Missoula, MT – Montana's superior shooting overcame shaky ball-handling as the Grizzlies defeated Portland State, 85-76, at Dahlberg Arena.
 
The Griz made 27-47 from the field (.574), 11-16 from three-point range (.688) and 20-23 (.870) at the line to pick up their 17^th win of the season and improve to 10-5 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Portland State made it extremely difficult for Montana though, using its defensive pressure to make 12 steals and force 22 turnovers for 22 Viking points. The Griz came into the game with the fewest turnovers in the Big Sky, averaging only 9.8 per game.
 
Michael Carter III, who missed the last two games with injury, led the Vikings with 13 points. He made 5-7 from the field, 1-2 from three-point range and 2-4 at the line. Carter also had a team-high four assists.
 
Damion Squire, Ezekiel Alley and Khalid Thomas all scored 11 for the Vikings, who are now 8-15 on the season, 6-9 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
The Vikings had an off-shooting night, hitting 21-55 from the field (.382) and only 2-12 from distance (.167). But they stayed close by forcing turnovers, committing a season-low six turnovers of their own, and getting to the free throw line to hit 32-38 (.842).
 
Robby Beasley scored a career-high 24 points for Montana on 7-10 from the field, 6-8 from three-point range and 4-6 at the line. Beasley also had five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
 
Montana opened the game by hitting its first five three-point field goals. Meanwhile, the Vikings started 0-8 from the field overall. That was a bad combination for PSU as the Griz had a 17-4 lead a little over five minutes from the opening tip.
 
Over the next seven minutes, the Vikings worked their way back into the contest. Hayden Curtiss scored six points in a nine-point PSU run that closed the Vikings within 25-24 at the 8:08 mark.
 
PSU forced Montana 10 turnovers in the first half, making five steals. The Vikings also made their first 15 free throws of the game and trailed only 41-35 at halftime.
 
The pressure continued to rattle the Griz in the second half. They had 10 more turnovers in the opening 11 minutes. The Vikings were able to come back and tied the contest at 47 and 53, and finally took the lead at 56-55 on a driving three-point play by Squire with 10 minutes to play. A Marlon Ruffin jump shot a moment later had the Vikings ahead 58-55.
 
The Griz responded with a 13-4 run to take back control of the game at 68-62 with 5:39 remaining. Montana's lead never went to double digits, but the Vikings could not get closer than four the rest of the way. The Griz, the second-best free throw shooting team in the nation (.804), made 10-12 at the line down the stretch.
 

GAME NOTES

• Damion Squire made 7-7 free throws in the game and is 31-33 this season (.939).
• Marlon Ruffin (10 points) had his fifth straight game with double figures off the bench.
• Khalid Thomas and Ian Burke had three steals each to lead the Vikings.
• Montana beat the Vikings, 66-64, on Jan. 20 in Portland.
• Portland State returns home for its next three games. The Vikings face Northern Arizona next Thursday at Viking Pavilion.