MISSOULA, Mont. --- Ryan Slider scored a career-high 18 points and Travis Greenwalt and David Bell each cracked double figures to lead Montana to an 86-53 victory Friday night at Dahlberg Arena.
The win improved the Grizzlies to 12-13 overall and 6-6 in the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State fell to 9-16 overall and 3-8 in league games.
Poor shooting, once again, plagued the Hornets. The team was held to 30.6 percent from the floor after making 19-of-62 shots. On the other hand, UM made 35-of-69 attempts (.507).
Montana nearly led for the entire game but Sacramento State was able to stake a 7-6 advantage at the start of the game. The Griz pushed the lead to double digits midway through the first half and never relinquished control.
UM held a 38-21 edge at halftime and quickly stretched its advantage to 20 points to begin the second half. The team eventually led by 30 with 9:30 to play and extended the lead to 36, 76-40, with 5:44 left on the clock.
Slider made 7-of-13 shots including a three points en route to his 18 points. Greenwalt was an impressive 7-of-8 and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds.
Sacramento State was led by nine points from Rashaad Hooks. The game marked the first time this season that no Hornet was able to score 10 points. Cedric Thompkins paced the team with 10 rebounds.
As a team, Sacramento State 21 turnovers compared to 15 by Montana. The Hornets, however , were able to get to the free-throw line, twice as often (24-12) as the Griz. Once there, the team made a pathetic 10-of-24 attempts.
The Hornets will continue their trip to Montana on Saturday. The team will play its final road game of the season against Montana State. The game will start at 6:05 PST and can be heard on KTKZ 1380 AM and www.hornetsports.com.
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