In Missoula, Montana, the Grizzlies secured an 83-72 victory over Eastern Washington. This triumph allowed them to clinch a share of their 13th Big Sky Conference regular-season title. Sophomore Money Williams played a pivotal role coming off the bench to contribute an impressive 23 points.
Montana concluded the season with a 22-9 record overall and 15-3 in conference play. They share the title with Northern Colorado but head into the conference tournament as the second seed. The tournament, which kicks off on Saturday in Boise, Idaho, sees Montana benefitting from a first-round bye. Their next opponent will be the victor between seventh-seeded Northern Arizona and the eighth-seeded Eastern Washington, who ended their season at 10-21 overall and 6-12 in conference play. Meanwhile, Northern Colorado will face the winner of the matchup between tenth-seeded Sacramento State and ninth-seeded Weber State on Sunday.
Williams was a significant contributor with three 3-pointers, in addition to his three rebounds and three assists. Te’Jon Sawyer added 19 points to the scoreboard, while Joe Pridgen delivered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
On Eastern Washington’s side, Mason Williams was the standout player with 20 points, followed by Andrew Cook with 19 and Emmett Marquardt who added 13 points. The game saw Eastern Washington starting strong, hitting nine consecutive shots while Montana struggled by missing nine straight. This accuracy helped the Eagles secure an early 19-5 lead and a 37-30 edge at halftime.
The tide turned late in the game when Malik Moore nailed a crucial 3-pointer, placing Montana ahead 73-70 with just under three minutes remaining. From there, the Grizzlies widened the gap, aided by senior Brandon Whitney who broke a school record with his 433rd assist. Whitney also contributed 13 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field.
The victory marked a milestone for Grizzlies coach Travis DeCuire, who becomes the first coach in the program’s history to secure four regular-season championships.