Wiltjer, Sabonis help No. 20 Gonzaga edge Montana 61-58
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis each scored 16 points and No. 20 Gonzaga held off Montana 61-58 Tuesday night.
Wiltjer made two free throws with 7.5 seconds left for the final points of the game. A 3-point attempt by Montana's Brandon Gfeller bounced off the front rim as time expired.
Sabonis had 10 rebounds and Wiltjer nine for the Bulldogs (6-2). Josh Perkins scored 13 points and Eric McClellan had 11.
Martin Breunig led Montana (3-4) with 20 points, 18 coming after halftime. Walter Wright added 14 points.
Both teams struggled to score consistently. Gonzaga shot 40 percent from the field and Montana hit just 36.1 percent. Turnovers also were a problem for both teams at times.
Gonzaga trailed 11-9 before holding Montana without a point for six minutes during an 8-0 run.
The Bulldogs led 29-23 at the break and scored the opening basket of the second half. Montana took the lead with a 12-0 run, when Gonzaga missed seven shots and had four turnovers.
The Grizzlies then missed their next seven shots, and Gonzaga's 8-0 run pushed the Bulldogs ahead 39-35.
Gfeller, who scored nine points, tied the game with a 3-pointer with 1:07 to go. Jack Lopez was fouled at the same time and sank two free throws to give Montana a 58-56 lead. In the final minute, Perkins sank one of two free throws before hitting a jumper prior to Wiltjer's final free throws.
TIP-INS
Montana: The Grizzlies and Bulldogs were Big Sky Conference rivals from 1963-64 through 1978-79, when Gonzaga left for the West Coast Conference. The teams had not met since Nov. 11, 2007.Montana has lost the past 10 meetings.
Gonzaga: Senior center Przemek Karnowski was sidelined for the third consecutive game with back problems. Coach Mark Few labels Karnowski ''our best rim protector (on defense).''
UP NEXT
Montana visits Washington on Saturday.
Gonzaga hosts UCLA on Saturday.
