Missoula, MT – A pair of contested three-point field goals by Aanen Moody in the final 2:15 of the game gave Montana the impetus it needed to break a tie with Portland State and roll on to an 82-73 Big Sky Conference win at Dahlberg Arena.
 
The Griz led the entire night, but the Vikings fought back to tie the game at 68 and 70 with under three minutes to play. That's when Moody, dribbling in front of his own bench, hit a twisting three-point attempt with a hand in his face to get the lead back for Montana at 73-70.
 
PSU got a free throw from Ismail Habib on the other end, cutting the deficit to two points. But Moody hit the same shot, from the same location, under the same pressure on Montana's next possession. Montana led 76-71 with 1:35 to play. It wasn't over, but the Griz had all the momentum back and the home crowd going crazy. 
 
Montana held on from there, scoring six points in the final minute as the Vikings lost their seventh straight game on the road.
 
PSU, which started the week in fifth place in the Big Sky, dropped to 7-9 and seventh place in league, 16-13 overall. Portland State has lost five of its last seven games.

The Grizzlies maintained the best overall record among league teams at 19-9, and at 10-5 are tied for second place in the Big Sky.
 
The Vikings got an excellent performance from KJ Allen, who scored 24 points and matched his career high with 13 rebounds. But Portland State had trouble converting shots around the basket. PSU was a solid 9-20 from three-point range (.450), but only 11-36 on two-pointers (.306).
 
And, you don't want to get into a free throw shooting contest with one of the best free throw shooting teams in the nation. Montana Grizzlies was shooting .793 from the line as a team going into the game. And PSU gave them plenty of chances to convert more.
 
How big a factor were free throws? Montana went more than 10 minutes in the second half without a field goal but never surrendered the lead as they made nine free throws during that span against a foul-plagued Viking team. The Griz made 28-35 in the game (.800), including 20-25 in the second half.
 
Portland State, which never led in the game, could have gone down much more easily. But, like they have all year, the Vikings fought to the end.
 
Trailing 54-41 in the second half, PSU's defensive pressure finally got to Montana. On three consecutive possessions, the Vikings did not allow the Griz across midcourt forcing an in-bound violation, a 10-second violation and a backcourt steal. That triggered a nine-point run and a Montana timeout as PSU pulled within 54-50. 
 
After the timeout, Allen added a pair of free throws and it was 54-52 midway through the half. From there, it was game on as Montana led by single digits - except for the two ties - the rest of the way.
 
PSU was down 67-58 with just under six minutes to play. Threes by Habib and Bobby Harvey, followed by dunks from Isaiah Johnson and Kendall Munson brought the Vikings into a 68-68 tie. With 2:43 to play, Allen hit a pair of free throws to tie the game again at 70-70. 
 
After that, it was Moody's game as his three-pointers took back control for Montana.
 
In addition to Allen, Jorell Saterfield scored 12 points with six rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. Harvey added 12 points and Habib scored 10.
 
PSU finished at 20-56 from the field (.357). The Vikings out-rebounded the Griz, 36-35. But 27 fouls by the Vikings allowed Montana to overcome a second-half shooting drought.
 

GAME NOTES

• KJ Allen had his sixth double-double of the season. That ties him with seven other players in the Big Sky Conference era for eighth-most in a season. The record for double-doubles is 13 by Chehales Tapscott in 2012-13.
• Bobby Harvey made four three-point field goals. He leads the Big Sky Conference with 71 on the season. 
• PSU started the season 5-3 on the road, but is now 5-10.
• Portland State will have a week off before playing at Sacramento State on March 2. The Vikings host Idaho in the season finale on March 4 at Viking Pavilion.