Big Sky foes will lock horns when the Montana Grizzlies (18-9) face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (15-12) at Dahlberg Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Grizzlies are hoping to rebound after their 60-54 loss to Weber State in their last matchup. Michael Oguine was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points. The Fighting Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-71 win against Sacramento State in their last game. Quinton Hooker was the game’s top scorer, registering 34 points on 11-for-12 shooting.
Hooker has been hot for the Fighting Hawks, averaging 25.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers over the past five games.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Grizzlies winning the first matchup 65-61. Martin Breunig put up a double-double in the victory with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Notes
In its last game, North Dakota won by a margin of 26 points. Montana is 6-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. North Dakota has a 6-1 record in blowouts.
The Montana Grizzlies have a defensive rating of 100.1 (ranked 86th), while the North Dakota Fighting Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 229th).
North Dakota has an average field goal percentage of 45.9%. Montana is a solid 5-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Montana Grizzlies rank lower for their field goal percentage (60th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (48th), but the North Dakota Fighting Hawks have a better FG% ranking (80th) than eFG% ranking (139th).
Montana ranks 287th in offensive rebounds, while North Dakota ranks 44th in defensive rebounds.
On average, North Dakota forces a turnover rate of 20.4%. When Montana turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 8-3 record.
