POCATELLO, Idaho — Montana squandered a 44-36 halftime lead in an 86-62 Big Sky Conference men's basketball loss to Idaho State at Reed Gym on Saturday.
The Grizzlies led by eight points at the break but were outscored 50-18 in the second half. The Griz scored just two points over the first 6:40 of game action after halftime, and then closed the game making only one field goal over the final 10:25.
In the second half, Montana was 5-of-21 shooting, while Idaho State was 19-of-32. The Bengals also outrebounded the Griz 26-5 after halftime.
For the game, the Griz were 22-of-56 shooting and 8 of 19 from 3-point range. Idaho State was 33 of 59 from the floor and 7 of 15 from behind the arc. The Bengals had the rebounding edge (38 to 26) and scored 42 points in the paint.
Isaiah Griffin scored a game-high 23 points to lead Idaho State, which also got a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds from Jake O'Neil. Connor Hollenbeck added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Dylan Darling had 13 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Malik Moore (12 points) and Jensen Bradtke (10) were the only Grizzlies to score in double figures. Joe Pridgen had a team-high nine rebounds for Montana, which fell to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play.
Idaho State, meanwhile, is now 8-8 overall and 3-2 in conference.
It's a short turnaround for the Grizzlies, who play again on Monday when they host Idaho at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
