Smothering defense and missed opportunities trademarked Montana’s non-conference slate. On Thursday in Flagstaff, the Griz stuck with efficient defensive execution and left no doubt against Northern Arizona.
Behind the continued emergence of junior post Jamar Akoh and an elite defensive effort, UM forced 19 turnovers, limited NAU to 16 made field goals and 32.7 percent shooting while never trailing in a convincing 87-69 victory at Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff on Thursday night.
Travis DeCuire
NAU made just 7-of-27 shots in the first half as Montana’s lead swelled to 40-21. The Griz close the first half up 42-30 before cruising in the second half in moving to 8-5 this season. The 18-point margin is Montana’s largest this season and the 87 points are a season high.
“I thought we were tuned in,” UM head coach Travis DeCuire said in a press release. “We were executing on both sides of the ball. We got what we wanted on the offensive end, and defensively, we made them work, forced some turnovers early and made them adjust to our pressure.”
Akoh, a transfer from Cal State-Fullerton who sat out last season, scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to continue his recent surge. The 6-foot-8 brute has not score in double figures in eight of Montana’s last nine games. He is averaging 21 points per game over the last five. Thursday marked his third double figures rebounding game.
Although Akoh only converted 5-of-14 field goal attempts, NAU had no answer for him on the block. Akoh drew 10 fouls and shot 18 free throws, sinking 13 at the stripe. UM scored NAU 38-12 in the paint.
“We’re going to shoot at a higher percentage when we get the ball in the paint,” DeCuire said. “It opens it up and allows guys like Ahmaad (Rorie), Mike (Oguine) and Bob (Moorehead) to get shots with their shoulders squared.”
Montana junior point guard Ahmaad Rorie
The athletic junior backcourt of Ahmaad Rorie and Michael Oguine helped Montana apply pressure and push the pace throughout. Rorie hit four 3-pointers — UM hit 5-of-9 from deep after halftime and 7-of-17 overall — on his way to scoring 22 points in 32 minutes. The effort marks Rorie’s seventh 20-point game this season and the first time he’s scored 20 alongside a teammate.
A few nights after being held to a season-low five points in UM’s 66-63 loss at Washington, Oguine scored all seven of Montana’s points during a game-opening 7-0 blitz. Oguine scored nine of his 13 points in the first half.
The Big Sky Conference-opening win is the fourth in four seasons under DeCuire. UM is 6-0 against NAU in DeCuire’s tenure.
All eight of the primary players in Montana’s rotqation scored points and Sayeed Pridgett led the bench with 10 points.
“Our depth lately has been huge for us,” DeCuire said, particularly noting the play of Montana’s freshmen off the bench. “Timmy’s an incredible passer. I thought tonight was closer to an eight-assist night. He takes care of the ball and he’s phenomenal against the pressure. Karl’s active on the glass and clogs up the paint. He’s great on both sides of the paint.”
JoJo Anderson, NAU’s leading scorer entering the game, paced the Lumberjacks with a career-high 31 points, more than half (17) coming from the free-throw line.
NAU guard JoJo Anderson
Montana has been playing its best basketball of the season over the past two weeks, scoring 86 points and shooting better than 50 percent in wins over UC Riverside and UC Irvine, and holding Washington to a season-low 66 points before falling in the closing seconds in Seattle. On Thursday, though, the Grizzlies earned their first road win since Nov. 13 at Pitt, and their first win away from Missoula since Nov. 20 vs. Oral Roberts.
“We’re focused, and I think we’re on the same page and everyone is excited about what’s in front of us,” DeCuire said.
The Griz play at Southern Utah on Saturday. Northern Arizona hosts Montana State. The Bobcats posted a 104-99 win over SUU in Cedar City on Thursday.
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