You would think the major Sacramento newspaper could do this for us, even though we are struggling....oh well
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/01/12/sports/sports03.txt
Griz look for first Big Sky win at Sac State
By BOB MESEROLL Missoulian sports editor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - If any team in the Big Sky Conference can relate to what the Montana Grizzlies are going through, it's probably Sacramento State.
The Griz have lost seven of their past eight games with the only win in that stretch coming against NAIA Montana Tech. Five of those losses have come on the road, where the Griz have spent the better part of December and early January.
Sacramento State's plight has been a little more severe. The Hornets are 0-9 on the road and hadn't beaten a Division I team all season - at least until Thursday night. That changed when Justin Williams knocked down a 16-foot jumper along the baseline with four seconds to play to lift the Hornets to a 78-77 win over Montana State. Now the Hornets (1-3, 3-11) own something the Griz (0-2, 6-9) covet - a Big Sky victory.
The teams will get a chance to commiserate Saturday at 8:05 p.m. MST in the Hornets Nest, where Sac State has beaten the Griz in three of their last four meetings.
“We've got to get off the schneid,” Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. “We've played well enough on the road to be in ballgames in the last couple of minutes, now we need to stay focused and on page to close it out. It's a little troublesome because you wonder if the guys are waiting for the little lapse to come. It's just one of those funks we have to get out of and find a way to win a game.”
If the Griz entertain hopes of contending for a league title, there's no time like the present. Common wisdom says the league champ will win all its home games and half of them on the road. With two of the tougher road trips - Montana State and Northern Arizona - out of the way, the Hornets game is nearly a must-win, even if it is only three games into the 16-game league slate.
“If we could break the ice (Saturday) and take care of business on our homestand, then we could get some confidence going,” Tinkle said, referring to a three-game stretch that begins with Idaho State next Thursday. “We haven't been at home for a long time, in terms of back-to-back games. We'll look forward to getting back there, hopefully on the heels of a victory at Sac. Then if we take care of business we'll be in good shape.”
Montana's players are a little dumbfounded but not downcast after their recent travails.
“To be quite honest, I don't know,” senior Matt Martin said when asked what it will take to finish off a win. “As a player, you feel like you're doing everything you can. The coaches are getting us prepared each week for our opponents. I can't even count how many games we've been in it in the last minute and just can't finish it out. It's no fun losing, but it's not like we're getting blown out or anything. We're right there every game. We've got the pieces, it's just whether we can put them together and finish a game.”
Unfortunately for the Griz, Sac State's strength - its guards - plays right into Montana's weakness, its perimeter defense.
Junior guard Loren Leath leads the Hornets in scoring at 15.3 ppg, despite shooting 13-for-62 (21 percent) over the last five games. Freshman point guard Vinnie McGhee chips in 11.2 ppg while dishing out a league-best 5.5 assists per game. McGhee led the Hornets with 23 points in their win over the Bobcats.
“We can't let them catch fire from beyond the 3-point line, but it's like pick your poison: Do you keep them from shooting from behind the line or keep them from getting to the rim?” Tinkle said. “We've really got to control the dribble because they're a team that looks to attack, and attack, and attack. At home, though, when they start to hit threes they get some momentum going. We'll have to mix up defenses and hope they don't get into a rhythm.”
Conversely, Sac State's weakness - its interior play - plays to Montana's strength, its low-post players, Andrew Strait and Jordan Hasquet.
“We'll look to really pound it at them,” Tinkle said. “We have to be much more patient on the perimeter - no matter what the pressure is like - because we've got good stuff to get the ball in there and get our guys high percentage looks.
“Our perimeter players need to realize that when we do that, the defenses are going to collapse and that's going to free them up on the outside. We've got to be stubborn along those lines and keep feeding the big fellas because they're obviously pretty darn effective in there when they're getting the ball.”
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at [email protected].
Montana Griz at Sacramento State
Saturday, 8:05 p.m., MST
Hornets Nest (1,200)
Radio: KGVO 1290 AM. TV: None.
Records: Montana is 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, 6-9 overall. Sacramento State is 1-3, 3-11.
Last outing: Montana dropped at
72-64 decision at Northern Arizona on Thursday. Sac State downed visiting Montana State 78-77 the same night.
Series: Montana leads 22-5.
Last season: Sac State won 80-72 in Sacramento; Montana won 76-69 in Missoula.
Up next: Montana plays just its second home game in eight outings Thursday against Idaho State. Sac State hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday.
Probable starters
Montana
2-Jordan Hasquet, 6-9 jr. 15.7 ppg
34-Andrew Strait, 6-8, sr. 11.3 ppg
3-Ryan Staudacher, 6-4, so. 7.3 ppg
1-Cam Rundles, 6-1, so. 8.8 ppg
11-Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, 6-2, jr. 3.8 ppg
Sacramento State
5-Darnell Ferguson, 6-4, fr. 1.8 ppg
40-Justin Eller, 6-8, so. 5.1 ppg
3-Vinnie McGhee, 6-0, fr. 11.2 ppg
20-Clark Woods, 6-4, sr. 5.6 ppg
23-Loren Leath, 6-2, jr. 15.3 ppg
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/01/12/sports/sports03.txt
Griz look for first Big Sky win at Sac State
By BOB MESEROLL Missoulian sports editor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - If any team in the Big Sky Conference can relate to what the Montana Grizzlies are going through, it's probably Sacramento State.
The Griz have lost seven of their past eight games with the only win in that stretch coming against NAIA Montana Tech. Five of those losses have come on the road, where the Griz have spent the better part of December and early January.
Sacramento State's plight has been a little more severe. The Hornets are 0-9 on the road and hadn't beaten a Division I team all season - at least until Thursday night. That changed when Justin Williams knocked down a 16-foot jumper along the baseline with four seconds to play to lift the Hornets to a 78-77 win over Montana State. Now the Hornets (1-3, 3-11) own something the Griz (0-2, 6-9) covet - a Big Sky victory.
The teams will get a chance to commiserate Saturday at 8:05 p.m. MST in the Hornets Nest, where Sac State has beaten the Griz in three of their last four meetings.
“We've got to get off the schneid,” Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. “We've played well enough on the road to be in ballgames in the last couple of minutes, now we need to stay focused and on page to close it out. It's a little troublesome because you wonder if the guys are waiting for the little lapse to come. It's just one of those funks we have to get out of and find a way to win a game.”
If the Griz entertain hopes of contending for a league title, there's no time like the present. Common wisdom says the league champ will win all its home games and half of them on the road. With two of the tougher road trips - Montana State and Northern Arizona - out of the way, the Hornets game is nearly a must-win, even if it is only three games into the 16-game league slate.
“If we could break the ice (Saturday) and take care of business on our homestand, then we could get some confidence going,” Tinkle said, referring to a three-game stretch that begins with Idaho State next Thursday. “We haven't been at home for a long time, in terms of back-to-back games. We'll look forward to getting back there, hopefully on the heels of a victory at Sac. Then if we take care of business we'll be in good shape.”
Montana's players are a little dumbfounded but not downcast after their recent travails.
“To be quite honest, I don't know,” senior Matt Martin said when asked what it will take to finish off a win. “As a player, you feel like you're doing everything you can. The coaches are getting us prepared each week for our opponents. I can't even count how many games we've been in it in the last minute and just can't finish it out. It's no fun losing, but it's not like we're getting blown out or anything. We're right there every game. We've got the pieces, it's just whether we can put them together and finish a game.”
Unfortunately for the Griz, Sac State's strength - its guards - plays right into Montana's weakness, its perimeter defense.
Junior guard Loren Leath leads the Hornets in scoring at 15.3 ppg, despite shooting 13-for-62 (21 percent) over the last five games. Freshman point guard Vinnie McGhee chips in 11.2 ppg while dishing out a league-best 5.5 assists per game. McGhee led the Hornets with 23 points in their win over the Bobcats.
“We can't let them catch fire from beyond the 3-point line, but it's like pick your poison: Do you keep them from shooting from behind the line or keep them from getting to the rim?” Tinkle said. “We've really got to control the dribble because they're a team that looks to attack, and attack, and attack. At home, though, when they start to hit threes they get some momentum going. We'll have to mix up defenses and hope they don't get into a rhythm.”
Conversely, Sac State's weakness - its interior play - plays to Montana's strength, its low-post players, Andrew Strait and Jordan Hasquet.
“We'll look to really pound it at them,” Tinkle said. “We have to be much more patient on the perimeter - no matter what the pressure is like - because we've got good stuff to get the ball in there and get our guys high percentage looks.
“Our perimeter players need to realize that when we do that, the defenses are going to collapse and that's going to free them up on the outside. We've got to be stubborn along those lines and keep feeding the big fellas because they're obviously pretty darn effective in there when they're getting the ball.”
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at [email protected].
Montana Griz at Sacramento State
Saturday, 8:05 p.m., MST
Hornets Nest (1,200)
Radio: KGVO 1290 AM. TV: None.
Records: Montana is 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, 6-9 overall. Sacramento State is 1-3, 3-11.
Last outing: Montana dropped at
72-64 decision at Northern Arizona on Thursday. Sac State downed visiting Montana State 78-77 the same night.
Series: Montana leads 22-5.
Last season: Sac State won 80-72 in Sacramento; Montana won 76-69 in Missoula.
Up next: Montana plays just its second home game in eight outings Thursday against Idaho State. Sac State hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday.
Probable starters
Montana
2-Jordan Hasquet, 6-9 jr. 15.7 ppg
34-Andrew Strait, 6-8, sr. 11.3 ppg
3-Ryan Staudacher, 6-4, so. 7.3 ppg
1-Cam Rundles, 6-1, so. 8.8 ppg
11-Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, 6-2, jr. 3.8 ppg
Sacramento State
5-Darnell Ferguson, 6-4, fr. 1.8 ppg
40-Justin Eller, 6-8, so. 5.1 ppg
3-Vinnie McGhee, 6-0, fr. 11.2 ppg
20-Clark Woods, 6-4, sr. 5.6 ppg
23-Loren Leath, 6-2, jr. 15.3 ppg
