Montana struggled to find any offensive rhythm again Idaho’s packed in zone defense the first 30 minutes Saturday night in Moscow. Meanwhile, Trevon Allen was putting on a show.
A Vandals team that went from the second-most veteran in Division I last season to one of the least experienced after the graduation of six seniors hung with the reigning Big Sky Conference champions in the first matchup between the teams since Idaho’s 79-77 overtime win last regular season.
UI finished second in the league standings and looked to be on a collision course with the Grizzlies. But the Vandals lost to 10th-seeded Southern Utah in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Tournament.
Playing its seventh road game in its last nine outings, Montana slugged its way to a 49-46 lead with 9:19 left. But Allen, Idaho’s lone junior on a roster with no seniors, crossed over Bobby Moorehead into nothing but net 20-footer to give him 24 points.
From that point, Montana clamped down defensively, UM’s seniors locked in on offense and the Griz closed the action on a 20-5 run to seal a 69-51 win at Cowans Spectrum on Saturday night.
Montana senior Michael Oguine earlier this season/ by Jason Bacaj
UM senior Michael Oguine put together a vintage stretch that included a 3-pointer to spark Montana’s initial 13-0 run, four of his eight rebounds and the boundless energy that has become his trademark. With 1:03 left, the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year got undercut and took an awkward spill, his legs getting caught underneath his body.
After lying face down on the court for a few minutes, he walked off the court under his own power.
Before the scare, Oguine scored six points of his 13 points. Rorie scored five of his team-high 20 and Jamar Akoh scored four of his 11 points during the game-sealing final stretch. Fresh off earning Big Sky Player of the Week, UM junior Sayeed Pridgett scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Griz moved to 5-2 in Big Sky play, 12-6 overall.
Montana posted a 5-2 record on the road during the last month, a brutal portion of UM’s brutal schedule. The Griz have won six of their last nine with seven of their next nine games in Missoula.
Jared Rodriguez scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds but Allen didn’t score the final 9:19 of the game as Idaho fell to 1-5 in league play, 4-13 overall.
The Vandals went scoreless for seven minutes, 27 seconds in the first half. Montana put together a 14-0 run to take a 23-10 lead. An Oguine layup gave UM a 28-16 lead with 6:45 left. Montana did not score for more than six minutes. Allen went on a personal 9-0 run.
Allen ended up scoring 16 straight points for the Vandals, who went into halftime trailing 31-26. A Rorie 3-pointer during a 13-point first half ended Montana’s scoring drought.
After shooting 37 percent in the first half, Montana shot 46.5 percent in the second half. The Griz won the battle of the boards 43-32 behind nine rebounds by Akoh.
UM has four of its next five games at Dahlberg Arena. The road is Montana’s February 2 showdown with rival Montana State in Bozeman. The Griz host Idaho State on Thursday and Weber State on Saturday.
The @VoiceoftheGriz catches up with the player of the game @ahmaadrorie, who scored 20 points in tonight's win.#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/TuiBIXPTL7
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 20, 2019
