s because, since game one, a minimum of nine players (sometimes 10) regularly log double-figures playing time. The process of getting all those players in sync has been complex. And it’s taken time.

 But, after Saturday night’s powerful Griz performance, even Tinkle might admit that things have been solidifying nicely.

 The Grizzlies, in the wake of that 78-63 win over the Cats, look quite ready to contend for the Big Sky Conference title a mere three weeks after losing back-to-back road games against Idaho State and Weber State and appearing in danger of slipping into the bottom tier of the conference.

Things started falling into place with Montana’s 63-50 win at Eastern Washington. The Griz have since chalked up four more.

ANTHONY JOHNSON (with ball) the Big Sky's leading scorer and free throw shooter, has been drawing crowds lately.

Saturday’s win –- Montana’s fifth straight and its second road triumph in conference play –- cemented a solid grasp on third place in the Big Sky conference at 8-3, easily placing the Griz within striking distance of the league leading Wildcats (9-1) and Portland State (8-3).

The win was further proof of a steady, game-by-game improvement by the Griz that was predicted three weeks previously by the perceptive Northern Colorado coach, Tad Boyle.

“To me it’s Portland State, Weber State and Montana right now,” said  Boyle.  “They’re the contenders in this league, and everybody else is just pretenders. I really think that.”

CEYLON ELGIN-TAYLOR, since his return to action, has given Montana a boost, and added depth at the point.

Of course there are no guarantees in the Big Sky, as the second-place Vikings can attest after being unanimously pegged to easily defend their 08 league and tourney titles.

The catalyst for Montana has been junior college transfer Anthony Johnson, who stepped up and manned Montana’s point-guard responsibilities in the wake of senior leader Ceylon Elgin Taylor’s 10-game absence to address personal issues.

RYAN STAUDACHER, known as an excellent shooter, has made giant strides on  defense in recent games, logging one of his best-ever defensive efforts against the Cats.

Johnson has been a study in excellence, learning the nuances of his new role quickly and, in all likelihood, learning the entire Montana offensive system faster than he might have otherwise. The result has been improved  guard depth overall as off guards Ryan Staudacher and Michael Taylor logged extensive floor time with Johnson at the point. And so, when Elgin-Taylor returned to action two weeks ago,Montana’s guard play had become more mature, more versatile, with a newfound offensive punch.

MICHAEL TAYLOR is a capable ball handler and an excellent defender and will be a key sub because of Montana's recent injury issues.

It was the confident second-half play of Elgin-Taylor against the Bobcats that allowed Johnson to roam off ball in the two guard spot. Johnson broke loose for 17 second-half points against the Bobcats (scoring 13 of Montana’s final 14), two of the buckets coming off of laser-sharp assists from Elgin Taylor. Also since his return, Elgin Taylor has become more aggressive offensively, as his eight points Saturday illustrate.

Montana has thus developed into a potent offensive team (by Big Sky standards) behind Johnson’s league-leading scoring prowess. That's opened things up everywhere, allowing for more offensive looks by posts Brian Qvale and Kyle Sharp, and even giving more offensive room for power forward Jordan Hasquet to work. Montans's offensive weapons are functioning atall positions now, Adding Elgin-Taylor’s full-court leadership has made them even stronger.

But Griz guard play paints only a partial view of Montana’s mid-season turnaround.

KYLE SHARP has emerged as Montana's senior leader on defense in the paint.

Another personnel adjustment actually coincides more directly with Montana’s recent dominant play. That adjustment occurred when Tinkle switched the roles of senior post Sharp with sophomore post Qvale, making Sharp the starter and bring Qvale in off the bench. The all-so-simple move looks like a master stroke by Tinkle, because the improved play of BOTH posts has paid dividends at both ends of the floor.

Sharp is relaxed, aggressive and confident as Montana’s senior starter; Qvale is... well, with the starter's pressure off his shoulders, he’s become more relaxed, aggressive and confident stepping into the fray as Sharp’s first-line sub. The duo now make for the most dominant and powerful post tandem in the Big Sky.

BRIAN QVALE has become a more aggressive and confident player as Sharp's substitute at post.

Saturday’s stats-line shows that Montana had five blocked shots. I counted at least eight. But when Montana’s altered shots are counted, the figure logged by Sharp, Qvale and wing Jack McGillis could be closer to 15 blocked or altered shots total. Putting it mildly, any shots launched by the Cats in the key entered into a Montana flak zone. The Griz are now contesting everything in the key. And that leads to...

Perhaps the most important factor in Montana’s resurgence lies in an area of steadily improving team strength: defense. Early in the season Montana assistant coach Nate DuChesne told me that Montana would start winning when it “assumed on-court ownership of trademark Montana defense.” DuChesne was referring precisely to Montana’s two-decade reputation as one of the best defensive teams in the Big Sky.

JORDAN HASQUET has been getting more open looks from Montana's improved offensive play and will be a key component in the Grizzlies title hopes.

Take a look at Saturday’s stats. The Grizzlies dominated the Cats, holding them to four points below their season average. More impressively, Montana held the Bobcats to a 26.1 percent second half field goal average, which was down from an equally stark 34.5 first-half percentage. The Cats shot 30.8 percent for the whole game, almost 16 percent below their 45.7 pct. average.

It was merely the latest in a string of golden Montana defensive performances, all of which rank them as clearly the best defensive team in the Big Sky. How they’ve been playing that defense is  probably the subject of an analysis after Montana’s next road swing (this week).

JACK McGILLIS is the key high-post defender in Montana's steadily improving zone-to-man defense. His perimeter shooting is improving with each game. Another key player in Montana's title run hopes.

Over the past two years Tinkle hung his hat on Montana’s rank as the Big Sky’s leader in scoring defense, which they again hold with a 65.7 mark. But this year the Grizzlies are also the league’s best team in field goal percentage defense, which is a much more accurate gauge of defensive efficienty. The Griz are holding their opponents to a .442 percentage in field goals, almost a full point better than Weber State, and significantly ahead of the rest of the conference.

There’s more of course. Montana is ranked second in blocked shots (3.57 pg), second in free throw percentage (72 percent), and third in three-point field goal percentage (38 percent).

And, whenever Tinkle is asked, he says Montana isn’t close to playing up to its potential. But now’s the time to do just that.

Montana embarks Thursday to road games against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. Both are games the Griz need to win to remain in the title race. Both will be battles.

Both will provide answers to the question of whether or not the Montana Grizzlies are contenders.

Or pretenders.

Morales, Johnson take command in Griz dual-sweep of Cats

The Montana Lady Griz and the Montana Grizzlies capped impressive sweeps of the Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman today, and in doing so positioned themselves to make a run for the Big Sky Conference titles in the women’s and men’s divisions.

Even more impressive was the stellar play of two point guards well on their way toward etching a spot in Montana, and Big Sky record books.

The Lady Griz beat the Lady Cats 67-60 behind the 17 points of All-Conference (and reigning MVP) Mandy Morales, while junior guard Anthony Johnson paced the Grizzlies with 23 points in the resurgent Montana Grizzlies 78-63 thumping of the Cats in the evening finale.

The leadership and play of Morales and Johnson demonstrated that championship-caliber teams usually win because of the leadership of a true floor-general point guard at the team’s helm.

But Morales and demonstrated even more on Saturday. The two gold-standard point guards demonstrated yet again the uncanny sense of the how and when of taking full control of a game.

Morales stood tough under a frantic barrage of physical punishment by the Lady Cats, snaring four critical rebounds over the final four minutes of play and sinking two critical free throws in the final minute of play.

In a virtual standoff between Morales and Montana State point guard Jessica Perry – an outstanding point guard as well – it was Perry who blinked first. Television cameras provided several closeups of the two in the final minutes of play, and the evidence was overwhelming.

Johnson’ s performance was even more emphatic. The junior point guard – tossed green into the point-guard role just before Christmas – had been held to only five points through the first half. But he responded with several critical assists, and and waited for his time.

When the Bobcats made a run at Montana with just under 10 minutes remaining, Johnson took control. He scored 18 points on several nifty pull-up jumpers and two slashing drives. And... when the Cats started fouling in the final three minutes, Johnson calmly sank 9-of-9 free throws to pace the Griz to their inspiring win.

The Lady Griz’ win, coupled with Sac State’s 64-75 win over Portland State, gives Montana sole possession of first place heading into the second half of play. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, improved to 8-3, and in sole possession of second place, well within reach of league-leading Weber State (9-1). The Grizzlies are in perfect position to challenge the Wildcats for the Big Sky Conference title. Two critical road contests stand in their way this week.

What does the leadership of Morales and Johnson look like on paper? It’s all revealed in the stats-line.

Morales:  FG 6-11;  FT 5-5; RBNDS 7; PTS. 17; A 2, TO 4.
Johnson: FG 7-14;  FT 9-9; RBNDS 5; PTS 23;  A 5; TO-5.

Game Photos of Montana's 60-52 win over Eastern Washington

Game photos of Montana's 60-52 win over the Eastern Washington Eagles are now posted at the Grizzly Journal photo site. Photos can be viewed HERE.

Montana senior power forward Jordan Hasquet notched a double-double in Montana's 60-52 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Hasquet hit 3-of-5 three-point shots early in the first half to pace the Grizzlies, finishing with 12 points. In the second half, Hasquet bolstered Montana's rebounding, and finished with 10 boards. Hasquet is ranked fourth in the Big Sky in rebounding, with 131 rebounds, an average of 6.0 per game. He is the second-best defensive rebounder with 4.32 per game, trailing only Justin Eller of Sac State at 4.55 per game.

Montana's three straight conference victories, coupled with Montana State's 85-82 win over the Portland State Vikings on Sunday, bumped the Grizzlies into second place in the conference standings at 7-3, one-half game ahead of the Vikings at 6-3 and 1.5 game behind league-leading Weber State at 8-1.

PHOTO: Montana power forward Jordan Hasquet looks to pass the ball past Eastern Washington post Brandon Moore. Hasquet had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Grizzlies' 60-52 win over the Eagles.

Montana is clearly the dominant defensive team in the Big Sky so far, with league-leading statistical averages in two key defensive categories. The Grizzlies are holding opponents to 65.8 points per game, nearly two points per game ahead of second place Weber State at 67.5. The Grizzlies are holding their opponents to a  .428 shooting percentage from the field – also a league best – ahead of the second place Wildcats at .434.

The Grizzlies are also ranked second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage at 71 percent, and blocked shots with 77 (3.5 per game).  Montana is ranked third in three point field goals (38 percent), assists (12.27 per game), and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.96).

Montana junior point guard Anthony Johnson is tied for second in scoring average (16.3) with Sacramento State's Loren Leath, both barely behind league leader Benny Valentine of Eastern Washington at 16.4. Johnson has the third best free throw shooting percentage at .854, behind Antonio Flaggs of Sac State (.879), and Damian Lillard of Weber State (.864). However, Johnson's 111 made-free throws is more than the combined total of Lillard and Flags (96).

Montana shooting guard, junior Ryan Staudacher, is ranked second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.489) behind Northern Arizona's Cameron Jones at .509.

Sophomore center Brian Qvale has 35 blocked shots, a 1.35 per game average, good for second behind Montana State's Divaldo Mbunga with a 1.60 per game average (32 total).

Griz shake-off slumber, edge Eastern Washington 60-52

Down by 10 points a mere 42-seconds into the second half, the Eastern Washington Eagles attacked the Montana Grizzlies with alternating zone and man-on defensive looks and held the Grizzlies scoreless for nearly nine minutes.

The problem was that the Eagles could only score 10 of their own points during that span, a rate of just over a point per minute. The result?

The Eagles’ defensive prowess was only good enough for a 32-32 tie.

And so, with 9:31 remaining – when Montana point guard Anthony Johnson broke the logjam with a three-point jumper from the tip of the key – the points were enough to give the Grizzlies a lead. And momentum.

Johnson’s shot triggered a Grizzly run that was good enough for a 60-52 Big Sky Conference win over the Eagles before 4126 partisan fans.

The win nudged Montana’s record to 7-3 in conference play, 13-9 overall, and solidified the Grizzlies’ grip on third place In conference standings, since both Northern Colorado and Idaho State lost.

Johnson’s trey was just his eighth point of the game, but the heady junior Griz floor leader took control of the game from there to the buzzer, scoring 12 of Montana’s remaining 25 points and directing the pace of the game at both ends of the floor.

“I really loved his presence on the court,” said Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle, shaking his head in admiration. “We're asking him to do an awful lot... Man, his demeanor and his presence was unbelievable on the court.”

The JC transfer floor leader once again provided MVP-caliber evidence for consideration as one of the Big Sky’s elite guards.

Johnson recorded a Griz career-high six assists without a turnover, snared three rebounds and had a blocked shot.

“Just an unbelievable game out of him,” said Tinkle. “ And he made some really big plays for us when we were looking for him to.”

PHOTOS: (Top) Montana point guard Anthony Johnson drives past EWU center Brandon Moore for two of his game-high 20 points. (Bottom) Vassy Banny works to drive into the lane to shoot. Banny was fouled on the shot but missed the free throws. Vanny scored two points in three minutes of playing time.

Forward Jordan Hasquet stepped up big as well... in two key stretches. The senior power forward paced the Grizzlies to an early 17-6 lead with three treys and 3-of-4 conversions from the free throw line.

And though Hasquet scored only one more point during the game, his second half rebounding and defense was just as critical. The result for Hasquet was a double-double of 12 total points and 10 rebounds.

Wing Jack McGillis was the only other Montana player in double figures. McGillis scored 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 free throws.

But two of McGillis’ plays were back-breakers, according to Eastern Washington coach Kirk Earlywine.

  “I thought three possessions in particular,” said Earlywine. “I thought the jump shot that Johnson hit off of a high-ball screen late in the shot clock was a big one. Then I thought we relaxed down there and allowed McGillis a deep post up, and then allowed him to score on a flex cut,” he added.

“We just don’t have enough margin for error to make those kinds of mistakes.”

“ I thought we gave about a "B" effort tonight,” said Earlywine. ”But a "B" effort isn’t good enough on the road against a good team. A "B" effort just gets your heart broken.”

Guard Andy Genao paced the Eagles with 14 points. He was joined by reserve guard Adris DeLeon with 12 and junior post Brandon Moore with 11.

The smaller Eagles dominated the boards 38-31.

No other Griz scored more than Ryan Staudacher’s five points.

But Montana's offensive production was enough to secure a win that saw the Eagles slap a disruptive array of switching defensive looks, usually starting with a zone, then switching to man-to-man. During the second half the Eagles frequently switched defenses at Earlywine's verbal command during a single Montana possession.

Unable to score, the Grizzlies responded with their own iron-clad defense, holding the Eagles to a paltry 33.3 percent from the field, and blocking a season-high six shots, three by Griz center Brian Qvale and two by Johnson.

PHOTOS:  (Top) Jordan Hasquet drives against EagleMatthew Brunell for two of his 11 first-half points. Hasquet also had 10 rebounds. (Bottom) Sophomore center Brian Qvale posts up against Gary Gibson and Benny Valentine (right)  made two points, had one assist and had three blocked shots.

“We were in there defensively, “ said Johnson. “As long as we play defense, we can win one to zero. As long as we play good defense, all the rest will take care of itself.”

Tinkle agreed.

“The unfortunate spurts we have where we don’t score, we’ve continued to defend, by and large,” said Tinkle. “I wish we would have held them under 50, but it’s still a pretty good job to hold them to 33 percent, and that’s what won us the game when we really didn’t have our best stuff offensively.”

Tinkle admitted to worrying about facing Eastern after beating them in Cheney only a week ago.

“We were really petrified of this game because we knew we were really gonna get their best, and it wasn’t pretty,” said Tinkle.

Johnson just shrugged.

“When you play basketball you have to make game-time adjustments,” he said.

He modestly credited his teammates for working hard to get open for one of his six assists.

“For me they (Eagles) were kind of keying in on me early and sending double-teams at me and squeezing on the ball screens.”

“So, with two guys on me that leaves one guy open all the time. I was just trying to keep my head on a swivel, find the open guy,” said Johnson.

“And our guys made plays.”

Montana now gets a week to prepare for their trip to Bozeman on Sunday, when they’ll face the Montana State Bobcats next Saturday, February 7th at 7 p.m.