Gregory's 17 lead Griz past Eagles
MISSOULA, Mont. - Jordan Gregory hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points Thursday night, helping Montana stay unbeaten in Big Sky Conference play with an 81-66 victory over Eastern Washington.
Gregory was 6 of 7 from the field, including 4 of 5 from behind the arc. Spencer Coleman added 15 points off the bench for the Grizzlies (7-4, 3-0).
Montana's Will Cherry was 0 of 7 from the field but scored eight points on free throws, leaving him two points away from moving into 12th place on the school's career scoring list.
Venky Jois scored 16 points to lead the Eagles (3-10, 1-2), and Collin Chiverton and Thomas Reuter had 15 and 14, respectively, off the bench. Eastern Washington shot a respectable 46 percent from the field but was just 4 of 16 on 3-pointers, while Montana went 9 of 21 from long range.
It was Chiverton's first action since Nov. 23. Last year's Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, Chiverton hadn't played in Eastern's last six games following the death of a close friend in San Francisco. Previously, his mother passed away just as the season began.
Eastern played its first game without former starting point guard Justin Crosgile, who is no longer on the team. Crosgile, who is from Patterson, N.J., and is a transfer from St. Joseph's (Pa.), started EWU's first 12 games and averaged 14.7 points, 5.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
Senior Kevin Winford started at point guard for the Eagles against the Grizzlies and was scoreless and had two assists. True freshman Daniel Hill, who recently became eligible, played 15 minutes and scored four points with an assist at the point.
"Everybody is learning how to play with each other," EWU coach Jim Hayford said. "Venky and Thomas both had great nights - Thomas was really, really solid. Daniel made a few mistakes that come with only playing four games. We have to shoot a little better, especially if teams are going to zone us."
Eastern Washington plays at Montana State on Saturday.
E. WASHINGTON (3-10)
Jois 6-12 4-5 16, Seiferth 1-1 0-0 2, Kelly 0-3 3-3 3, Forbes 2-8 0-0 4, Winford 0-2 2-3 2, Harvey 0-0 1-2 1, Hill 1-2 2-2 4, Reuter 5-6 2-2 14, Dorsey 1-1 1-1 3, Jorg 1-1 0-0 2, Chiverton 4-9 5-6 15, Hickert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-46 20-24 66.
MONTANA (7-4)
Jamar 2-6 2-2 7, Ward 3-8 6-7 12, Hutchison 0-0 1-2 1, Cherry 0-7 8-10 8, Gregory 6-7 1-1 17, Young 0-0 0-0 0, Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Wiley 1-1 0-0 2, Emerson 0-0 0-0 0, DeShields 2-6 3-4 9, Coleman 6-11 2-2 15, Weisner 2-2 4-4 9, Martin 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 22-50 28-34 81.
Halftime_Montana 34-29. 3-Point Goals_E. Washington 4-16 (Reuter 2-2, Chiverton 2-6, Winford 0-1, Hill 0-1, Kelly 0-2, Forbes 0-4), Montana 9-21 (Gregory 4-5, DeShields 2-4, Weisner 1-1, Jamar 1-3, Coleman 1-4, Cherry 0-4). Fouled Out_Coleman, Reuter. Rebounds_E. Washington 28 (Reuter 8), Montana 31 (Coleman, Ward, Weisner 5). Assists_E. Washington 8 (Jois, Winford 2), Montana 17 (Cherry 9). Total Fouls_E. Washington 24, Montana 20. Technical_Chiverton. A_3,269.