grizzlyjournal

Montana Lady Griz 84, Ole Miss Lady Rebels 77

The Ole Miss Lady Rebels took away Montana’s dominant inside  game. But the Lady Griz responded by shooting 11-for-28 from three point range for a convincing 84-77 victory in the final game of the Lady Griz 28th Holiday Classic Sunday.

Four Montana players reached double figures, led by 20 from guard Mandy Morales, who nailed 5-for-9 from long range to pace the Lady Griz. Sonja Rogers had 15 points with two conversions from outside the arc while reserve guard Laura Cote added two treys for 10 points.

PHOTO: Johanna Closson drives past Lady Rebel Kayla Melson on early offense. Closson scored 14 points and -- with 20 points on Friday -- was named the MVP of the 28th Lady Griz Holiday Classic.

Forward Johanna Closson -- who was named the tourney MVP -- scored 14 points on a variety of jumpers off of Montana’s press-breaker early offense.

The final 7-point margin was as close as the Lady Rebels could get to Montana, who jumped to a 10-2 lead on three straight treys and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the game, including a 12-point 40-28 halftime lead.

PHOTO: Though Ole Miss outrebounded Montana, Lady Griz post Tamara Guardipee was a force in the paint, pulling down a game-high 10 boards and snaring two steals. Here she passes over   Melson. Guardipee was named to the all-tourney team.

Montana led by as many as 18 points with 8 minutes remaining  before Ole Miss forward Carla Bartee and reserve guard Lindsay Roy led a brief rally that was too little too late. Bartee led the Lady Rebels with 18 points, while post Shawn Goff added 16 and guard Elizabeth Robertson scored 12.

The pace of the game was set early as Ole Miss put the paint  into lockdown with a tight inside and baseline defense. But that left the wings open  and the Lady Griz were able to get good looks with a simple reverse of the passing flow. Five perimeter Lady Griz players converted treys, moving Montana to a comfortable early lead and forcing the Lady Rebels to scramble from behind.

PHOTO: Sonja Rogers drives the baseline past Lady Rebel Elizabeth Robertson. Rogers scored 15 points, dished out four assists and committed only one turnover.

Employing a variety of full court pressure and trapping zone defenses, the Lady Rebels disrupted the flow of the game throughout. But -- with only a few exceptions -- Montana was able to easily break down the pressure for early offense looks by Closson and post Tamara Guardipee, who scored 7 points, and reserve forward Dvera Tolbert, who turned three early offense looks into nifty post moves from the left baseline.

It didn’t help that the Lady Rebels turned the ball over 28 times, many of them on unforced traveling calls.

For the second straight game, Montana shot nearly 50 percent from the field, finishing at 49.2 percent, 39.3 percent from three point range.

Morales, still showing the signs of her foot injury, nonetheless handled the Ole Miss pressure with aplomb, and notched five assists, several on seeing-eye early offense passes over the Ole Miss full court pressure. Rogers was also instrumental in breaking the Lady Rebels pressure and added four assists to Montana’s 17 assist total.

Joining Closson on the all-tourney team were Morales and Guardipee. Gott of Ole Miss and Kat Suderman and Meghan Williams of UC Santa Barbara also made the all-tourney team.

With the win, the Lady Griz close out an impressive pre-season at 10-3. Ole Miss dropped to 5-7.

Montana Pans Orediggers 91-36

Game coverage of Montana's 91-36 rout of the Montana Tech Orediggers won't serve to recount the important stories of this game.

Besides, I'm covering two games tonight, with the Montana Lady Griz set to tipoff against Mississippi in the final game of the Montana Lady Griz 28th Annual Holiday Classic. I may not have much Griz analysis until later... or possibly even tomorrow.

PHOTO: Guard Matt Martin drives to the bucket past Montana Tech forward Casey Briggs. Martin made the shot and added 15 more on a variety of slashing drives and baseline three point shots to lead the Griz to a 91-36 rout over the Orediggers. I will post several more game-action photos soon.

Despite the margin, there were siginificant signs of progress that bear noting as the Griz prepare for their initial conference... a tough road match against the Montana State Bobcats Saturday.

Briefly: Matt Martin came off the bench to lead the Griz in scoring with 17 points, 12 of those points on 4-for-7 shooting from three point range. Every Griz suited up played, and every Griz except Zach Graves scored.

The Griz worked an admirable 23-to-8 assist to turnover ratio and had eight steals, led by Ryan Staudacher's five. Montana shot 50 percent from the field and held the Orediggers to 27.3 percent for the game, and led by as much as 56 points late in the contest.

Jordan Hasquet scored 16 points and led both squads with 13 rebounds, while Andrew Strait scored 16 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field. Staudacher nailed 3-of-6 treys and scored 15 for Montana. Point guard Cameron Rundles dished out 8 assists.

Lady Griz Corral U C. Santa Barbara Gauchos 88-70

The Montana Lady Griz pounced quickly on the U C Santa Barbara Gauchos, grabbed an early 10-2 lead, and surged to an 88-70 win behind 20 points from forward Johanna Closson in the first game of the 28th Annual Lady Griz Holiday Classic Friday.

Montana post Tamara Guardipee added 15 points and took command of the paint over the shorter Gauchos, scoring most of her points on short jumpers after lobbed assists from guards Mandy Morales and Laura Cote.

Morales -- who returned to action after a several-game absence to recuperate an injured foot -- had five assists and scored 10 points in 18 minutes of action, but re-aggravated her foot midway through the second half and did not return to the floor.

Cote, showing steadily improved play, added four assists and  scored 9 points in 25 minutes. But it was Cote’s defense, along with the defense of guard Sonja Rogers, that thwarted UC Santa Barbara’s passing game in the early stages of the game.

PHOTOS: Laura Cote (top photo) drives for two of her 9 points against Ariana Gnekow on a second-half fast break. Middle: Johanna Closson scores over Gaucho defenders Lauren Pedersen and Gnekow. Closson led the Lady Griz with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Bottom: Tamara Guardipee scores two in the paint against Gaucho Kat Suderman.

The Lady Griz grabbed an 11-point lead early in the game, and maintained it through much of the first half before the Gauchos mounted a short rally to climb within six three minutes before halftime.

But Montana, which built the lead back to nine by halftime, jumped the Gauchos again -- at the start of the second half -- and quickly built a 20-point lead they maintained from there.

Though the Gauchos blunted Montana’s outside game somewhat -- holding the Lady Griz to only 4-for-12 from three-point range -- they couldn’t stop Montana’s dominant inside play. The Lady Griz made 27 points in the paint, and had success on driving-penetration-and-assist plays by Morales and Cote.

Closson and Guardipee were the main beneficiaries, supported by freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena, who scored 13 points, notched three assists and grabbed four rebounds in only 10 minutes of action.

The Gauchos -- shut-out most of the night by a swarming Lady Griz defense that forced them into 21 turnovers -- were boosted by 21 points from reserve Meagan Williams, who made 4-of-6 from three point range and made several points off of drives to the bucket from the tip of the key.

No other UC Santa Barbara player scored more than nine points.

The Lady Griz -- although they only out-rebounded the Gaucos 32-31 -- collected 12 steals from their zone and chalked up an efficient 20 assists compared to only 16 turnovers against a swarming, trapping Gaucho defense.

Santa Barbara’s full-court pressure exacted a toll, but not on Montana. The Lady Griz went to the line early and often in both halves, scoring 22-of-30 shots from the line, compared to only 5-of-7 for the Gauchos. The Lady Griz shot 57.4 percent from the field for the game.

Closson burned the Gauchos on a variety of post-ups, quick pivot bankers and baseline jumpers in the game’s early stages on several nice assists from Morales, who returned to action after a several-game absence to recuperate an injured toe.

Rogers had a quiet game, but made two treys at critical junctures in the game and finished with 8 points. Lauren Beck added 9 points and frosh Dvera Tolbert scored 4 points on two nice second-half post moves.  Dana Conway -- who started in the absence of forward Britney Lohman -- didn’t score, but grabbed six rebounds and three steals in 20 minutes of action.

The Lady Griz move to 9-3 while the Gauchos  are now 4-6 on the season.

U C Santa Barbara plays Mississippi (5-5) in the second game of the classic at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Griz will match up against Mississippi at 7 p.m.

Bobcats Stack Up as Favorite Heading into Conference Play

With the exception of one Big Sky Conference league game, it’s still the pre-season and therefore a bit difficult to predict how the conference is stacking up. You can always check out the Sagarin Rankings in USA Today, but I’ve found team rankings to be a somewhat unreliable measure of Big Sky teams until later in the season.

I’ve always preferred making my own chart of comparative scores. My chart -- which is listed below -- includes only those teams which have played more than one Big Sky school. This method omits some pretty important matchups (particularly this year) but can still give a rough picture of how the Big Sky is faring as a conference... and which teams look strongest going in to conference play.

There are some odd results this year. For instance, if the Portland Pilots (West Coast Conference) were in the Big Sky, they might be considered a good bet to challenge for the conference championship. Also, as a conference the Big Sky seems to have slipped a few major notches against the elite Pac 10, Big West and West Coast Conference schools.

Another indicator: The Big Sky Conference is not measuring-up very well against much Division I competition this year. Two national ranking services support that indicator. First, the Sagarin Conference ranking has the Big Sky at 21st, lower than it has ranked over the the two previous seasons. Secondly, not only is no Big Sky team ranked in the College Insider Mid Major Top 25, no school has even received a vote over the last two weeks (Several Big Sky teams, including the Griz, received votes earlier in the season). Only two Big Sky teams (Northern Arizona & Portland State) have beaten a team ranked in the Mid Major Poll.

Here’s how Big Sky teams have stacked up:.

AIR FORCE: Beat Northern Colorado 71-62; lost to Montana 59-57.
BOISE STATE: Beat Idaho State 93-61; lost at Montana State 86-84.
BRIGHAM YOUNG: Beat Idaho State 90-69; beat Weber State 72-57.
CAL POLY: Lost at Northern Arizona 85-51; lost at Portland State 74-66.
COLORADO STATE: Lost to Montana 75-39; beat Portland State 64-63; lost at Northern Colorado 72-59
GONZAGA: Beat Montana 77-54; beat Northern Colorado 77-57.
IDAHO: Beat Eastern Washington 58-49; lost to Idaho State 71-69.
IOWA: Beat Idaho State 58-43; beat Northern Colorado 59-47.
LONG BEACH STATE: Beat Idaho State 66-61 OT; lost at Montana State 74-56.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE: Lost to Northern Arizona 65-56; lost to Montana 69-62.
PEPPERDINE: Lost at Montana State 95-89; won at Northern Arizona 93-87 OT.
NEW MEXICO: Beat Eastern Washington 92-57; beat Weber State 62-32.
OREGON STATE: Beat Idaho State, 56-41;  beat Northern Colorado 65-56.
PACIFIC: Beat Sacramento State 75-62; beat Montana 76-71 OT.
PORTLAND: Won at Montana 58-57, Lost at Eastern Washington 84-75; beat Idaho State  76-52; lost to Portland State 78-73; beat Northern Colorado 70-63.
SAN FRANCISCO: Beat Sacramento State 93-63; beat Weber State 67-65.
SANTA CLARA: Won at Sacramento State 77-65; beat Montana 60-49; beat Eastern Washington 66-57.
UCLA: Beat Idaho State 89-49; beat Portland State 69-48.
UC SANTA BARBARA: beat Montana State 76-61 (play Eastern Washington Dec. 30).
UMKC: lost to Eastern Washington 65-54; lost to Northern Arizona 77-62.
UNLV: Beat Montana State 76-65; beat Northern Arizona 83-74.
UTAH STATE: Beat Northern Arizona 78-62; lost to Weber State 78-71.
WASHINGTON STATE: Beat Eastern Washington 68-41; beat Montana 66-55; won at Idaho State  75-45; beat Portland State 72-60.
WASHINGTON: Beat Eastern Washington 82-68; beat Portland State 84-65.

What these comparative scores don’t show is how well the Montana State Bobcats have played ... and just how much the Sacramento State Hornets have struggled.

Want to build a Big Sky Power Poll based upon these scores? We’d probably start with Montana State in the top spot:

1. Montana State
2. Northern Arizona
3. Portland State
4. Montana
5. Northern Colorado
6. Weber State
7. Eastern Washington
8. Idaho State
9. Sacramento State

"Continuing Education:" An Update on former Griz Coach Krysko

There's a good read in the Christmas Eve edition of the Milwaukee Journal on former Montana coach Larry Krystkowiak, now the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. In his first full season, over a brief Christmas break, Krysko's Bucks are 11-15 so far.

One revealing quote about the balance-imbalance between family and coaching: said Krysko, "Everybody at our house kind of knew what we were getting into. It's not necessarily like you kiss them (his children) goodbye to start the season, but it's pretty close to that..."

Read more about Krysko's first months on the job here.

Host Eagles Nip PSU Vikings 58-57 in Conference Opener

In a game that has to be one of the earliest and oddest Big Sky Conference openers, the Eastern Washington Eagles nipped the Portland State Vikings 58-57 on a driving shot by Kellen Williams in the game's final seconds.

You can read Greg Lee's game coverage in the Portland Oregonian here. 

And, though the Spokane Spokesman Review is a pay-to-read site, you can read Steve Bergum's unedited coverage account here.

Perhaps the most revealing account is Ian Ruder's Oregonian blog account here. Ruder's view is further confirmation for me that nothing can ever be taken for granted in men's Big Sky Conference basketball action. That's what makes it so much fun for me. Is there ever such a thing as an "upset" in conference action?

Ruder's account suggests the Vikings' loss was an upset and that the team -- after being picked as a conference favorite -- will need to "go back to the drawing board." A good read from an astute basketball analyst.

More than anything, the odd scheduling of this contest had to be  tough on the Vikings in particular. The game is a week before the next conference game, but one of three played in December. Most conference games will tip off during the first week in January. Both PSU and EWU resume their non-conference schedule in the first week of January, when conference play begins for the majority of the teams.

Montana's first conference game is Jan. 5 when they travel to Bozeman to challenge former UM assistant coach Brad Huse's resurgent Montana State Bobcats.

Game Notes: Second Overtime Loss in Three Games Stings Montana

Ok, let’s ask the question: Was Andrew Strait’s last-second shot blocked? Or was it Titan goaltending?

The answer: It shouldn’t have mattered because -- a mere 39 and 31 seconds earlier -- Griz guards Cameron Rundles and Ceylon Elgin-Taylor each missed front-ends of one-and-one free throws. If either Montana guard had made even one of the (potential) four, the win would most like have belonged to the Griz.

Rundles stepped to the line with a four-point, 62-58 Montana lead over the homestanding Cal State Fullerton Titans. Two makes could have pushed the margin to six points at the 39 second mark. Nine seconds later Elgin-Taylor missed another front-end with the Griz up by two, 62-20. Had he made both, the Montana lead would have been four.

The 79-76 Montana loss was the second overtime setback on their 3-game California road swing against top quality opponents. But, other than the satisfaction that any of us would surely get seeing the Grizzlies notch a win or two on this brutal swing, I still find myself very encouraged at the quality of Montana’s play heading into conference play the first week in January.

Let’s give solid credit to both Rundles and Elgin-Taylor, who had superb floor games and had previously made many good plays.

PHOTOS: Ceylon Elgin-Taylor played a stellar game at point guard against the Titans with 14 points, four assists and only one turnover. Below -- Jordan Hasquet scored 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and had 8 rebounds and two assists. Andrew Strait had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and pulled down 10 rebounds. All photos were taken during the first game between the teams in Missoula (Nov. 30).

It’s important to note that Montana had possession of the ball on the final regulation-play shot in two out of three of their games, played against teams that are now a combined 21-7 on this young season. Most teams in those venues would love to have that opportunity.

In his post-game comments, Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle said as much. With both of Montana’s overtime losses it’s probably better for Tinkle and his players to analyze why comfortable second-half Montana leads over both the Tigers and the Titans evaporated in the final minutes.

With 11 minutes to play, Montana’s Rundles hit a trey to give the Grizzlies an 11-point 54-43 lead over the Titans. It’s at precisely this juncture in road games that good teams with experienced players will seal up important victories. In at least four games this year the Grizzlies haven’t been able to put their opponents away.

A winning team will learn to put those games comfortably away. The young Grizzlies are not there yet. But that’s another reason why Tinkle scheduled games against formidable opponents. This road swing will be a valuable lesson for a steadily maturing young squad as they head into Big Sky Conference play.

There’s an irony in this stumble: The Grizzlies close literally every practice with a drill that places a  player at the free-throw line in a “must-make” situation.

So, am I slamming Montana’s two guards for the misses? Nah.

Any coach, fan or player should hope for their team to be in that position with the game on the line. That they missed merely means Montana players will mentally replay that game over the course of their holiday break heading into conference play. I’m pretty certain both Rundles and Elgin-Taylor love the challenge and would step up again if given the chance.

But what about an obvious official’ blown call? Yeah. You expect players to make mistakes. But game-changing calls or no-calls are particularly grating. If I heard the guarded post-game comments by Tinkle and Grizzly play-by-play announcer Mick Holien, Strait’s layup -- taken off of a penetration dribble and dish from Rundles -- was “probably” slapped off of the backboard by a Titan defender, which would likely have made it a goaltending, two points for Strait, and a win for the Griz.

But the nature of college basketball makes that situation moot. A referee’s no-call can’t really be analyzed. And you can bet that Cal Fullerton coach Bob Burton -- who may have admitted a bad no-call to Montana coach Wayne Tinkle -- wasn’t about to overrule the refs.

Will the Griz get better because of these losses? They didn’t need the losses, but they’re obviously getting better. Had they held the Titans to 64 points in regulation two weeks earlier they would have had an easy home win.

But, had Montana beaten both the Tigers and the Titans, it would be solid proof that Montana will challenge for the Big Sky Crown. We can’t quite say that at this point. But we can say that the Griz are playing championship caliber basketball for steadily increasing durations of play. That’s encouraging.

At this point we get to hope that college basketball is a game where the bad calls will even out for a team over the course of a year or two. I think that’s why we all love the game. You purchase your ticket not knowing the outcome knowing that you get to celebrate some and bemoan the others.

Otherwise you wouldn’t go.

I know I’ll always be back for more.

SCOUTING REPORT: Montana at Cal State Fullerton, Dec. 20

Montana plays the third game of their California road swing Thursday at Cal State Fullerton, which beat the Grizzlies 100-91 Nov. 30 in Missoula.

Since this is the second meeting of the schools this season, I’ll let my initial scouting report serve as the base for Thursday’s game. You can read that scouting report here. 

Since their previous meeting:
    • The TITANS are 1-1, losing 79-76 at Central Michigan and beating Southern Utah 99-66. Against Central Michigan, the Titans were whistled for 31 fouls. Scott Cutley led the Titans with 21 points, followed by 16 from Junior Russell and 15 from Frank Robinson. Josh Akognon was held to 9 points. Central Michigan limited the Titans to 6-for-21 from three-point range, an average of 28.6 percent. Monday the Titans scored 55 second half points against Southern Utah, hitting 50 percent of their 3-pointers on 11-for-22 shooting. Five Titans scored in double figures, led by Marcus Crenshaw’s 17 and Akongon’s 16.

PHOTOS: In action from the teams' first meeting, Ryan Staudacher is guarded by Titan Frank Robinson. Below, Cameron Rundles drives past (#?). I think it's #15, Junior Russell.

    • MONTANA is 0-3, losing 58-57 in Missoula to the Portland Pilots, losing 76-71 in OT to the Pacific Tigers, and losing 60-49 at Santa Clara. You can read coverage of those games on this site.

THE TEAMS -- The Titans obviously got a huge boost with the return of Scott Cutley, who is averaging 12.5 points per game (including his first game back at Montana). Akognon leads the team with a 20.9 average while Robinson is second at 15.8 ppg. The Titans are currently averaging 85.3 points per game while allowing opponents a 75.6 average.
    The Grizzlies are led in scoring by Jordan Hasquet (15.6), Matt Martin (11.9) and Andrew Strait (10.7). As a team the Grizzlies are scoring 65.6 points per game and allowing 63.9. While the Grizzlies are 0 for December so far, it’s important to note that the team effectively lost two of those games on the final shot in regulation and could easily be 2-2 instead of 0-4.

Perhaps most troubling for the Grizzlies are the (statistically verified) signs of streaky play, heightened by 35 percent field goal shooting in three of their past six games. In those games the Grizzlies have averaged  55 points, a significant 10-points below their seasonal average. Whether it’s a sign of shooting inconsistencies or solid defense by opponents against the Grizzly offense, the pattern has to be of concern for Montana coaches.

HEALTH -- No mention has been made of Montana guard Cameron Rundles’ foot injury, so that has to be a good sign. Grizzly play-by-play announcer, Mick Holien, noted several times during the Montana loss to Santa Clara that Hasquet’s two sprained ankles (can’t get more than tnat!) were slowing him down significantly. Despite two more days of rest, Hasquet will probably be slowed by his injuries.

The Cal State Fullerton web site indicated that Frank Robinson sat out one game with an ankle injury while Eddie Lima has been hampered by a knee problem.

THE MATCHUP: An interesting comparison is Southern Utah, which lost by 14 to the Titans on Nov. 14 and by 33 on Monday. That means SU lost the transition game to the Titans in a big way.  To reverse that pattern, the Grizzlies will need to limit the Titans’ three-point looks (and makes), and eliminate Titan second-shot chances with solid defensive boarding. I believe the Titans (a very physical team that racks up the fouls) can be beaten if the Grizzlies constantly attack the basket with a combo of early offense strategies and patient half court offense. On defense, the Griz need to work the transition game to force the Titans to drive. The best way for this Montana team to force turnovers is to take charges, something we haven’t yet seen much.

Perhaps most importantly, the Grizzlies desperately need a breakout game from their entire guard tandem. Whether it’s making the assist to the low block, driving the lane, hitting the open wing for a three, or pulling up for a jumper in the lane, this is the perfect scenario for Montana’s guards to put it all together. Continued quality minutes from Montana subs, including Brian Qvale, Kyle Strait and Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, are also important, because we know this will be an uptempo game.

Thursday’s showdown might be a “confidence” game more than anything else. If the Griz can show improvement in several critical areas, that might be enough.

To Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle’s credit, the Montana pre-season schedule has been uncompromisingly challenging. Regardless of the record, I still think it’s better to play tough opponents early than it is to build a nifty won-loss record against mediocre opposition.

Lohman scores 18; Lady Griz Rip Montana Western, 70-37

I couldn't make it to the Lady Griz-Montana Western game, an obvious tuneup for the upcoming 28th annual Lady Griz Holiday Classic.

Montana forward, Britney Lohman showed solid signs of moving past early season shooting woes, with 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, an assist and two steals.

PHOTO: Britney Lohman, putting up a shot against Washington State on Dec. 18.

Point guard Sonja Rogers shot 50 percent from the field, scoring 14.

With the exception of Lauren Beck, every Lady Griz player who played scored. I've noticed that Dvera Tolbert hasn't played the last three games (didn't suit up for one). Illness?

This was certainly not a contest to show too much. However, there are signs that this Lady Griz squad is solid offensively from all areas of the court and the bench. They'll only get better from here, particularly when Mandy Morales returns.

Lady Griz Ease Past Washington State 74-54

Sonja Rogers scored 21 points and shot 4-of-8 three pointers to lead the Montana Lady Griz past the Washington State Cougars 74-54 Tuesday.

The heady point guard engineered a Montana charge midway through the first half for a 13 point Montana lead, which the Lady Griz maintained for a 36-25 halftime lead.

PHOTO: Sonja Rogers scores on a fast-break drive to the bucket. Rogers shot 50 percent from three point range on 4-for-8 shooting.

Lady Griz center Tamara Guardipee added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks, dominating the paint at both ends of the floor.

Forward Britney Lohman had a sub-par shooting night, but -- with 12 rebounds -- dominated the boards at both ends for the lady Griz, who outrebounded the Cougars 42-37. Lohman made 3-for-11 shots from the field, finishing with eight points.

The Cougars netted three early three-point field  goals to keep pace with Montana in the early going, but then the Lady Griz zone defense took charge. Even though the Cougars had some success stretching the Montana zone, the Lady Griz held WSU to only 6-for-26 shooting from long range. The Cougars were held to 31.8 percent for the game.

PHOTO: Tamara Guardipee controlled the paint at both ends of the floor, scoring 11 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots.

The Lady Griz had seven blocked shots in the game, several on perimeter shots, including a decisive block of an attempted Cougar three-point shot by guard Lauren Beck.

Behind Rogers’ steady floor game, the Lady Griz methodically picked apart the Cougar defense with a potent inside-outside shooting game. The Lady Griz shsot a deadly 7-for-=13 from three point range (53.8%), but were even more effective in the low blocks as Guardipee, Lohman and freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena repeatedly found seams in the paint for point-blank buckets.

The Lady Griz scored 22 points in the paint compared to 8 for the Cougars. Guardipee, who drew double-team coverage by the Cougars front court defenders, dished out five assists.

PHOTO: Britney Lohman pulled down 12 rebounds and had two assists, one blocked shot and two steals in 28 minutes of play.

The Lady Griz made 15-for-22 of their shots from the free throw line compared to 6-for-10 for the Cougars, who lost front-court players Heather Molzen and Ebonee Coates to fouls with several minutes remaining in the second half. Reserve Katie Calderwood led the Cougars with 10 points. No other WSU player broke into double figures.

The Lady Griz led by as much as 27 points late in the game.

BOTTOM PHOTOS: Guard Laura Cote and forward Sarah Ena drive to the bucket in second half action against the Cougars.

Montana hosts Montana Western Wednesday (Dec. 19th) and then takes a nine-day break before hosting the Lady Griz Holiday Classic Dec. 29th and 30th. The classic is in its 28th year.

Santa Clara 60, Montana 49

I did a running game-commentary with Colin O'Keefe over at Grizzoulian tonight. I'll let that serve as an adequate in-depth analysis of this game, won 60-49 by the homestanding Santa Clara Broncos.

The story of the game was in the stats: another disastrous first-half shooting output from the team (20 points equaled the season low they scored at home against the Portland Pilots) and then several missed front-ends of one-and-one free throw opportunities in the late going after the Grizzlies had narrowed the gap to eight points. The Griz shot 23 percent in the first half and ended up shooting 33 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. The Griz lose by 11 but shoot only 53 percent from the free throw line (7-for-13).

I know there are several Grizzly Journal readers who study basketball statistics carefully. Maybe they can provide some info on shooting percentages as a gauge for winning success. I'm not certain of the precise percentage, but I believe it's broadly acknowledged that a college basketball team won't win very often if it shoots consistently below 43 percent from the field.

The Grizzlies' season-long field goal shooting average is above 43 percent, but dropping steadily after 35 percent shooting nights against Portland and Santa Clara.

A final note on Grizzly Commentator Mick Holien's broadcast. Former Montana shooting guard Mike Warhank (1996-99) did an excellent job supporting Holien's play-by-play with accurate, objective and observant color analysis. Thanks to Mick & Mike for a some great broadcasting!

SCOUTING REPORT: Montana at Santa Clara, Dec. 17

THE GAME: University of Montana, at Santa Clara, Monday, Dec. 17 at 8p.m.

RECORDS: The Santa Clara Broncos are 6-3: Cal State Monterey Bay, (W 66-49), At Simpson University, (W 82-55), at Nevada (L 67-54), at Utah (72-57), at Sacramento State (W 77-65), at Eastern Washington (W 66-57), at Utah State (L 71-65), at San Jose State (W 73-63), Pacific (L 71-65).

Montana takes a 5-5 record into the game with  losses to Gonzaga, Washington State, Cal State Fullerton, Portland and Saturday at Pacific (76-71). The Grizzlies have beaten Colorado State (75-39), Montana State Northern (72-47), South Dakota State (70-61), Air Force (59-57) and Mississippi Valley State (69-62).

PHOTO: Senior Matt Martin scores two against Portland. Because of Santa Clara's front court size, the Grizzlies may need scoring punch from long range at both wings and the top of the key. The ability of Martin (and fellow  guards Ryan Staudacher and Cameron Rundles) to knock down several treys may well be the key to a Montana win.

THE COACH: Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating is in his first season, having previously served for four years as an assistant coach to Ben Howland at UCLA.  Keating, at 35, is the youngest coach in the West Coast Conference, and is known for his recruiting abilities while at UCLA and previously at Tennessee.

HISTORY: Santa Clara leads the series, 4-2, but lost 67-55 at home in the teams’ last meeting, a game where Matt Martin -- then a sophomore -- scored 16 points to lead the Griz.

PERSONNEL: The Broncos will be one of the biggest teams the Griz have faced this year. Broncos 6’-10” center, junior John Bryant, leads the West Coast Conference in shooting percentage with a 62.5 average, is the second-leading scorer in the Conference with a 20.7 points per game average, is ranked fourth in the conference with 8.2 rebounds per game and has 2.22 blocked shots per game through nine games. Senior point guard Brody Angley is second in the WCC with an average of five assists per game. shoots three pointers at a 48 percent average and averages three assists per game compared to 1.73 turnovers.

THE TEAM: As a team, the Broncos lead the West Coast Conference in an impressive seven categories, including: free throw percentage (72%), field goal percentage (52%), three-point field goal percentage (42%), defensive rebounds (25), rebounding margin (+6.9), assists (16.56), and assists-to-turnovers (+1.05). the Broncos have already won five road games so far this season, the biggest of which was a 72-57 win at Utah.

The Tigers average6 68.9 points per game and allow 61.7.

The bulk of  the Tigers’ scoring is produced by Bryant and Angley, but senior forward Mitch Henke also chips in 11.1 points per game on offense. Those three pace the Broncos with 43 points per game average.

THE MATCHUP: Earlier this week Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle said he was considering experimenting more with a larger lineup, and did so early against the Pacific Tigers, giving freshman Brian Qvale his first career start as a Grizzly. Because the Broncos’ front court force is 6’-10” John Bryant, we may well see Qvale get another start. With the Grizzlies’ ‘Big Man’ lineup of Andrew Strait and Qvale, they may match up well enough in the low blocks to neutralize any advantage the Broncos may hold. Also, backup Dave Vanderjagt may see action in a reserve role.

That may mean that Montana guards will need to log solid statistical games -- both in handling the ball and in shooting the three from the wings and the tip of the key. It’s also critical that Griz guards prevent easy entry passes into the low blocks by Broncos guards.  While the Broncos average 16.6 assists per game, they also turn the ball over an average of 15.8 per game. Solid guard play by Montana’s four-deep guard corps will be a key.

An impressive statistic from Saturday’s game against Pacific was that Grizzly guards held the high-scoring guard combo of Steffan Johnson and Chad Troyer to a combined 11 points for the game. The duo had been averaging a combined 29 points per game. Ryan Staudacher was credited as a defensive force for the Grizzlies, and will be relied upon again to limit outside scoring by Broncos guards, particularly Brody Angley.

However, the key to success may be how well Montana’s low post players can neutralize the 6’-10” John Bryant, who has led the Broncos in attempts and scoring this year. Because the Broncos appear to match up very well against Montana’s front court, it may be critical to get good perimeter looks from Matt Martin, Staudacher and Jordan Hasquet (if he is cleared to play).

The Broncos provide yet another solid test of a team equal in strength to any upper-division Big Sky team. The Broncos lost by six at home to Pacific, but has a 77-65 win at Sacramento State, a 66-57 win at Eastern Washington, and split decisions against Utah (won 72-57) and Utah State (lost 71-65).

This is another game the Griz can win. However, it’s a certain bet the Broncos will be keying heavily on Hasquet, so the Griz will need scoring punch from other players/positions in their lineup. This would be a perfect game for Matt Martin to have a career breakout 3-point shooting night.

HEALTH: Junior wing Jordan Hasquet played all of the second half against Pacific on sprained ankles. Hasquet will most certainly not be at full strength Monday. The extent to which he can play may well spell the difference in the game’s outcome.

Hasquet Scores 28 but Griz Fall to Pacific in OT, 76-71

Montana junior swingman, Jordan Hasquet scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had an assist and a block against the Pacific Tigers Saturday.

But Hasquet's last shot -- taken at the buzzer in regulation -- was off mark, and the Tigers scored 10 points in overtime to pull away from the Montana Grizzlies 76-71.

PHOTO: Jordan Hasquet, in action against the Portland Pilots, scored 28 points on 10-for-21 shooting from the field against Pacific.

Playing most of the first half with an ankle sprain from earlier in the week, Hasquet sprained his other ankle shortly before halftime, but returned to lead the Grizzlies to second-half margins of as many as seven points before the Tigers tied the game with less than a minute remaining.

Andrew Strait scored 12 points and Matt Martin had 10 in Montana's losing effort. Guard Ryan Staudacher had six assists against a single turnover and scored five points.

Montana shot 52.8 percent from the field (28-for-53) and 40 percent from three-point range (8-for-20). The Grizzlies made 7-for-9 free throws on the game compared to 23-of-31 free throws for the Tigers.

The Griz scored 31 points in the paint and had a positive 19-assist to 16-turnover ratio.

Lady Griz Pull Away from Winless Vandals, 77-52

After surviving a pugnacious  first-half aggressive zone from the Idaho Vandals, the Montana Lady Griz broke-open a tight game with 13 minutes left and -- behind the 16 points and on-court leadership of Sonja Rogers -- pulled away for a 77-52 win over the Vandals.

Rogers, who made 3-of-4 three point shots, was joined in double figures by center Tamara Gardipee, with 12, guard Laura Cote with 10 and reserve forward Sarah Ena, with 10.

Idaho guard and Missoula native, Lindsey Koppen, scored nine points for the Vandals. Missoulian writer Bill Speltz has a nice profile on Koppen here.

The Lady Griz shot 46.2 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three point range. Montana outrebounded the Vandals by three, 36-33.

Montana had 14 assists, led by Laura Cote’s five, but turned the ball over 16 times. The Vandals committd 25 turnovers and were held to 34.8 percent from the field.

Montana is now 5-3 on the season, the Vandals are winless at 0-10.

PHOTOS: Above, Rogers gets Vandal zone pressure in first-half action. Rogers did not turn the ball over, and had one assist and two steals, one which led to a fast-break bucket.

Below: Britney Lohman drives for two points in first half action. Lohman  had seven points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Tamra Gardipee scores two of her 12 points in first half action. Gardipee pulled down six rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

Lady Griz Lead Vandals by 4 at Half

The Montana Lady Griz took a 29-25 lead over the Idaho Vandals at halftime. More photos and game summary soon.

PHOTO: Lady Griz Dana Conway looks for a pass in first half action against Idaho.

Griz Look for Improvement in Tough Road Swing

Were the pre-season ratings too generous?

Back-to-back home  losses by the Montana Grizzlies have some fans I’ve chatted with second-guessing how good this year’s squad will be.

In essence, the Griz are still a relatively young team and it won’t hurt them to take some lumps early. That could be the case on their current road trip. But the potential is there for Montana to take some big strides, which they can do simply by playing consistently competitive basketball.

Still, a win or two or three would go a long way toward cementing the team’s chemistry and confidence.

I fully believe the Grizzlies have the talent and the potential to win at least a pair. That’s going out on a limb, I know, based upon some puzzling play over the last four games,

But the only serious kind of setback -- worthy of legitimate second-guessing -- would be for Montana to suffer some internal collapse and/or get blown away by their three very tough opponents: the Pacific Tigers tonight, the Santa Clara Broncos Monday and a return-match with the Cal State Fullerton Titans next Thursday.

PHOTO: Montana fans have seen only a hint of freshman center Brian Qvale's potential. Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said Qvale and junior forward Kyle Sharp might see more minutes on the upcoming road trip.

The Griz could lose all three, but won’t get blown out... unless they hit a cold stretch like the one they suffered in the first half against Portland.

The potential’s there. Although Montana appeared dysfunctional for short stretches against the Titans and the Pilots, they still had stretches of solid play against two solid teams. The Titans are a legitimate Mid-Major Top 25 team and the Pilots are going to surprise some teams. Sooner than most expect.

For now, I’ll put my stock in Montana’s potential. That’s because I’ve seen what they can do. The Grizzlies’ first half against Air Force was 20 minutes of perfection. And -- if not for a miniscule 2-minute flat stretch against Washington State -- the Griz played evenly with the Cougs.

Sophomore point guard Cameron Rundles -- when healthy -- is a heady and confident team leader. And his backup, Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, is starting to understand the Griz system game by game. The big if is just how well Rundles’ foot injury is hindering his game.

I think the Griz can steal a win or two with the following:

• Improved man-on guard defense. They Griz won’t beat anyone if opposing guards get easy open looks from long range. This is perhaps Montana’s major challenge. Better defense on the perimeter will force opponents to play them differently. No better game to test that than tonight: Griz Guards will be severely tested against two legitimate all Big West guards in  Steffan Johnson & Chad Troyer.

• Rebounding. The Griz won’t beat many opponents if they can’t at least stay even on the glass.

• Inside-outside game. Montana’ s success springs from its low-post game. When Andrew Strait scores 15+ per game, the Griz can compete with anyone. Once that happens with regularity, the true potential of the Griz outside shooting game will show. The Griz showed a hint of that in their impressive first half 37-point output against Air Force.

• More minutes for Kyle Sharp and Brian Qvale. Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said as much in his mid-week press conference. We’re only seeing a hint of Qvale’s potential. The more playing time he gets now, the better it will be later on. 

The season’s still young. But any success on this road trip is important, because Montana’s first three games in conference loom. They’ll be tough. And they’ll be on the road.

SCOUTING REPORT: Montana at the University of Pacific

THE GAME: University of Montana, at University of the Pacific, Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m.

RECORDS: The Pacific Tigers are 7-3: Western Michigan (W 90-76), Oregon (L, 80-64), Pepperdine (W- 84-78), Lewis & Clark (W 92-47), Sacramento State (W 75-62), St. Louis (L 63-54), Nevada (W 70-66), San Francisco (W 84-57), Pepperdine (L 83-65), Santa Clara (W 71-65).

After a promising start and a second-place finish in the Washington State Cougar Challenge in Spokane, the Grizzlies have lost two straight home games, giving up 100 points to Cal State Fullerton and losing a defensive battle to Portland, 58-57, after suffering through their worst shooting half of the season (24.1%).

PHOTO: Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle hinted he might employ a larger lineup on the road trip. That would probably give Kyle Sharp (shown left against Portland) and Brian Qvale more minutes.

Montana takes a 5-4 record into the game with  losses to Gonzaga, Washington State, Cal State Fullerton Portland. The Grizzlies have beaten Colorado State (75-39), Montana State Northern (72-47), South Dakota State (70-61), Air Force (59-57) and Mississippi Valley State (69-62).

THE COACH: Pacific coach Bob Thomason is the winningest coach in U of Pacific history with 329 in 20 years. Thomason has been named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year five times, most recently in 2005-06. Prior to this year, Thomason’s teams had a 127-33 home record.

HISTORY: Montana leads the series, 8-4, but lost 78-77 last year in Missoula on a last-second shot.

PERSONNEL: Montana  will have to neutralize junior 6’-1” guard Steffan Johnson, who leads the Tigers with a 16.2 points per game scoring average, and junior guard Chad Troyer, who averages 12.8 per game. Junior forward Anthony Brown -- who scored 19 against the Griz in Missoula last year -- is listed as one of the top three rebounders in the Big West Conference so far this year. Forward Anthony Esparza, who torched the Griz with 24 points last season, has graduated. While Pacific point guard Solomon HorseChief was a thorn to the Grizzlies in last year’s loss, he is no longer listed on the Pacific roster (his last game action was against Pepperdine, Nov. 12).

THE TEAM: Thomason’s Tigers have already easily surpassed pre-season picks  as a middle-of-the-pack Big West Conference team, winning as expected in the friendly confines of Stockton’s Spano Center Court and grabbing solid road wins against San Francisco and Santa Clara. One impressive team stat: The Tigers are shooting 50 percent from the field while holding their opponents to 41.1 percent, both tops in the Big West Conference. Further trouble for the Griz, who have struggled in rebounding this season: Tigers are out-rebounding opponents by 5.4 per game on average.

The Tigers average 75.3 points per game and allow 67.8.

The bulk of  the Tigers’ scoring is produced by its starting guards Johnson and Troyer, who combine for 28 of the Tigers’ 74 point-per game average, while forward Brown averages 10.5 points and forward Brian LeDuc averages 8.3.

Any weakness the Tigers might have lies in the back court, where the team has turned the ball over at a steady 17-per-game rate while averaging an unimpressive negative assist-to-turnover ratio of -1 per game. However, the Tigers average seven three pointers per game, with a solid 43 percent shooting average from long range, so the Griz will have to locate long-range shooters again.

THE MATCHUP: Still critical to the Montana’s success is the play of the guard tandem of point Cameron Rundles, Matt Martin, Ryan Staudacher and backup Ceylon Elgin-Taylor. The group is still meshing and has struggled  getting the ball to front court players consistently. Against some teams the Griz have struggled getting the ball to center Andrew Strait. Success getting the ball inside should generate more open looks, where Montana has demonstrated the ability to knock down the three from both wings and from the tip of the key.

Earlier this week Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle said he was considering experimenting more with a larger lineup, which would include moving forward Jordan Hasquet to the wing spot and give more playing time to forward Kyle Sharp and center Brian Qvale. That move would affect 6’-3” Ryan Staudacher’s playing time.

How well the Grizzlies play against the Tigers may have a bearing on their future success. Pacific enters the contest having won at Santa Clara, a team the Grizzlies visit Monday, Dec. 17. Pacific also beat Sacramento State by 12 in Stockton, and split two games with Pepperdine, which beat Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and lost to Montana State in overtime in Bozeman earlier this season.

HEALTH: Sophomore point guard Rundles is still hampered by a chronic toe injury initially suffered in the Grizzlies’ win over Mississippi Valley State. There is some speculation that Rundles’ injury is affecting him -- and the Grizzlies -- more than anticipated.

Griz Ranked Atop Big Sky in Defense, Shooting

The Montana Grizzlies lead the Big Sky Conference in three team categories and are ranked in the top three in three other categories as of Thursday, December 14th.

The Grizzlies lead the conference in points allowed, with  a 63.0 average, and in margin of victory, having scored +3.9 points more than their opponents. Additionally, Montana leads the conference in Assists-to-turnover ratio, with 124 assists compared to 112 turnovers, good for a +1.11  ratio.

Montana is ranked high in several shooting categories. The Grizzlies are second in the conference in field goal percentage, with a 46.1 average, in three-point shooting, with a 39.5% average, and third in 3-point field goals made, with 64, a rate of 7.11 per game.

Grizzly shooting guard Matt Martin leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio with 27 assists in 9 games against 12 turnovers for a +2.25 ratio. Martin is also ranked second in 3-point field goals made with 26, for an average of 2.89 per game, 6th in scoring average with 13.4 points per game., and 4th in free throw percentage with an 84 percent average on 27-for-32 shots.

Other Grizzlies ranked among the  top playes in individual categories include:

• Jordan Hasquet, 3rd in scoring with 136, a 15.1 per-game average;
• Cameron Rundles, 3rd in assists with 38 in 9 games for a 4.22 per-game average;
• Brian Qvale, 3rd in blocked shots with 11 in 9 games for a 1.2 average;
• Rundles is ranked 4th in assist-to-turnover ratio with a +1.73 ratio;
• Andrew Strait is ranked 4th in field goal percentage at 56 percent;
• Hasquet is ranked 5th in rebounding with 61 for a 7.2 per-game average; and,
• Ryan Staudacher is ranked 5th in minutes played, with an average of 30.67 minutes per game.

Montana Frosh Derek Selvig: Redshirt Was Right Decision

Montana freshman basketball recruit, Derek Selvig, recently told me his decision to redshirt for the 2007-08 season was not difficult once he had considered all the pros and cons of doing so.

Selvig -- who has continued to suit up for all Montana’s games, and has also traveled with the team -- said it took some time to make the decision because his coach, Wayne Tinkle was also undecided until a short time before the season began.

“In the long view of things, both Coach Tinkle and I made the decision to redshirt,” said Selvig. “We  believe it will help my career here, especially my fifth year, which I believe can be a lot more productive than if I played this year,” said Selvig.

The freshman, a four-year star from Dawson County High School (Red Devils) in Glendive, practices with the team daily as a regular team member. But he’s jumped aggressively into a strength training program as well.

“I’m definitely working with our weights coach,” said Selvig. “I have a program going already.”

PHOTOS: Derek Selvig (#24) battles Kyle Sharp for a rebound during the Montana preseason open scrimmage. Below, Selvig grabs a rebound in a pre-season game against the University of Great Falls.

Selvig , listed at 7’-0” on the Montana roster, is an inch taller than freshman teammate and friend Brian Qvale. But he’s 30 pounds lighter than Qvale, who has seen action in every game at center so far.

So, Selvig said his primary goal for the season is to gain strength and concentrate on inside play. “I’ve always been predominantly an outside player, “ said Selvig.  “But I’m definitely getting both aspects of the game so far.”

Selvig has shown considerable aptitude for rebounding and defense -- particularly by disrupting passing lanes. The frosh has quick hands and is capable of forcing turnovers and stealing the ball.

That doesn’t mean he is abandoning outside play.

“Over my whole recruiting process a lot of coaches told me that they thought I had potential to play outside, “ said Selvig. “I still want to work on my outside game. I want to work on getting quicker as well as stronger and focus on adapting to the college game.”

“I’m definitely getting experience at all aspects of the game so far, “ said Selvig.

Those familiar with the Selvig name know Derek is the most recent in a long lineage of  Montana Grizzly and Lady Griz basketball players.

His father, Doug Selvig, played for the Grizzlies from 1980-84 and his mother, Anita Novak Selvig, played for the Lady Griz from 1981-85.

Selvig’s uncle, Robin Selvig, played at Montana from 1970-74, but is perhaps better-known as the coach of the Montana Lady Griz since 1978.

Selvig laughed when asked if his uncle Robin had offered any advice regarding his redshirt decision.

“I guess I’ve had a couple of words with my uncle about it,” said Selvig. “And he said the same thing that everyone else said... that no one has ever regretted redshirting.”

Selvig is a link, of sorts, to a long line of outstanding Eastern Montana basketball players who became Grizzlies. One of the all-time Grizzly greats, Roger Fasting (1987-91) hailed from Glendive.

Selvig, who played summers and AAU ball with Qvale, a standout at Williston, North Dakota, said it’s great that Qvale is playing as a frosh even though he isn't. “We’ll have a lot of time to play on the same team,” said Selvig.

“Besides, I know the extra year for getting bigger and stronger will be a plus.”

Cote is Montana Lady Griz MVP for first week in December

Senior guard Laura Cote, starting in place of the injured Mandy Morales, has been selected as the Montana Lady Griz MVP by the Grizzly Journal for her play in two games during the week of December 3rd through
the 8th. Cote scored 26 points in two games and the Lady Griz upped their record to 5-3 on the young season.

The senior led the Lady Griz to a comeback win over the Portland Pilots in Portland, scoring 17 points on six-of-9 shots from the field and 4-for-4  from the free throw line.

Cote was also a catalyst in the Grizzlies’ runaway victory over Cal State Northridge on Dec 8th. Cote scored nine points on 3-for-7 shooting from the field and was again perfect from the free throw line, shooting 3-for-3. Cote had a team-high 5 assists in the win over the Matadors

The Lady Griz next game is Dec. 15th, when they host the Idaho Vandals at Dahlberg arena.

Grizzly Journal Site Changes

Blogging is still a new journalistic endeavor for me. I'm still making tweaks to my Grizzly Journal site with the goal of Improving its look, ease of use and reading. Since I write longer-than average blog posts, I've recently widened the center column to a standard web newspaper-page width so that each story is easier to read.

I also want to continue to post photos with the stories without disrupting the readability of the content.

My problem is that I don't know if the new format works on all browsers. If there are problems, let me know.

Any comments you have about ways I can improve the look and function of the site are appreciated.

Game Notes: Pilot Defense & Shooting Hurt Griz Early

The muffled silence from the Montana Grizzlies locker room revealed the anguish, self-criticism and second guessing of Montana  players after their last-second 58-57 loss loss to a young Portland Pilots team last Friday. In the season-long scheme of things it wasn’t a critical game. But the loss -- without any disrespect to the Pilots -- was still described by Montana players as something that should not have happened, and they were truly set back.

A common explanation by coaches and players was that the Grizzlies played the first half without intensity or “desire.” If that’s accurate, then that should be a major puzzle to players and coaches alike. The Pilots came into the game with a 2-6 record, but had played all but two of their opponents tough. There was ample evidence for Montana not to take the Pilots lightly. Certainly, the return of point guard Taishi Ito makes the Pilots a vastly improved team. But I’m certain the Griz players knew that.

PHOTO: Andrew Strait scores two of his 10 points against the Pilots.

Contrary to some player statements, I didn’t see much careless Montana play early on. Nor did I see many shots that looked hurried or ill advised. But Griz center Andrew Strait told Missoulian reporter Bob Meseroll that the players have to trust their offense and run all options. “We get great looks out of our offense when we run it all the way through,” Strait told Meseroll.

But there are two other explanations for the flat first half game from Montana, both backed up by statistical evidence.

THE PILOTS’ DEFENSE -- Portland coach Eric Reveno, having served for several years as former Montana coach Mike Montgomery’s assistant at Stanford -- is quite familiar with the principals of the Grizzly offense. It was clear early on that the Pilots had scouted the Grizzlies well. They played a tight, packed-in man-on defense with high post switching on the Montana passing game that effectively sealed off the Montana offense early. That forced Montana guards to take several hurried shots from the perimeter as the shot clock wound down.

Beyond that, a comparative stat tells the story of the defenses: the Pilots scored 26 points in the paint on the game compared to Montana’s 16. That’s a swing of 10 points... a huge spread on potentially high-percentage points. But as much as the Pilot defense disrupted the Montana offense early, it doesn’t explain away Montana’s shooting woes.

MONTANA’S FIRST HALF SHOOTING -- It would be convenient to credit the Pilots’ inspired defense as the cause of Montana’s icy first half shooting... but that would be inaccurate. The shots were there. Several of Montana’s 12 first-half three-point shots were open looks. More importantly, a large percentage of Montana’s misses -- particularly in the first half -- were layups or shots in the paint, many of those also uncontested. In today’s college game

PHOTO: Montana freshman Brian Qvale posts up against the Pilots' Jasonn Hannibal.

it’s tough to beat most teams without shooting at least 43-45 percent from the field. The Grizzlies shot 24.1% in the first half and improved to a total of 35.1% by the final buzzer,  compared to the Pilots’ 44.2% total (on 6 fewer shots).

Montana guard Cameron Rundles said it simply enough to me after the game:  “We scored 20 points in the first half and you can’t win any games like that. We held them to 29 and that’s pretty good, but when you only score 20 it’s tough,” said Rundles.

It’s hard to identify patterns this early in the season, but in nine games so far, the Grizzlies are ranked second in the Big Sky Conference with a 46 percent field goal shooting percentage.

But was the Pilots' defense responsible Grizzlies' poor first-half shooting? Nah. Grizzly shooters need to put that game behind them, relax and keep working their offense, like Strait says. Let’s just Hope that the Grizzlies have put their worst shooting game of the year behind them.

GAME IN HAND -- Despite the shooting woes, the Grizzlies were still in good position to win that game. I don’t know about your perspective of Nik Ravio’s last-second 25-foot three-point game-winner, but it looked to me like he was trying desperately to find someone to pass the ball to. But Montana’s defense had all the lanes shut down. So, he leaned right and shot. Great shot, kid. Let’s move on.

OUTSTANDING OFFICIATING -- A few days past I wrote a piece that, in general terms, rhetorically asked some questions about Big Sky officiating. If Friday’s game sets the standard, then I have no grounds for argument. The officials, Scott Harris, John Paul Guerrero and Jim Giron -- called a game of consistency and precision. Most importantly, the game was called in a way that made the officials effectively anonymous. In particular, the final five minutes were played without the officials intervening or stopping the flow of the game. That’s how it should be, I think. Let the teams play out the drama, and make your calls only in the event of an obvious violation. I hope we see many more games at Dahlberg Arena called like last Friday’s.

Lady Griz -- Cal Northridge Game Photos

PHOTO LEFT: Lady Griz senior guard Laura Cote looks for a shot against Cal Northridge defenders. Cote scored nine points and had five assists in the Lady Griz win over the Matadors.

PHOTO 2, BELOW LEFT: Senior forward Johanna Closson scores on a fast break bucket in the Lady Griz' 87-52 win over Cal State Northridge. She scored 12 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in the Lady Griz victory.

PHOTO 3, BELOW LEFT: Freshman forward Dvera Tolbert scores two on this post up move against a Cal Northridge defender. Tolbert played nine minutes, scored two points, pulled down two rebounds and had one steal.

PHOTO 4, BELOW LEFT: Forward Dana Conway drives the baseline against the Matadors. Conway went 3-for-4 from the field, scored eight points, snagged two rebounds and had two assist in the Lady Griz win.

PHOTO 5, BELOW LEFT: Sophomore reserve post Shadra Robinson scores two of her 8 points in the Lady Griz win over Cal State Northridge. Robinson scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and had a steal in the Lady Griz win.

Montana Mauls Cal Northridge, 87-52

The Montana Lady Griz, behind the hot shooting of Johanna Closson and Sonja Rogers, engineered an early offensive charge for a 15-5 lead over the Cal State Northridge and coasted to an 87-52 win over the Matadors in front of 3508 Dahlberg Arena fans Friday.

The Lady Griz made 21-for-35 of their first-half shots for a blistering 60 percent from the field, and 100 percent from three-point range (3-3) Montana had a comfortable 30-point, 51-31 lead by the half.

PHOTO: Freshman forward Sarah Ena battles for possession of the ball with two Cal State Northridge defenders.

Playing limited minutes, the Montana duo tied for game-scoring honors at 12 in a
game where every Lady Griz player saw action, and every player scored. Freshman reserve forward Sarah Ena contributed 11 points, snared 6 rebounds and had a blocked shot in only 13 minutes of action.

Forwards Whitney Ligon and Bianca Davies led the Matadors with 12 and 10 respectively for the outmanned and overmatched Matadors, who at one point in the second half trailed the Lady Griz by 40 points. Cal Northridge is winless so far, and has been outscored by an average of 21.6 points per game before tonight’s contest.

Lady Griz senior Laura Cote, starting in place of the injured Mandy Morales, added nine points and had five assists and a steal for Montana, which upped its record to 5-3 on the young season.

Four other Lady Griz scored 8 points apiece. Montana recorded a 44-33 rebounding margin over the shorter Matadors, who shot 27.6 percent from the field

While the outcome of the game was never in doubt, the Matadors applied a variety of full-court and zone-trap pressure defensive schemes, forcing the Lady Griz into an uncharacteristic 21 turnovers.

Although the Lady Griz cooled off in the second half -- played primarily by Montana reserves -- the team still ended with a 52.2 percent field goal average and made 87.5 percent of their shots from the  free throw line (14-16).

Montana’s next game is a December 15th home contest against the visiting Idaho Vandals.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS will be posted later tonight.

Montana Lady Griz vs. Cal State Northridge

Starting tonight, I will be covering the Montana Lady Griz games through the end of December. Check back later tonight for full game coverage, including photographs.

The Lady Griz host Cal State Northridge tonight and have a full December schedule of games which  include major competition, including: Idaho, Washington State, UC Santa Barbara and Mississippi.

Initially, I plan to emphasize posting several photographs and limit my stories to a brief game summary. Later I intend to post full coverage, including interviews.

Later in the season I plan to publish one or two player features similar to those I have posted for Grizzly players.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for Lady Griz coverage, please let me know.

Ravio's trey lifts Portland Past Montana

In a game brimming with defensive intensity, it was no small irony that three-point shooting -- for the second straight game -- sank the Montana Grizzlies.

Make that a single, critical trey.

With seven seconds remaining, Portland Pilot sophomore guard Nik Ravio lobbed a three-point gernade from directly in front of the Portland bench, and catapulted the young Pilots to a 58-57 victory over the Montana Grizzlies in font of 4130 fans at Dahlberg Arena Friday.

The Grizzlies -- after losing a high-scoring affair to Cal Fullerton in which 191 points and 25 treys were made, -- this time contained the long-range shooters, limiting the Pilots to only four conversions on 9 long-range attempts in a game where only 115 total points and 11 total treys from the teams were made.

Nonetleless, Ravio’s shot -- a last-option, off balance launch with a defender in his face -- found the

PHOTO: Jordan Hasquet puts up a shot over Kramer Knutson. Hasquet missed the shot but was fouled and made both free throws to give Montana a49-46 lead.

bottom of the bucket much like those of the previous game: neatly and with back-breaking impact. A high-arcing rainbow that rimmed once then settled softly, the shot accounted for three of Ravio’s game-high 17 points on deadly 7-for-13 shooting, the final one for the slimmest but best of Pilot leads... and what would be the final score.

Montana guard Cameron Rundles’ lob to Griz forward Jordan Hasquet on the game’s final possession was tipped by a Portland defender, and by the time Hasquet scooped it up for a shot, it was too late.

Seconds earlier -- after two missed freethrows by Pilot center Kramer Knudsen that kept the Grizzly advantage at one, 57-56 -- the Pilots were forced to foul, and sent Rundles to the line with 35 seconds remaining. The Montana sophomore made his first but, after a Portland timeout, missed the second and the Pilots grabbed the rebound to set the stage for Ravio's last second dramatics.

The final margin was some justice for the Pilots, who had taken a 13-point first half lead, settling for a nine-point 29-20 margin at halftime over the stone-cold Grizzlies, who could only manage seven first-half field goals on icy 24.1 percent shooting, missing several layups or point-blank jumpers in the paint.

“We scored 20 points in the first half and you can’t win any games like that,” said a dejected Rundles. “We held them to 29 and that’s pretty good, but when you only score 20 it’s tough.”

Meanwhile the Pilots, behind the efficient floor play of point guard Taishi Ito -- playing his first game since before Thanksgiving in the aftermath of his father’s death -- steadily expanded their lead with a patient motion offense and a dominant 14-rebounding margin (27-13).

Led by center Kramer Knutson’s eight

PHOTO: Kyle Sharp drives against a Pilot defender (Knutson?). Sharp did not put up a shot on this drive, but had three rebounds and two steals in nine minutes of play.

points, two treys by guard Jared Stohl, and four apiece from Raivio, Ito and forward Ethan Niedermeyer, the Pilots took a 29-16 lead at the 2:41 mark before Montana narrowed the gap on four strait points to close out the half.

But the Grizzlies battled back with concerted second-half vigor, scraping back to within five points at the nine- minute mark, before scoring nine straight -- charged by back-to-back three pointers from guard Matt Martin and Rundles -- for a 49-46 Montana lead with 8:06 remaining. It was the first Montana lead since a 9-8 margin at the 14-minute mark of the first half.

Even though the Grizzlies reclaimed the lead with plenty of time remaining, several chances to extend the score eluded the Grizzlies over the next three minutes, a period during which neither team scored a field goal.  Finally at the 5:11 mark, the Pilots’ Knutson scored a layup that triggered a wild final five minutes which were filled with as much drama as the previous 35. Seven lead changes and  one tie ensued before Ravio’s clincher.

Despite Montana’s slow start, It was the Grizzlies’  failure to capitalize during that critical three-minute stretch that most upset Rundles and Hasquet.

“Our shots weren’t falling but our game play was to go inside,” said Rundles, who was favoring his injured left foot after the game.

“But then they sagged off us," Rundles added. "and we weren’t disciplined and took some shots we shouldn’t have. It’s tempting to take some shots, but we’ve got to stay with our game plan.”

“We could have had it in the second half,” added Hasquet. “But we had some breakdowns that cost us the game.”

In the final analysis, the stat line reflected a tight game. Though the Pilots finished with a 9-rebound edge and +10 points in the paint (26-16), the Grizzlies scored 16 points on turnovers, turned-in a solid 13-6 advantage in assists to turnovers, and got balanced scoring from critical players. Hasquet scored 15 on 5-of-12 shooting, Martin had a team-high five assists,  made 3-for-7 treys and finished with 11 points, and Strait added 10 points on 4-for-6 down low. Backup post Brian Qvale scored six points and blocked three shots while grabbing four rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.

The cold-shooting first half was a chilling reminder of several Montana games from last season... games where the Grizzlies fell behind by double digits early, only to rally before falling short. Friday the pattern was repeated.

The Grizzlies jump from the frying pan into a pressure cooker. After a promising 5-2 start on the young season, Montana hits the road for three tough games against California schools that have a combined 16-5 record. One is a return game against the Cal Fullerton team which beat Montana last Friday. Another is a contest against the University of Pacific, a team which last season edged the Grizzlies on a last second shot in a game played out much like Friday’s contest.

“We’ve got to get some things done in Cali, that’s for sure,” said Hasquet. “We’re just going to go back to the drawing board to figure out what we can do to come out (with more energy) in the beginning of games.”

Portland Pilots 58, Montana Grizzlies 57

Nick Ravio hit a three-point shot from directly in front of the Portland bench with seven seconds remaining, lifting the Pilots to a 58-57 win over the Montana Grizzlies Friday.

A complete game story with photos will be posted later this evening.

Dec. 6 Scouting Notes: Portland Pilots

THE GAME: University of Portland Pilots at Montana, Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

RECORDS: The University of Portland Pilots are 2-6, with wins over Liberty and Idaho State and losses to Fresno State (75-68), San Diego State (78-64), Oregon (85-61), Oregon State (67-57), Portland State Brigham Young (78-73) and (78-54). 

Montana takes a 5-3, Big Sky Conference leading record into the game, with  losses to Gonzaga, Washington State and Cal State Fullerton. The Grizzlies have beaten Colorado State (75-39), Montana State Northern (72-47), South Dakota State (70-61), Air Force (59-57) and Mississippi Valley State (69-62).

THE COACH: Eric Reveno is 11-29 in his second year as head coach of the Pilots, but Reveno is 1-0 against UM, having directed the Pilots to a 61-58 win over the Grizzlies last season in Portland. Reveno played basketball at Stanford from 1985-87, 89 and then served as  Mike Montgomery’s Cardinal assistant at Stanford from 1998-2004. He served one year as associate head Coach at Stanford under current head coach Trent Johnson. Note: It would seem logical to expect a Portland offense very similar to Montana’s. Both coaches have studied the historic Montana Hi-lo offense, and both share the Montgomery coaching lineage.

HISTORY: Montana leads the series, 11-4, and is 7-0 in Missoula. The Grizzlies have won four of the past five games the teams have played.

PERSONNEL: Reveno started virtually from scratch in 2006, and his team is very young, with six true freshmen suiting up and joining senior wing Sherrod Watson (11.8 points per game), and two juniors, Walter Thompson and Marcus Carter. Among the promising group of young players, is 6’-8” freshman Center Luke Sikma, son of the famed Seattle Supersonics center Jack Sikma (now assistant coach at Houston). Sikma leads the Pilots with 10.3 rebounds per game and is scoring 8.9 points per outing. Pilot point guard, Taishi Ito, has missed four games, returning to Japan to be with his family after the death of his father. Sophomore guard Nik Raivio has taken over in Ito’s absence and averages 10.5 points per game, while sophomore forward Robin Smeulders averages 11.1 points per game.

THE TEAM: Although Reveno’s Pilots have lost their last four games, they’ve competed well against all but two opponents this year, and have an impressive neutral court win over the  Idaho State Bengals. Last week the Pilots lost a hard-fought home contest  to Portland State (78-73), but Monday were thumped 78-54 by visiting Brigham Young.

The young Pilots have had trouble holding on to the basketball and have committed an average of 17 turnovers per game compared to their opponents’ 12.6. The Pilots have a negative 13-assist to 17-turnover ratio. The Pilots average 65.8 points per game and allow their opponents a 71.9 average and have a 43.1% field goal average, converting only 33’% of their three-point shots. Sikma anchors a solid Pilot low-post defense, with 10  blocked shots and 14 steals so far, and the Pilots out-rebound their opponents by four per game (36.4-32)   

THE MATCHUP: The Pilots are on their way up and, depending upon when point guard Ito returns, could challenge mid-tier West Coast Conference teams during the second half of conference play.

The Grizzlies, despite giving up 100 points in a home-court loss to Cal Fullerton last Friday, still lead the Big Sky conference in scoring defense at 63.6. How well the Grizzlies can keep the Pilots at or under that average may spell the difference. The Pilots will provide another stiff challenge for Montana’s perimeter defense, because guards Ravio (6’-4”) and Watson (6’-6”) along with starter Jared Stohl (6’-2”) have a considerable overall size advantage over Montana guards and are not hesitant to shoot the three over their defenders. The Pilots are ranked third in the WCC in three point shots made (6.50 per game), with Ravio and Stohl ranked in the WCC top 10.

Montana’s defensive success may well depend upon how perimeter defenders can prevent the young Pilot guards from getting into any offensive flow. Expect the Griz to push the boundaries of the Pilot defense after getting burned by the Titans last week.

The Pilots have good front line size have been impressive in the front court, so Montana will need patience to get a low post offensive advantage with 6’-8” Andrew Strait and 6’-8” Jordan Hasquet matched against Sikma and Smeulders (6’-9”). I personally like Montana’s chances in the low blocks and think the Pilots might be a perfect opponent for a breakout offensive game from Montana reserves Kyle Sharp and Brian Qvale.

Room for improvement: Montana leads its opponents by a plus-three margin per game, but it hasn’t been as dominant as teams past. Because the Pilots are a good rebounding team, and because the Grizzlies matchup well against the Pilots in front court size, any improvement in rebounding -- particularly on offense -- could give them a significant advantage.

HEALTH: Good. Sophomore point guard Cameron Rundles (foot injury) has practiced all week and is expected to start.

Montana embarks on a brutal three-game California road swing next week, starting with a Dec. 15 game at University of Pacific (6-2), then a Dec. 17 game at Santa Clara (5-2), before a rematch with the Fullerton Titans (5-1) on Dec. 20.

How Do Big Sky Hoops Officials Rate?

After considerable internal debate over the past several weeks, I have decided to introduce a topic for reader consideration. I’ll phrase it initially as a question. Depending upon reader responses (if I get any at all), and how the season unfolds, I will decide whether or not further address the issue.

Before I make any comments I want to emphasize that I have never discussed the subject with Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle or any of his assistants or, for that matter, any officials at the University of Montana. Furthermore, I do not intend to address the subject with any coaches or players.

The topic is the current state of floor officiating in the Big Sky Conference. How do  Big Sky basketball officials rate?

It was only after I had attended the Washington State Cougar Hispanic College Fund Challenge over the past Thanksgiving weekend that I decided to publicly address my concerns.

Why? Because the six games I watched at the Cougar Challenge were the best officiated group of games I’ve observed over the last 10 years. Bar none.

Of particular interest to me was that I recognized three referees working the challenge who have officiated numerous (perhaps dozens of) games in the Big Sky Conference over several years. Each of those officials was an integral member of the outstanding official pool at the challenge.

This Friday, as I entered the U of M Dahlberg Arena prior to the Montana-Cal State Fullerton game, I recognized one of the referees who had worked at Spokane. I had a sudden impulse to walk up to him and congratulate him on the high standard of officiating at the Cougar Challenge. But I didn’t. I now wish I had.

Of course the subject isn’t new. There have been comments and several stories relating concern or complaints by coaches, administrators and even Big Sky Conference officials over inconsistent game officiating.

In just the past three years the issue has been a focus for me, because I have seen at least five games (two last year) where the officiating descended beyond poor. I choose instead to call the officiating baffling, because the repeated nature of and oddity of numerous calls had such a profound puzzling effect that players and coaches were visibly confused... sort of like puppies who wanted to do the right thing but didn’t know if they’d get praised or scolded.

I had begun to wonder last year and early this year if some rule change defining player possession and blocking fouls had been implemented without my knowledge.

So it was quite reassuring for me to watch the officiating in Spokane and say to myself: “Yup! that was charging. The ref got it right.” Or, “Of course, an obvious blocking foul!”

In fact, a humorous situation developed with the players of the Mississippi Valley State team, who so frequently and blatantly attempted to “fake” charging fouls with yelps and sprawls, that referees (discreetly) and fans (loudly) began laughing at them. What was important here is that officials let the game play on and refused to make calls on what were nonexistent "charging" situations.

I’m not taking a solely “Montana partisan position” here. If I am, then this is a moot issue.

Neither am I carelessly slamming the members of a maligned profession. I have several friends who are excellent basketball officials. Several of my former students are currently outstanding officials. I respect the officiating profession and so I don’t want to blow this out of proportion. I’m certain I’ll soon find out, based upon what kind of response I get.

So, here are my questions: Is there an issue of concern regarding officiating in Big Sky Conference venues? Or, Is a minority of competent Big Sky officials “saddled” with inexperienced, perhaps incompetent younger officials? Or, is the style of officiating in the Big Sky competent, but different?

I’ll leave it there for now. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.

Hasquet, Elgin-Taylor share Grizzly Journal MVP for week 4

Montana Grizzly forward Jordan Hasquet and guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor are the Grizzly Journal Co-MVP players for week four, Nov 18- Dec. 4.

Montana power forward Jordan Hasquet. Hasquet, led the Grizzlies with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting (4-for-7 from three-point range), a team-high 12 rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes. Hasquet continues to produce despite frequent double-coverage and opposing teams’ attempts to manufacture charging fouls from Hasquet. It’s quite a treat to watch Hasquet because few other players can match his full-game intensity or the high standards for success he sets for himself. Hasquet has already placed himself in the upper tier of Big Sky Conference front court players, and is ranked (as of Dec. 4) among the conference leaders in the following categories:
• 3rd in scoring with 121 points, an average of 15.1 per game,
• 4th in rebounding with 57, an average of 7.1 per game,
• 13th in scoring percentage at 47%,
• 8th In offensive rebounds, with a 2.25 per game average,
• 4th in defensive rebounds, with a 4.88 per game average, and
• 13th in minutes played, with an average of 29.13 minutes per game.

Montana guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor. Elgin-Taylor who started in place of Cameron Rundles this week, continues to show steady progress at point. Statistics tell part of Elgin-Taylor’s solid game against Cal State Fullerton: five assists and one steal against only one turnover in 29 minutes of play. The numbers don’t fully document Elgin-Taylor’s rapid adaptation to the Montana back court. His floor vision is improving game by game, and he controls the flow of play by keeping the Griz offense fluid and dynamic. Lately he has been capitalizing on opportunities to drive, raising his profile as both a scorer and a penetrate-and-feed catlyst. Elgin-Taylor had a break-out game against Mississippi Valley State, scoring 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, 2-of-2 free throws an an assist.

GAME NOTES: Mining Gold From a Loss

I wanted to pick up on some comments by reader, Gar (see comments attached to the Griz-Cal Fullerton story), who focused upon the positive aspects of Montana’ 100-91 loss to CSU Fullerton last Friday.

Since I usually interview players and coaches immediately after a game, I’m influenced by their comments. And after the loss to the Titans, there were a lot of negative statements punctuating the locker room air... from both players and coaches. Understandably, the players with whom I spoke were disappointed; the coaches were upset and self-critical.

So, my post-game story focused on coaches’ comments about defensive breakdowns, on players’ comments on missing critical free throws, and player and coach comments on an incomplete execution of pre-game strategy.

PHOTO: Griz forward Kyle Sharp wins the scramble, setting the ball to center Dave Vanderjagt.

But -- as Gar observes -- it was a well-played game in which the visiting team -- ranked 16th in this week’s Mid Major Poll -- shot 15 percent above its seasonal average from three-point range and nearly 20 percent above its seasonal average from the free throw line.

But beyond the Montana coaches’ angst over the Grizzly defense -- there are continuing signs of a steadily improving Montana team.

PLAYERS: Backup point guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, who started in place of a banged-up Cameron Rundles, continues to show steady and solid improvement. Statistics tell part of Elgin-Taylor’s solid game: five assists and one steal against only one turnover in 29 minutes of play. His floor vision is improving game by game, and he controls the flow of play by keeping the Griz offense fluid and dynamic.

Power Forward Jordan Hasquet and center Andrew Strait. Hasquet, led the Griz with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting (4-for-7 from three-point range), a team-high 12 rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes.

PHOTO: Andrew Strait posts up for a pivot and a shot against Titan players. Strait made the shot.

Hasquet continues to produce despite frequent double-coverage and opposing teams’ attempts to manufacture charging fouls from Hasquet. Strait scored 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting, mostly from within the key. If the Griz can continue to get the ball to Strait, the one-two punch of Montana’s two front-court players will pay increasing dividends.

Matt Martin, and Ryan Staudacher. Martin shot 4-for-8 from three-point range and continues to lead the Big Sky in three-point field goals made (23-51), which is five more than the second-ranked Big Sky player. Martin’s already has a plus-8 percent improvement in accuracy over last year. Staudacher scored 11 points on threee-of-four from three-point range. Staudacher is proving to be very durable, and has a very high ceiling as both a scorer and defender.

TEAM: Because of steadily improved guard play, Montana’s shooting percentage is rising. The Griz shot 56.9% Friday, 57% from three-point range.

There are signs that the Montana inside-outside game is starting to click. There are some interesting patterns developing. Last season Montana shot 36% from three-point range. This season they’re clicking at just over 40%, a decimal point behind league leader Northern Arizona. That outside shooting success is starting to flex opponents’ defenses (see Air Force, 1st half) and creating openings for the muscular Montana inside game... which in turn should reverse the cycle to stretch new space on the perimeter. And so on. Against the Titans the Griz scored 40 of their 91 points in the paint. If the pattern continues, we’ll start seeing the Grizzly inside game increase in potency.

Improvement despite the loss. But there are no guarantees. Montana’s next four games are important for this team, because each opponent (including the Titans in Fullerton) is capable of beating the Grizzlies.

But I’m optimistic. If Montana can win three, you can call them ready to battle for the Big Sky title.

Regarding team depth vs. defense

You can read a comment from a reader, Sanchez, which is attached to my previous analysis post entitled: Cal Fullerton Knows How to Build Depth.

But I have included his comment below, not for the sake of argument, but because Sanchez makes a very important observation regarding team depth which I should have included in my original post.

Rather than summarize my original post here, it’s best to read it first (see below: dated Dec. 02, 2007).

Sanchez writes:

It didn't hurt Cal State Fullerton that their youngest players are juniors with Jr. College experience.

Most Jr. College transfers to D-1 schools were the stars of their programs and already have plenty of experience, just like our own Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, or in years past, Bryan Ellis, Virgil Matthews and Kamarr Davis.

Cal State Fullerton has that kind of experienced bench, and could afford to use their bench at will.

Unfortunately the Griz do not have that luxury, and our freshman and sophomores will probably get their experience like most freshman and sophomores that are not immediate impact players.

That experience comes in the last one or two minutes of a game that is already way out of reach one way or the other. True and RS freshman should get some experience, but not in any game that is still in question, pre-conference or no. -- Sanchez.

I checked the Titan roster and confirmed what Sanchez wrote: that every single one of Cal Fullerton’s 13 roster players matriculated to Cal Fullerton as a major college redshirt transfer or as a junior college transfer. Each player is either a senior or junior with one year of varsity experience, in addition to their Titan varsity-level experience. That explains the Titan perceived depth advantage. Sanchez’ comments are on target with regards to a significantly younger and less experienced Montana squad.

Beyond that, I don’t think there are many areas where I would want to compare the Griz against Cal Fullerton. I like the way Montana coaches are building their program.

Regardless, I’m still impressed at what CSF Coach Bob Burton has accomplished with his squad. That admiration is based partly on my long-held belief that teams which regularly go 8-9 players deep in pre-season are better prepared (physically and mentally) for conference and post-season play. It’s an investment in both experience and bench strength, which often pays dividends at crunch time.

Those younger players -- on an already relatively young team -- include Brian Qvale, Greg Spurgetis, Zach Graves and Dave Vanderjagt. While Vanderjagt saw his first limited action just this week, the other three have played significant minutes against teams with different styles of play. I’d just like to see them get more experience.

But, as Sanchez rightly indicates, “True and RS freshman should get some experience, but not in any game that is still in question, pre-conference or no.”

As I wrote in my initial comments, I thought I observed some fatigue. Grizzly coaches, however, said their players didn’t cover Titan shooters aggressively enough.

OK. I’ll concede my point. Because it’s obvious that if the Griz had held the Titans to even their season average (88 pts) it would have been a different game.

In their post-game comments, neither head Coach Wayne Tinkle nor assistant coach Nate DuChesne offered excuses for their team’s loss. Both pointed to breakdowns on defense.  Both also believe the Grizzlies are skilled enough to compete with the Titans

DuChesne was blunt in his game review: “Our defense needs to improve,” said DuChesne. “We’re second in the league in field goal defense, but we give up a 100 points on our court and that’s the obvious problem.

“We knew they had four perimeter shooters and we let them get going,” DuChesne added. “The problem is they were deep, they caught it and shot it from 23 feet. Our hands were down and they just jumped up and shot it and got into a rhythm.”

Montana coaches know their team must learn to compete against teams like Cal Fullerton. That’s surely why they scheduled home-and-home games with the Titans. The Big Sky Conference has three teams -- Northern Arizona, Portland State and Sacramento State -- which play a similar style of basketball.

It’s actually good to play teams capable of uncovering weaknesses in the Griz game. Better to confront that kind of competition now -- and learn from it -- than play a soft schedule and be unprepared when the going gets really tough.

With a challenging pre-conference schedule stacked with formidable opponents, the Grizzlies have already taken a major step toward arming themselves for conference play. It won’t get any easier over the next four games, three of them road contests.

If Montana’s pre-conference schedule doesn’t get them ready for conference play, I don’t know what will.

Cal Fullerton Knows How to Build Depth

In my coverage of Cal State Fullerton’s 100-91 victory over Montana Friday, I neglected to point out a game strategy -- employed by Titan coach Bob Burton -- which I consider an important predictor of a team’s success later on during the season.

Burton gave significant playing time to nine of his players, all of whom saw a minimum of 11 minutes on the floor, with only senior Frank Robinson getting more than 30 minutes. Of those nine, only one failed to score. In contrast, seven Montana players logged 15-plus minutes, and three played more than 30 minutes, with Matt Martin clocking in at 37.

The fact that the Titans played a full bench and still won the game is an indicator of depth and talent. But it can be argued that because so many players saw action, the Titans always had a fresher team on the floor, particularly when they made their crucial second half run. There were obvious signs of physcal and mental fatigue in Montana players precisely at the point the Titans made their run.

Beyond the fact that it’s simply good policy to give

PHOTO: Zach Graves, one of several young Griz players who  will get better with experience.

younger players as many minutes of playing time as possible, the practice pays dividends for coaches and their teams all season long.

There are the obvious benefits:
• younger players get game experience early, when losses aren’t as critical as they are in league play.
• it’s good for team morale because players who see regular action are less likely to experience "morale blues" from riding the bench.
• In the case of a mid or late-season injury to a starter, players who step in will have had real-game experience.
• It sharpens an entire team’s mental involvement. If you know you’re going to play, you stay involved, ready to contribute.

And, there are the long-term intangible rewards:
• Team depth will strengthen game by game. Deep teams will have the ability to withstand the fatiguing season-long grind that often takes its toll on squads that play only 7 or 8 players
• A coach who gives time to young players will be able to use actual game experience to evaluate how younger players can start to fill specific roles later in the season.
• The skill gap between first and second string players narrows over the course of a season, which boosts team chemistry and increases the odds that a team will peak a the right time.

The practice can be a gamble for a variety of reasons. And, some coaches have the continual pressure to win every game NOW, and so they always put their most experienced players on the floor.

For Burton and his Titans, the 9-man rotation is already paying dividends. It’s easy to see that the Titans are already not only deep, but a well-balanced team with solid chemistry. The Titans are ranked a well-deserved 14th in this week's Mid Majors Poll and will certainly challenge for the Big West title.

The Grizzlies have a return match with the Titans in Fullerton on Dec. 20. The game will be an ideal test to measure how well the Griz can make improvements on the defensive lapses Montana Coaches Wayne Tinkle and Nate DuChesne addressed in my intervews with them on Friday. The Griz, like the Titans, have several younger players who have benefitted in recent games by getting more experience. By then, the Grizzlies will have had three more games -- against very tough competition -- to sharpen their defensive focus and build their team depth.

However the game turns out, one thing is certain. Montana's pre-season schedule has been loaded with top tier teams -- each with a unique style of play. It's the perfect schedule to prepare Montana for conference play. And I hope -- despite how tough the schedule is -- upcoming games will provide the right conditions for the Grizzlies to give as much playing time as possible to as many young players as possible. After all, they only stand to get better. And that will be very good for this team down the stretch.

Titans Roll Sixes, Blister Griz 100-91

A quick glance at the stat sheet for the Montana-Cal State Fullerton men'€™s college basketball game at Dahlberg Arena Friday evening might lead the casual fan to conclude an easy Griz win.

What the final 100-91 win by the Titans does not reveal -- among other things - is the ease with which the visitors won. Call it a spanking, a dismantling or a good old-fashioned whipping if you will. The final score -- proof that statistics sometimes lie -- indicated a closer game than a passive crowd of 4236 actually witnessed.

In a span of five-plus minutes midway through the second half of a -- to that point -- spirited Titan-Griz standoff, Cal-Fullerton shooters rolled the dice with six consecutive three-point shots -- sandwiched between a layup and a dunk -- and emerged with flair, chest beating, high fives and a general jaunty comportment, to an 18-point, 80-62 lead that was never seriously blunted from there.

Most befuddling about the Titan win was that Montana shot a better field goal

PHOTO: Ceylon Elgin-Taylor is fouled by  Kenneth Alexander (#21). Elgin-Taylor missed both free throw shots.

percentage (57% to 52%), and even had a better three-point field goal percentage (58% to 56%). So it boiled down to this: when you'€™re hot, you'€™re hot.

In a game where the remaining statistics reveal an evenly-played contest, an 18-point, six-for-six from three-point range, blisteringly hot streak for the Titans quickly, efficiently, almost surprisingly, sealed the win. The term "€œsurprise"€ is not cheaply used here, because Montana defenders -- behind their relatively soft 3-point defense -- seemed surprised that Titan players would shoot from 19, 21 or 23 feet... and make 8-for-10 of them in the process.

For a Montana defense that had been holding opponents to 31 percent from beyond the arc, the 80 percent second-half shooting binge by the Titans (56% for the game) was a back-breaker.

Montana guard Ceylon Elgin Taylor, getting his first start at the point, diagnosed it simply.

"€œThey caught fire," said Elgin-Taylor. "It was hard to stop them. They shot the hell out of the ball. I mean, if we had eliminated even a couple of those shots, the game would have gone down to the wire."€

"The thing is..." said Montana assistant coach Nate DuChesne, "We let them get going. The scouting reports told us that when they catch the ball we'€™ve got to defend and we weren'€™t there."

PHOTO: Andrew Strait scores two of his 21 points.

Montana coach Wayne Tinkle was even less forgiving. "We played poor defense. There€'s no excuse for that."

Tinkle added that the defensive game plan was to "€œforce"€ Titan players to drive  rather than shoot. It became a problem of finishing, said Tinkle.

"We just allowed their shooters to catch and shoot. We were there but we didn'€™t have a hand up. We didn't make our presence known."

The game still boiled down to that 6-minute stretch.

PHOTO: Jordan Hasquet scores two of his team-high 26 points. Hasquet was fouled and made the free throw.

Otherwise the game was a battle, particularly in a rapid-paced first half that saw eight lead changes. Montana had its last lead of the game with four minutes left in the first half after two Martin free throws. The game was tied at 43 with just over a minute remaining.

Fullerton jumped to a quick 6-point lead after halftime, but Montana -- boosted by a two-minute run of 8 consecutive points -- pulled within one at 55-54 on a Martin trey off of a pass from Staudacher.

Then disaster struck. A chance for a Montana lead turned into an open court steal and a layup by CSU forward Frank Robinson. And that was the start of the fateful Titan run... and Montana'€™s collapse.

From their 18-point deficit at the end of CSU'€™s streak, Montana battled back with three mini surges -- the last one ending at 1:18 with a 6-point 87-81 deficit.  But by then the Griz had to foul for possession, and the Titans made 11-of-12 free throws to keep the Grizzlies at bay. Titan wing Frank Robinson led CSU with 30 points while guard Josh Akognon scored 26 and contributed a game-high 6-for-11 treys.

What Montana did right seems moot at this point. But Grizzly front court players Jordan Hasquet and Andrew Strait turned in yeoman'€™s efforts. Hasquet shot 9-for-16 from the field -- for a team-high 26 points -- and snared a game-high 12 rebounds. Hasquet converted 4-of-6 free throws.

Strait returned to his power-post form with a dominant game. Strait sank 9-for-13 shots in the paint -- many on his patented step-through pivot moves -- and converted 3-for-4 from the free throw line.

Grizzly shooting guard Matt Martin continued his steady arc of heady back-court play, scoring 17 points on 4-for-6 three pointers and 3-for-4 free throws. But it was Martin's game-high six assists (tied with Cameron Rundles) that most signaled his development into a senior leader.

Despite shooting only 1-for-5 from the free throw line, Elgin-Taylor continues his solid development as part of Montana's point-guard tandem, contributing five assists while commiting a single turnover. Grizzly shooting guard Ryan Staudacher scored 11 points with 3-for-4 treys and had four assists.

Grizzly Guards turned in a creditable floor game under intense Titan full-court pressure, logging 25 assists in the game against 16 turnovers.

Perhaps the most telling stat in the 9-point loss was the 9 missed free throws that led to a poor 60.9 shooting percentage from the line. Several first half misses kept the Grizzlies from getting a lead.

Both DuChesne and Tinkle saw positive signs in the loss. Strait's resurgent game. The 25 assists against only 16 turnovers. The Grizzlies scored 24 points in the paint. And Montana converted 9 second-chance scoring oportunities.

"€œWe didn'€™t struggle with their pressure,"€ said DuChesne. "€œWe did a good job getting the ball into the post."

"We scored more than enough points to win this game,"€ DuChesne concluded.

"€œBut it was all about our defense..."