Montana

Grizzlies Deal Pilots Home Loss

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Sophomore guard Tim Douglas scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to lead the Portland Pilots, but the Montana Grizzlies had four starters reach double figures to come away with an 80-65 road win on Saturday at the Chiles Center. Montana improves to 6-5 on the season, while the Pilots drop to 3-8 overall.

Sophomore forward Ryan Nicholas added 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Nemanja Mitrovic chipped in 11 points for the Pilots.

Guard Will Cherry finished with a game-high 20 points pacing Montana, while Derek Selvig had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kareem Jamar also finished with 15 points and Art Steward contributed 10 for the Grizzlies.

Montana finished the first half on a 10-3 run to carry a 32-25 lead into halftime. The Grizzlies then opened the second half on fire and drilled four straight three-pointers to jump out to a 48-30 lead, their largest of the night. Portland was able to pull within 10 at 63-53 on a Douglas three-point play with 5:16 remaining, but the Pilots would get no closer.

Portland shot 47 percent from the field compared to 42 percent for Montana, but the Grizzlies made 9-of-18 threes and 23-of-34 free throws. The Pilots were just 2-for-10 from three-point range and 11-for-14 at the foul line. The Grizzlies also gained an 11-4 margin in points off of turnovers, forcing 13 Pilot giveaways while committing only five.

Portland will now hit the road for three straight road games beginning on Monday at Utah. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PST) and the game will be aired live on 800 AM (KPDQ) with a 30-minute pregame show. The Pilots will then travel to Nevada on Thursday, Dec. 22 for a 7 p.m. tip-off before opening West Coast Conference play at Gonzaga on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m.

PurpleGeezer wrote:The refs have come a LONG way under the tutelage of Dave Libbey, though.

I can sure see the difference...

PurpleGeezer wrote:The refs have come a LONG way under the tutelage of Dave Libbey, though.

I can sure see the difference...

DoubleDipper wrote:Yea, I guess we’re all in a bit of a funk after getting blown-out by a team we really should have been competitive against and even beaten.

I can’t blame the ridiculous calls that went against us for the loss, but with 5 minutes to go and UP within 11, one ref took it upon himself to cut the legs out from under the Pilots and Rev.

A positive: Finally, Tim started doing what Tim does best; DRIVE, lay it up, and get fouled.

One thing has remained consistent from the first game of the season; Ryan Nicholas is a stud! Everything now goes through Rhino; he scratches, claws, and dives for everything, and is by far our MVP to this point.

I spoke to our two weeks to go AD after the game, he agrees with RJ, it’s going to be a long season, but it will get better as our young team matures.

It's Rev's job to keep the guys thinking positive and moving forward; I'll leave it to the guy in row 6 to get us fired up!

dholcombe wrote:
I thought it was within 10 when the ref took an axe to us.