By AUSTIN SMITH
The Montana Grizzlies took what a departing fan described as “a walk in the park” Saturday evening, dominating the Carroll College Saints 78-58 for their fifth non-conference win.
The Saints kept the game competitive for the better half of the first period, exhibiting strong low-block defense and an athletic cross-court passing scheme that kept Montana guessing.
To stem the tide senior forward Mathias Ward began chipping away at Carroll’s paint presence with some silky smooth lay-ups, helped along by the range of sophomore guard Jordan Gregory and the always-intense point guard play of Keron DeShields.
Midway through the first period, Ward found himself alone in the key after a frosty pump fake and slammed home a dunk that shifted momentum once and for all towards the Grizzly bench. On the very next play, Kareem Jamar forced a Carroll turnover and iced Ward’s cake with a fast break ‘and-1’, taking the board to 23-17 with eight minutes left in the first.
The second half advent of Montana’s half-court trap took the legs out from under Carroll’s speedy offense, helping the Griz create a 20-point buffer by the nine minute mark. At this point the Saints had no answers for the ‘Maroon Machine’, and went quietly into a blustery Missoula night with their nine-game losing streak in tow.
The Montana Grizzlies will return to Dahlberg Arena next Saturday, December 15th, to face the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The team will then travel to Northern Arizona and Sacramento State for their final two games of 2012, to return to home court in January.