After shaking off some early rust on Sunday evening, Montana was able to take control down the stretch en route to a 74-65 win over No. 7 seed Northern Arizona in their second round matchup at the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Montana trailed 27-20 late in the opening half but was able to trim the deficit to just one point (31-30) heading into the locker room.

After a back and forth start to the second half, the Grizzlies went on a 12-0 run and a 9-0 run during the final 12 minutes to cement their 74-65 victory.

When his team needed him the most, Montana senior guard Brandon Whitney delivered with a season-high 24 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor. Money Williams chipped in with 16 points as the only other Griz player to hit double figures in scoring.

The Lumberjacks were paced by Trenton McLaughlin’s monster game of 34 points; the senior made 4-of-9 attempts from long range and converted 13-of-24 shots overall.

Montana shot an impressive 55% from the floor compared to a 39% conversion rate for the ‘Jacks.

Montana dominated the inside with a 42-24 advantage when it came to points in the paint. 

The Grizzlies (23-9, 15-3) entered the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 2 seed after splitting the regular season championship with Northern Colorado, Montana’s first Big Sky title since 2019.

The No. 7 Lumberjacks (18-15, 8-10) came into Sunday evening’s action loose and confident following their 66-53 first round win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.

With Sunday’s victory Montana now advances to the semifinals round where they will take on either Portland State or Idaho for a late 9:30 p.m. tip on Tuesday, a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN2.