Montana edges Idaho 57-52 in defensive slugfest

The Montana Grizzlies won their first major test of the young 2011-12 college men's basketball season Thursday with a gritty 57-52 home court win over the visiting Idaho Vandals.

Montana guard Will Cherry led the Griz with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, 4-of-6 from three point range. Cherry's final points -- two free throws with less than a second remaining -- salted the game away. But Cherry previously missed two free throws with 33 seconds left that gave the Vandals a final chance to tie the game with the score 55-52 in Montana's favor.

Idaho guard Stephen Madison hit 3-of-4 second half treys to spark the Vandals from a 34-19 halftime deficit. The Vandals ran off a string of nine unanswered points to claw back into contention in a brutal defensive battle that saw 41 fouls, 21 of them whistled against the homestanding Griz.

The teams canceled each other out in critical statistical categories. The Vandals dominated the boards with a 41-33 margin, but Montana evened things out by forcing 15 Vandal turnovers -- five of them steals -- compared to only eight turnovers.

The defensive punchfest saw the Vandals hit for only 34 percent of their field goals while Montana shot a chilly 31 percent.

PHOTOS: Montana's Will Cherry (top) scores two points on a second half drive. (Bottom) Montana freshman center Billy Reader battles Vandal Landon Tatum for a rebound in second half action.

However -- after shooting poorly from beyond the three-point arc in their two previous games -- Montana shot a much improved 8-of-19 from long range, good for a 41 percent mark.

Sophomore guard Kareem Jamar scored 13 points for the Griz, nine on three first-half treys. Senior Forward Art Steward had a stellar defensive game, and added eight points and eight rebounds. Cherry led all Montana rebounders with 11.

Montana's win was an important early season step, since senior 7-0 post Derek Selvig sat on the bench for the second straight game with a severe ankle sprain. Redshirt sophomore Eric Hutchison and redshirt freshman Billy Reader have gotten important gametime experience in Selvig's absence.

Cherry had a breakout game for Montana, and was repeatedly called upon to score in a physical second half where Montana's shooting percentage wilted in the face of furious Vandal defensive pressure. Cherry, picked to be one of the outstanding defensive guards in Division 1 basketball for the season, carried Montana's offense through most of the second half, ending with his game-clinching free throws.

Grizzly Journal's best Lady Griz action pix of 2011

A young but talented Lady Griz team is picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference for 2011-2012.

But the defending Big Sky Tourney champs look ready and quite capable of defending their title as promising underclass players step into the roles of graduated and otherwise departing players.

PHOTO LEFT: All Big Sky center Katy Baker (#22) battles for control of the ball against two Sacramento State players in last year's conference action.

For a brief refresher on last year's season, take a look at Grizzly Journal's Best Lady Griz action shots of the year. Simply click on the header below to view the photo gallery.

Grizzly Journal's BEST Lady Griz action pix of 2010-2011

Grizzly Journal's Best Griz hoops photos of 2010-2011

If you're searching for a bit of a reflection onto the Montana Grizzlies' successful basketball season of 2010-2011, this is the right place. Check out Grizzly Journal's Best Griz photos of last season as you get ready for another exciting year with the Griz. Simply click on the headline link below...
Grizzly Journal's Best Montana Grizzly Basketball Photos of 2010-2011

Game photos of Duquesne's 87-76 first-round College Basketball Invitational win over Montana, held in Missoula Mar. 16 are now online at Grizzly Journal's photo site.

To view the 50 game photos, simply click on one of the photos to the right, or click on the header at the bottom.

SEE GAME PHOTOS HERE

PHOTOS: (Top) Montana freshman wing Kareem Jamar drives for two of his game-high 22 points against Dukes defender Damian Saunders in first-half action. Jamar also had five rebounds, an assist in three steals in the loss. (Bottom) Montana center Brian Qvale battles for a loose ball against Dukes player Damian Saunders, while Bill  Clark (#30) looks on. Qvale set the Big Sky Conf. record for blocked shots in a single season with his third block of the game. Qvale is now the all-time career and single season Big Sky Conference shot-blocker. Qvale added 15 points and six rebounds to his three blocks in his final game as a Montana Grizzly.