grizzlyjournal

Johnson's 31 points leads Montana to a 73-59 win over Bobcats

Anthony Johnson kick-started a sputtering Montana offense with a heady combination of deadly pull-up jumpers, steady free throw shooting and gritty defense to lead the Montana Grizzlies to a 73-59 win over the Montana State Bobcats in the Big Sky home opener at Dahlberg Arena Saturday night.

Johnson scored 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 15-of-16 from the free throw line to pace the Grizzly offense after his jumper midway through the first half broke an 11-11 deadlock for a lead the Grizzlies would not relinquish.

The Grizzlies, behind four assists from Johnson and four more from guard Michael Taylor, took gradual but firm control of the classic physical Big Sky game with 46-points in the steady second-half charge. Taylor and Johnson also led both teams in rebounding (along with MSU post Divaldo Mbunga) with seven apiece.

 When Johnson wasn’t slicing down the right lane on quick drives to the bucket, he would pull-up quickly for smooth quick-release 15-foot jumpers. And when he did neither, he found power forward Jordan Hasquet along the baseline. Hasquet responded with perhaps his best game of the season for 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field.

CLICK TO VIEW GAME SLIDE SHOW.

Senior Kyle Sharp, in his first start of the season, responded with six points andsix rebounds.

But the Grizzlies may well have won the game with their best defensive effort of the season, limiting the frustrated Bobcats to a frigid 19-of-58 shooting from the field for 32.8 percent. The Cats weren’t much better from the free throw line, making only 17-of-34 for a 50 percent mark.

PHOTOS: Anthony Johnson drives on MSU's Branden Johnson. AJ scored 31 points to lead Montana. Jordan Hasquet (bottom) drives the baseline past cat defenders Bobby Howard (#15) and Divaldo Mbunga. Hasquet scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field.

Johnson’s steadily improving point-guard play as a stand-in for senior point guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, on probation for a violation of team rules, was also a factor. Montana commited ony a11 turnovers and had 10 assists ons the evening.

MSU guards Will Bynum (14 points) and Erik Rush (13) led the Bobcats in scoring, while Cat forward Bobby Howard shot a poor 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-7 from the free throw line.

The teams were even in rebounds at 38, but Montana – behind Johnson’s 16 free throw shots – had a 25-30 edge from the line compared to MSU’s 17-21.

Because of Saturday’s two-game Big Sky Conference home opener, coverage of the two games, including more photos and interviews, will continue on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Check back for further updates.

Montana escapes with 67-65 thriller over Texas Arlington

Guard Anthony Johnson scored 16 points and forward Jordan Hasquet added 13 to lead the Montana Grizzlies to a 67-65 win over the Texas Arlington Mustangs in the final game of the Karl Tyler Chevrolet Grizzly Basketball Classic in UM’s Dahlberg Arena in front of 2597 fans Saturday.

Johnson was named tourney MVP while Hasquet joined him on the all tourney team.

PHOTOS: Montana guard Anthony Johnson scoops up the ball at midcourt after forward Jack McGillis (right) knocked it loose. Johnson scored on a breakaway layup on the play. (Bottom photo) Jordan Hasquet looks for a cutter in the key. Hasquet led the Montana with six assists.

Forward Anthony Vereen shot 8-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three point range, to lead the Mustangs, who fell to 4-3 with the loss. Guards Marquez Haynes and Roge'r Guignard combined for 36 points, mostly from well beyond the three point arc, for the Mustangs.

The three Arlington starters all played 38 minutes for the Mustangs, combining for all two of the Mustangs' tota.

Ten Montana players saw action and eight scored to lead Montana's bench to a 26-0 margin over the Mustangs bench. Montana outrebounded the Mustangs 26-25, while each team had 14 turnovers.

The Grizzlies shot 55 percent from the field, while holding the Mustangs to 42.6 percent, though the Mustangs shot a deadly 10-for-17 from beyond the three point arc compared to Montana's 5-for-15.

Joining Johnson and Hasquet on the all tourney team were Mustangs Vereen and Haynes and Denver University guard Kyle Lewis.

With the win Montana evened its record at 4-4 on the season and gets a week off for final exams before hitting the road on an extended road trip that concludes with its first conference tilt of the season, Dec. 20 at Portland State.

Full story and more photos will be posted later tonight.

Defensive struggles hinder Montana's hoops progress

If I were to write an early season analysis critical of Montana’s cumbersome start to the 2008-09 men's hoops season (and I am NOT; this is not that column), it would be difficult for me to be more critical of the Grizzlies than Montana’s own players and coaches have been.

In public, on record, usually in post-game interviews, several Griz players have been bluntly self-critical. Coaches, particularly head coach Wayne Tinkle, have taken a broader, more diplomatic view... with the same candid conclusion.

Montana’s problems revolve around defense, and the key areas of play that affect defensive results. It’s too early to use statistical averages to make sweeping predictions. Nonetheless, there are some giant red flags whipping around these Montana Grizzlies.

PHOTO: Montana's Jack McGillis defends Santa Clara wing Michael Santos.

Early statistical numbers support the notion that Montana’s defense and rebounding require significant foundational repair over the next three weeks if the Griz expect to be Big Sky contenders when conference play rolls around.

Without belaboring this early season’s Big Sky statistical indicators, a quick rundown of six key areas shows Montana’s Big Sky Conference rank as follows:

• Scoring Defense: 6th (71.3)
• Field Goal Defense: 6th (.463
• Three Point FG defense: 7th (4.17)
• Rebounding: 9th (a whopping -4.5 pg.)
• Steals: 8th (3.33)
• Blocks: 2nd (3.67)

Those numbers rank Montana at a defensive average of seventh in the nine-team Big Sky Conference.

So what if no other Big Sky team has played Duke? Can’t make that excuse this year. Montana’s non-conference slate is NOT tougher than the schedule of any other Big Sky school, particularly Eastern Washington’s or Idaho State’s.

All that being said, I’m not cashing in any chips just yet.

Montana regroups; holds on for 81-66 win over NCU

On their way to an 81-66 win over the Northern Colorado Bears, the Montana Grizzlies may most remember a five-minute span where panic reigned and an otherwise easy win teetered in the balance of a sudden momentum shift.

The Grizzlies – leading by a comfortable 26-point margin at 73-47 with 6:36 remaining – staggered under the sudden shock of 17-straight points from frenetic Bears’ pressure, before a breakaway layup by guard Cameron Rundles with 1:38 remaining broke both the Griz scoreless stretch and the Bears’ attack in the 16-point Big Sky Conference win before 4003 happy but subdued fans Thursday.

PHOTO: Cameron Rundles' breakaway layup from a three-quarter court inbounds pass by Jordan Hasquet with 1:38 remaining, broke a Montana scoring drought and ensured the otherwise efficient Montana win.

The win moved Montana’s conference mark to 8-7 (14-14) and assured the Griz a first-round playoff game with a chance to host still in play. The Bears dropped to 5-10 (12-16) and eighth  place in conference play.

“This was a huge game for us,” said Montana post Andrew Strait. “Northern Colorado has struggled but they’ve won some games recently. Despite that we knew the importance of this game and the coach really stressed that we had to jump out on them early with a lot of energy and I think we did a good job doing that.”