No. 11 Gonzaga hoping to build on momentum against visiting Grizzlies

With final exams complete and an impressive win over Alabama added to the resume, Gonzaga has one more task ahead before many of its players board flights home for a short holiday break.

Gonzaga entertains Montana, which is riding a three-game winning streak, on Tuesday. The Zags (9-3) have one more nonconference game – Dec. 28th against NAIA Eastern Oregon – before opening West Coast Conference play against visiting Pepperdine on Dec. 31.

It’s been an interesting, travel-heavy first six weeks of the season against a demanding schedule. Gonzaga was No. 2 in the AP preseason poll, slid to No. 18 after losses to three foes currently in the top 12, including No. 1 Purdue.

The Zags have responded with four straight wins – it would be six if they had protected a seven-point lead in the final 1:40 versus Baylor – to climb back up to No. 11.

Gonzaga owns double-digit wins over Kentucky on Nov. 20 and Alabama last Saturday. Both foes were ranked No. 4 at the time. Both are candidates for GU’s best performance of the season, but handling the Crimson Tide in Birmingham in front of 15,847, most sporting Alabama gear, probably resonated more nationally.

The Zags’ 88-72 win over Kentucky was at the Spokane Arena and the Wildcats have tumbled to No. 19 with a 7-3 record.

Gonzaga would like to enter the Christmas holiday in a cheery mood, but Montana has the same goal in mind after its recent hot streak. The Grizzlies were No. 339 nationally in scoring (62.8 points) and shooting 40.9% from the field, including 31% on 3-pointers, at the start of December.

They shook off the offensive doldrums with three straight wins: 81-56 over South Dakota State, 82-75 over North Dakota State and 81-76 over Prairie View A&M. In addition to their three highest point totals of the season, the Grizzlies had their three best shooting games (56.6, 56.6 and 56.9%).

Montana (6-5) has bumped its scoring average to 67.8 points and its field-goal percentage to 45.3.

The starting five scored all 81 points against Prairie View A&M on Saturday. Forwards Josh Bannan and Dischon Thomas and guards Brandon Whitney and Aanen Moody combined for 76 points.

“I think the biggest thing is our confidence in one another,” coach Travis DeCuire said. “A lot of these guys hadn’t played together before this season and now they have confidence in one another and the things that they can achieve as a unit. Hopefully we continue growing and get a little stronger.”

Ninth-year head coach DeCuire has never had a losing season since replacing Wayne Tinkle, who left Montana for Oregon State. DeCuire guided Montana to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2018 and 2019 with a pair of 26-win teams.

Gonzaga has won the last nine in the series, including the most recent meeting, a hard-fought 61-58 win in Dec. 2015 in DeCuire’s second season. Montana led with a minute to go before Josh Perkins hit a free throw and a go-ahead jumper.

Montana, picked third in the Big Sky Conference coaches’ preseason poll, is No. 161 in the NET rankings. Gonzaga defeated Portland State, picked seventh in the Big Sky preseason poll and currently No. 205 in the NET, by 24 points at the PK85.

The Zags edged Xavier 88-84 at the PK85. Montana lost 86-64 to Xavier in Cincinnati in the second game of the season.

Bannan, a 6-foot-10 forward from Australia, averages a team-leading 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. Moody, a 6-3 senior who played at North Dakota and Southern Utah before transferring to Montana, is next at 15.1 points with a team-high 18 3-pointers.

The 6-1 Whitney, who averages 12.6 points and shoots 65.6% on 2-pointers, is in his third season as a starter. Thomas, a 6-9 forward who played three years at Colorado State, checks in at 12.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

The Grizzlies will open Big Sky play at home against Eastern Washington on Dec. 29 and Idaho on Dec. 31.