Montana holds off Fresno State, 69-65

Comments 0
Published: December 14, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Johnson and Jack McGillis each scored 15 points to help Montana hold off Fresno State for a 69-65 victory on Sunday.

McGillis made 7-of-8 free throws in the final 56.2 seconds as Montana (6-4) withstood a late Bulldogs charge after the Grizzlies nearly squandered a 15-point second half lead.

Sylvester Seay led Fresno State (4-5) with 17 points, while Nedeljko Golubovic equaled a career high with 14.

Montana led 56-43 with less than 7 minutes remaining and looked to be on the way to an easy victory before the Bulldogs finally woke up from a game-long slumber.

Dwight O'Neil's layup started an 8-0 scoring run that brought Fresno State to within 56-51 with 3:26 left.

A highlight-reel dunk by Paul George, in which he drew a foul from Johnson before completing the three-point play, highlighted the surge.

But the Grizzlies refused to crumble. Johnson drove the lane and hit a jumper over Golubovic, and McGillis swished seven straight free throws missing on his eighth attempt with 4.7 seconds left.

Ryan Staudacher added 14 points for Montana, including 4-of-7 from three-point range.

George, Fresno State's leading scorer, finished with 13 points despite playing in constant foul trouble.

Montana led 35-27 at halftime behind Staudacher's 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting.

The Grizzlies used a 13-2 scoring run to take a double-digit lead over the lethargic Bulldogs. Five of Fresno State's first seven possessions resulted in turnovers or missed shots.

George's second 3-pointer, with 1:18 left, trimmed Montana's halftime lead to eight points. The freshman forward was coming off back-to-back games with five three-pointers.

Montana's previous three victories came against Texas-Arlington, Denver and North Dakota.