MONTANA RALLIES TO SECURE SECOND-STRAIGHT #BIGSKYMBB CHAMPIONSHIP - Mar 17, 2019
BOISE, Idaho (March 16, 2019) - Baskets by Ahmaad Rorie (6'1''-PG-95) and Donaven Dorsey (6'7''-G) midway through the second half surged top-seeded Montana ahead for the first time before claiming a second-straight Big Sky Men's Basketball Championship with a 68-62 win over No. 3 seed Eastern Washington. Rorie and Sayeed Pridgett (6'5''-G) combined for 23 second half points as Montana (26-8) outscored the Eagles 42-31 to earn the Griz their 12th NCAA Tournament berth in program history and a league-record 11th as a Big Sky member. After being held scoreless in the opening period, Rorie's fourth bucket of the second half propelled Montana to its first lead of the night at 47-46 with 11:04 remaining. A Rorie jumper capped off a 7-0 run for the Griz with less than seven minutes to play as Montana stole the momentum after Eastern Washington (16-18) led by as many as 12 points in the first half. 'Commitment to success is very difficult to get people to buy into because they're never 100 percent sure they'll reach that ultimate goal,' said Montana head coach Travis DeCuire . 'As a mentor, I've learned you have to sell a dream and believe. I'm grateful to be here as a back-to-back champion with this group that I have.' A hot-shooting first half lifted Eastern Washington to a commanding lead as a 7-0 Eagles run doubled up Montana at 24-12 with 6:58 to play in the first. Montana responded with an 8-0 spurt near the end of the half to erase a double-digit deficit and trail by five at the break. The Griz overcame a rough shooting start to finish with a 51 percent clip from the field. Pridgett paced Montana with 18 points while Dorsey and Michael Oguine (6'2''-G-96) each added 12 and Rorie finished with 11. Jesse Hunt (6'7''-F-97) concluded his career with 17 points for the Eagles, who fell short to Montana for the second consecutive year. Freshman Kim Aiken Jr. (6'7''-G/F-99) added 14 points and 11 boards. Montana will learn its opening round opponent Sunday when the NCAA Selection Show airs on CBS at 6 p.m. ET.
Big Sky Conf. Tournament Final: Montana - Eastern Washington 68-62 Big Sky Conf. Tournament Semifinals: Montana - Weber State 78-49 Eastern Washington - Southern Utah 77-61
Courtesy of bigskyconf.com
All-Big Sky Conf. Awards 2019 - Mar 17, 2019
All-Big Sky Conf. 1st Team 2019
Davis
Rorie
Harding
Pridgett
Hall
All-Tournament MVP: Ahmaad Rorie (6'1''-PG-95) of Montana Player of the Year: Jordan Davis (6'2''-G-97) of N.Colorado Defensive Player of the Year: Jonah Radebaugh (6'3''-G) of N.Colorado Freshman of the Year: Bodie Hume (6'7''-SG) of N.Colorado Co-Newcomer of the Year: Bernie Andre (6'7''-F) of N.Arizona Co-Newcomer of the Year: Cameron Oluyitan (6'7''-G/F) of S.Utah Co-Newcomer of the Year: Kendal Manuel (6'4''-G-97) of Montana Sixth Man of the Year: Kendal Manuel (6'4''-G-97) of Montana Coach of the Year: Jeff Linder of N.Colorado