THE MATCHUP
Three days before playing Gonzaga to finish its non-conference schedule, Montana went on the road to Houston to play Prairie View A&M in the Coaches vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic. It was the Grizzlies’ first game in a week after back-to-back impressive wins over North Dakota State and South Dakota State in which they scored over 80 points in each game. The Panthers entered the game 4-6 and on a four-game losing streak but with an 11-point win over Washington State from the middle of November.
THE RESULTS
Montana answered a 17-3 second-half run by Prairie View A&M with a 17-1 run of its own and then survived a nervy last few minutes for an 81-76 win, the Grizzlies’ third-straight game scoring over 80 points. Aanen Moody’s 4-point play capped Montana’s big run and gave the Griz a 77-64 lead with under four minutes to go, but they struggled to break the Panthers’ full-court press down the stretch. Prairie View A&M closed to within three points with the ball and under 30 seconds to go, but Will Douglas missed a 3-pointer after a bad possession and Lonnell Martin Jr. hit two free throws for the final margin. Montana led 43-34 at halftime after shooting 56.7% in the first half. The Griz finished the game shooting 56.9%, including 11 of 19 from 3-point range.
THE STANDOUTS
Montana’s five starters combined to score every one of the Grizzlies’ 81 points, with junior forward Josh Bannan leading the way with 22. Bannan made 8 of 10 field goals and 3 of 4 3-pointers. Moody made 4 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, while Dischon Thomas continued the hot shooting by making 3 of 5 from behind the arc to post 17 points and also lead the Griz with seven rebounds. Brandon Whitney made 7 of 9 field-goal attempts and finished with 16 points, and he and Moody tied for the team lead with four assists apiece. All five of Montana’s starters played at least 30 minutes, with Bannan, Whitney and Moody each playing at least 38, and the starting five attempted 48 of the Grizzlies’s 51 field goals. Josh Vazquez led the bench players with eight minutes.
