The Montana Grizzlies are in paradise, but they?re all business ? at least for now.
The Griz face the Rainbow Warriors on Friday in Honolulu in their final game of November. The Griz can?t afford to get caught up in the swaying palm trees and the waves lapping at the white-sand beach.
?That?s always a concern when we play in this kind of an environment,? Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. ?Our guys talked before we left Missoula that this is a business trip. I made it very clear that after the other night we don?t want to be 1-4 heading into December. We should enjoy where we?re at, but remember why we?re here.
?If we can get a win on Friday, we have some time to enjoy the sun and maybe get out into the water and that sort of thing on Saturday and Sunday.?
The Griz are coming off an 83-79 loss at Washington of the Pac 12. While there were many positives that came out of the game, one glaring weakness was rebounding. The Griz were on the short end of a 34-14 margin on the glass.
?It?s driving us nuts,? Tinkle said of his team?s rebounding, or lack thereof. ?We know we have to find a way to rebound better. It?s really just a mentality. It?s putting yourself in the proper position to be inside your defender whether you?re in man or zone. When the shot goes up it?s just a war on the boards. Our guys haven?t figured it out for whatever reason.
?When it comes down to rebounding, it?s the aggressor that wins. We have to make sure we stay aggressive.?
On the flip side, the Griz led much of the game, shot the ball well and had a chance to tie the game with 11 seconds to play despite the poor rebounding and the fact that the Huskies got to the free-throw line 18 more times than the Griz. Junior guard Jordan Gregory, who had been recuperating from a sprained ankle, scored a career-high 27 points in the loss.
?As far as competing, I think it?s the best we?ve competed since the South Dakota State game,? Tinkle said of a road win over the Jackrabbits. ?Our guys played their tails off, we shot it well, we shared the ball and we wanted our guys to attack and I think we finally figured that out. Washington is as athletic a team as we?ll face and I thought we handled their athleticism.?
Hawaii improved to 4-2 after a 91-58 win over visiting New Orleans on Wednesday. The Rainbow Warriors enjoyed a 57-28 rebounding advantage in that game and shot 50 percent from 3-point range.
Christian Standhardinger, a 6-foot-8 senior, leads Hawaii in scoring at 18.0 ppg. He had a double-double with 13 points and 14 boards against New Orleans. Isaac Fotu, a 6-8 sophomore, added 14.8 ppg and 5-11 junior guard Keith Shamburger adds 10.2 ppg.
?Shamburger is a really athletic, quick little guard,? Tinkle said. ?He really gets them going. I know inside they have a couple of athletic posts, but really they want to get out and pressure you into mistakes and let the threes fly, play that uptempo style.?
Friday?s game is a return visit after Hawaii came to Missoula in February 2012 for a BracketBusters matchup. The Griz won that game behind a triple-double from Kareem Jamar, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
?They feel like they owe us something from a couple years ago,? Tinkle said. ?They?re going to be a challenge. They have better guards than the last time we played them. They?re a good team.?
The Griz face the Rainbow Warriors on Friday in Honolulu in their final game of November. The Griz can?t afford to get caught up in the swaying palm trees and the waves lapping at the white-sand beach.
?That?s always a concern when we play in this kind of an environment,? Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. ?Our guys talked before we left Missoula that this is a business trip. I made it very clear that after the other night we don?t want to be 1-4 heading into December. We should enjoy where we?re at, but remember why we?re here.
?If we can get a win on Friday, we have some time to enjoy the sun and maybe get out into the water and that sort of thing on Saturday and Sunday.?
The Griz are coming off an 83-79 loss at Washington of the Pac 12. While there were many positives that came out of the game, one glaring weakness was rebounding. The Griz were on the short end of a 34-14 margin on the glass.
?It?s driving us nuts,? Tinkle said of his team?s rebounding, or lack thereof. ?We know we have to find a way to rebound better. It?s really just a mentality. It?s putting yourself in the proper position to be inside your defender whether you?re in man or zone. When the shot goes up it?s just a war on the boards. Our guys haven?t figured it out for whatever reason.
?When it comes down to rebounding, it?s the aggressor that wins. We have to make sure we stay aggressive.?
On the flip side, the Griz led much of the game, shot the ball well and had a chance to tie the game with 11 seconds to play despite the poor rebounding and the fact that the Huskies got to the free-throw line 18 more times than the Griz. Junior guard Jordan Gregory, who had been recuperating from a sprained ankle, scored a career-high 27 points in the loss.
?As far as competing, I think it?s the best we?ve competed since the South Dakota State game,? Tinkle said of a road win over the Jackrabbits. ?Our guys played their tails off, we shot it well, we shared the ball and we wanted our guys to attack and I think we finally figured that out. Washington is as athletic a team as we?ll face and I thought we handled their athleticism.?
Hawaii improved to 4-2 after a 91-58 win over visiting New Orleans on Wednesday. The Rainbow Warriors enjoyed a 57-28 rebounding advantage in that game and shot 50 percent from 3-point range.
Christian Standhardinger, a 6-foot-8 senior, leads Hawaii in scoring at 18.0 ppg. He had a double-double with 13 points and 14 boards against New Orleans. Isaac Fotu, a 6-8 sophomore, added 14.8 ppg and 5-11 junior guard Keith Shamburger adds 10.2 ppg.
?Shamburger is a really athletic, quick little guard,? Tinkle said. ?He really gets them going. I know inside they have a couple of athletic posts, but really they want to get out and pressure you into mistakes and let the threes fly, play that uptempo style.?
Friday?s game is a return visit after Hawaii came to Missoula in February 2012 for a BracketBusters matchup. The Griz won that game behind a triple-double from Kareem Jamar, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
?They feel like they owe us something from a couple years ago,? Tinkle said. ?They?re going to be a challenge. They have better guards than the last time we played them. They?re a good team.?
