Cherry sparks Montana past Eastern

| January 14, 2011 8:00 PM

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Will Cherry scored 15 points and capped a 15-1 run early in the game with a 3-pointer that sent Montana on its way to a 66-47 win over Eastern Washington on Thursday night.

Cherry made just 5 of 14 shots, but his 3-pointer with 8:17 remaining in the opening half helped Montana (12-5, 4-1 Big Sky) stretch a 9-8 lead to a 24-9 advantage. Montana led 33-22 at the half.

Brian Qvale had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who extended their advantage to 60-35 on Jordan Wood's 3-pointer with 8 minutes remaining.

Glen Dean led Eastern Washington (3-12, 1-3 Big Sky) with 12 points while Laron Griffin grabbed 8 of his team-high 10 rebounds off the offensive glass.

Eastern Washington plays at Montana State on Sunday.

E. WASHINGTON (4-12)

Griffin 2-7 0-0 4, Ederaine 2-6 1-4 5, Dean 4-8 3-4 12, Forbes 3-6 0-0 7, Winford 2-7 3-3 8, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Colimon 1-6 0-0 2, Johnson 1-9 3-4 5, Allen 1-4 2-2 4, Hyslop 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-54 12-17 47.

MONTANA (12-5)

Steward 5-7 1-5 11, Selvig 2-7 3-4 7, Qvale 5-12 3-4 13, Cherry 5-14 3-3 15, Stockton 2-6 0-0 4, Autry 2-5 1-1 6, Wood 2-3 0-0 6, Adams 0-1 0-0 0, Ward 2-2 0-1 4, Hutchison 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-57 11-18 66.

Halftime_Montana 33-22. 3-Point Goals_E. Washington 3-13 (Winford 1-2, Dean 1-3, Forbes 1-3, Johnson 0-2, Colimon 0-3), Montana 5-18 (Wood 2-3, Cherry 2-5, Autry 1-4, Steward 0-1, Adams 0-1, Stockton 0-2, Selvig 0-2). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_E. Washington 38 (Griffin 10), Montana 38 (Qvale 12). Assists_E. Washington 2 (Dean 2), Montana 14 (Stockton 4). Total Fouls_E. Washington 17, Montana 17. A_3,609.