Game Recap

Montana men once again bounce back with win over Portland State

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THE MATCHUP

For the second time in a week, Montana came into Dahlberg Arena needing a win to restore momentum after a shocking loss. Coming off a blowout loss to Idaho State last weekend, the Griz snapped a two-game winning streak on Monday with a close win against Southern Utah. After losing in overtime to Northern Arizona on Thursday, they found themselves in the exact same position, needing a win against Portland State to stop the spiral from deepening. The Vikings had a four-game winning streak snapped in their last game, a 77-74 loss to Montana State in Bozeman on Thursday.

THE RESULT

Montana fought back after Portland State took its only lead of the game midway through the second half, with the Griz eventually taking an 85-76 win as their hot shooting outweighed the turnovers caused by the Vikings’ pressure defense.

In the 1,000th game ever at Dahlberg Arena, Montana shot a blistering 57.4% from the field and made 11 of 16 3-point attempts, by far the best outside shooting performance by any Big Sky team this season. That included a 5 of 5 start from deep that helped stake the Griz to a 17-4 lead.

Portland State, looking to extend its recent hot streak, cut the score to 41-35 at halftime thanks to full-court defense and a relentless dribble-drive attack. The Vikings shot 38 free throws in the game, making 32. They also forced 22 turnovers, including three straight in a quick stretch midway through the second half that gave the visitors a 58-55 lead.

After the last one in that stretch, a throwaway by Josh Bannan, Montana had 20 turnovers with nine minutes, 15 seconds still to play. But the Griz turned the ball over only twice more the rest of the game and Kyle Owens’ layup just over a minute later gave them a 59-58 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

THE STANDOUTS

Sophomore guard Robby Beasley III opened the game with a 3-pointer for Montana. Then he added back-to-back 3s from the same spot on the left wing a couple minutes later. Beasley went on to make 6 of 8 3-pointers, and 7 of 10 shots overall, for a 24-point outing, one off his career-high.

Beasley’s two 3s in the second half were both huge, as one broke a 47-47 tie early in the half and his final one of the night, an NBA-range effort from the left wing, pushed Montana’s lead to seven points with just under five minutes to go.

Sophomore forward Josh Bannan added another impressive statline to his rapidly growing resume, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds on 9 of 13 shooting. His layup after a clever fake handoff narrowly beat the shot clock and pushed Montana’s lead back to seven points with 1:25 to go, all but ending the game.

Sophomore guard Brandon Whitney and junior guard Lonnell Martin Jr. finished with 14 and 12 points for the Griz, respectively.

Martin, making his first start since Dec. 19 in place of the injured Mack Anderson, hit 4 of 6 3-pointers and added seven rebounds.

Michael Carter III led Portland State with 13 points.

QUOTABLE

“I always say that adversity will strengthen you if you survive it. We’ve just had different types of adversity within the same season, and I think this team continues to get stronger and perform with their backs against the wall. It was the same thing with the Southern Utah game.”

Montana head coach Travis DeCuire

“I think they did a good job with the press, most of our turnovers came in the half-court. Pressure busts pipes, that’s what people say, and so it’s just a relentless 40 minutes. You can’t let your guard down.”

Montana head coach Travis DeCuire

BOX SCORE (CLICK)

SOCIAL

WHAT’S NEXT

Montana (17-9, 10-5 Big Sky Conference) hits the road to play Idaho on Thursday. The Vandals recorded just their third Big Sky win of the season Saturday with a shocker over Weber State.

Portland State (6-9, 8-15) hosts Northern Arizona on Thursday.

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About Andrew Houghton

Andrew Houghton grew up in Washington, DC. He graduated from the University of Montana journalism school in December 2015 and spent time working on the sports desk at the Daily Tribune News in Cartersville, Georgia, before moving back to Missoula and becoming a part of Skyline Sports in early 2018.

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