MISSOULA — The Montana Grizzlies rattled league-leading Portland State to earn an important Big Sky Conference men's basketball win Saturday at Dahlberg Arena, pulling past the Vikings 74-68.
Montana scored the first nine points of the game and — after briefly relinquishing the lead late in the first half — took a 30-28 lead into intermission. Griz guard Money Williams scored 14 points in the first half.
The Griz took control early in the second, starting the frame with an 11-1 run. During the stretch, Terri Miller Jr., Portland State's leading scorer at 19.6 points per game, was ejected for a Flagrant 2 dead-ball technical foul after elbowing Montana's Brooklyn Hicks in the face. Miller had just two points on 1-of-7 shooting to that point.
Following Miller's departure, Montana grew its advantage to as many as 21 points, 63-42, with 5:30 to play on a Williams basket, and then held off a furious Vikings rally over the final three minutes.
Jaylin Henderson, Sebastian Tidor and Keyon Kensie Jr. got Portland State back within 68-63 with over a minute to play, but Williams and Tyler Thompson each got buckets and Te'Jon Sawyer made two free throws to help Montana secure the win.
Williams finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including three 3-pointers. He added seven assists.
Thompson, Hicks, Tyler Isaak and Grant Kepley each added nine points for Montana, which has now won two consecutive games to push its record to 16-14 overall and 10-7 in Big Sky play.
Montana closes the regular season Monday at Northern Colorado with hopes of locking up a top-four seed for the Big Sky tournament, which begins next Saturday in Boise, Idaho.
Portland State, which has clinched at least a share of the regular-season conference title, has now lost three consecutive games. The Vikings got 20 points from Henderson and a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double from Kensie.
Portland State (18-10 overall, 12-5 Big Sky) hosts Weber State in its regular-season finale on Monday.
