Men’s Basketball Defeated By Montana

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Montana’s Anthony Johnson and Will Cherry combined for 40 second half points as the Grizzlies pulled away from Northern Arizona for an 84-64 victory at the Walkup Skydome. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Lumberjacks, giving Montana a season sweep.

The game was close for the first 28 minutes as the game was tied 13 times and featured eight lead changes, showcasing two teams deadlocked in the Big Sky Conference standings.

But Montana (15-7, 6-4 BSC) went on a 19-3 run over the next seven minutes as NAU managed just a single basket and had four turnovers. The Grizzlies made 19-of-25 field goal attempts in the second half, hit 2-of-4 three-pointers and were 15-of-17 (88.2%) from the line - outscoring the Lumberjacks 55-34 in the final 20 minutes.

“Anthony Johnson decided to take over in the second half,” said Head Coach Mike Adras. “We did not have anybody that wanted to defend him. I think he realized that and decided he was going to what he wanted with this game.”

Johnson made 8-of-9 shots and all nine of his free throws in the second stanza and scored 25 points; while Cherry was 5-of-6 from the floor and made 5-of-6 free throws en route to his 15 points in the second half. The backcourt duo combined for 40 of UM's 55 second-half points.

Johnson scored a season-high 28 points, making 9-of-14 field goal attempts and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the line. Cherry scored a career-high 19 points, going 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

“My team did not show up ready to play basketball tonight,” said Adras.

Junior Cameron Jones scored 22 points for the Lumberjacks, shooting 9-for-18 from the field. Junior DeAngelo Jones scored 14 points off the bench and sophomore Josh Lepley added 13 points.

The Lumberjacks shot 43 percent for the game and had 14 turnovers in the contest.

NAU led 30-29 at halftime behind 11 points by Jones and six from Shane Johannsen.

NAU dropped to 11-10 and 5-5 in league play. The Lumberjacks will be off this week before returning to the court next Sunday against Northern Colorado on the road. The game will be televised by Altitude as part of the Big Sky Game of the Week package. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Greeley.