Jack McGillis scored 19 points to lead five Grizzlies in double-figure scoring in their 101-57 rout of the University of Great Falls in front of 2,332 fans at Dahlberg Arena.
It was the final exhibition game for the Griz, who open the regular season on Nov. 14 at Colorado State.
“I was thrilled,” Tinkle said. “I was really thrilled with the way our guys came out, the level of intensity with which we played on both ends, and then we didn't relent.
“I told them in the locker room that in the eight years I've been here, that's as focused for the length of a game as I can remember. It's a tribute to our guys and their sense of purpose tonight.”
McGillis was 7-for-8 from the floor, 3-for-4 from the 3-point arc, and added five rebounds, four steals and four assists in just 15 minutes of play. His ball-hawking defense helped jump-start the Griz to a 10-0 lead, from which they never looked back.
McGillis was coming off an 11-point outing against Northwest University in which he played just 13 minutes before fouling out. So maybe the extra two minutes was the difference?
“That always helps,” McGillis said. “I think we continued what we've preached so far - playing hard and playing for each other.”
McGillis also swatted a shot by Levi Lopez a couple of rows into the seats.
“I got a good part of the ball,” McGillis understated.
The other Griz in double figures were Anthony Johnson with 12, Kyle Sharp and Ryan Staudacher with 11, and Brian Qvale with 10. Sharp led the team in rebounding with six, while Michael Taylor and Derek Selvig each added four assists.
Johnson, in particular, looked good. He has a quick release on his soft jumper and scored his dozen in 12 minutes.
“Anthony adds a great dimension to this team; a great dude, a great teammate,” McGillis said. “The kid can definitely play ball.”
The Griz led 45-21 at intermission, then opened the second half with a 27-5 burst to make it 72-26 with 13:21 to play.
The lead grew as large as 53 at 87-34 on a put-back by Nyandigisi Moikobu with 8:25 to play.
The Griz employed an active zone defense at times that led to a number of steals. It's something that first-year assistant coach Bill Evans has helped install.
“We wanted to get that on film, take a look at all our guys playing some different types of zones, man-to-man traps, so we can correct our mistakes and continue to improve,” Tinkle said. “What I think we can do with those is create some offense. We did that tonight and we have to make sure we do it better so we can do it against the Colorado States of the world.”
The NAIA Argos were led by Rayshaun Ames with 15 points and seven rebounds. They shot just 29 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 20 times.
NOTES: Missoula Big Sky product Jesse Corbett scored six points for the Argos on a pair of treys, but Ronan's Aaron Skogen and Trevor Fehr of Corvallis were shut out. ... Thirteen of the 14 Grizzlies scored.
GREAT FALLS (57)
Mins FG-A FT-A Reb PF A Pts
f-Neimeyer 18 0-3 0-0 4 4 1 0
f-Skogen 15 0-4 0-0 2 0 0 0
f-Ames 30 6-15 3-4 7 3 0 15
g-Gregg 24 2-6 2-2 3 4 3 7
g-Edwards 23 3-8 4-6 1 3 0 11
Lopez 27 2-8 2-3 3 2 1 8
Meridyth 14 2-7 4-4 2 1 0 8
Corbett 13 2-5 0-0 1 0 1 6
Fehr 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Lakic 9 0-1 0-0 2 4 1 0
Tarpley 5 0-1 0-0 2 1 0 0
Harrison 16 0-0 2-2 0 4 1 2
Totals 200 17-58 17-21 29 26 9 57
MONTANA (101)
Mins FG-A FT-A Reb PF A Pts
f-Hasquet 18 0-3 1-2 4 1 2 1
f-McGillis 15 7-8 2-2 5 2 4 19
c-Qvale 13 4-6 2-2 3 2 1 10
g-Staudacher 18 4-7 0-0 1 0 0 11
g-Elgin-Taylor 19 3-3 0-1 2 1 3 7
Taylor 22 1-2 4-4 3 1 4 6
Hurley 4 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
Moikobu 9 2-3 0-0 2 0 0 4
Stockton 14 1-2 2-3 2 5 2 4
Johnson 12 5-8 1-2 0 1 0 12
Selvig 23 1-3 3-4 5 1 4 6
Ward 9 0-1 4-4 0 2 0 4
Banny 10 2-2 2-4 2 2 1 6
Sharp 14 4-4 3-4 6 3 0 11
Totals 200 34-52 24-32 37 21 21 101
Halftime score: Montana 45, Great Falls 21.
3-point goals: UGF 6-22 (Corbett 2-3, Lopez 2-5, Gregg 1-4, Edwards 1-4, Neimeyer 0-1, Ames 0-1, Lakic 0-1, Skogen 0-3), UM 9-16 (McGillis 3-4, Staudacher 3-5, Johnson 1-1, Selvig 1-2, Elgin-Taylor 1-1, Hasquet 0-1, Taylor 0-1, Moikobu 0-1).
Turnovers: UGF 20 (Ames 3, Gregg 3, Edwards 3), UM 14 (Selvig 4).
Blocked shots: UGF 0, UM 9 (Selvig 3).
Steals: UGF 6 (Ames 2), UM 15 (McGillis 4).
Officials: Scott Twardowski, Jason Hinch, Scott Brown.
Attendance: 2,332
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at sportsdesk@missoulian.com.
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