Griz basketball gets wire-to-wire win over UC Davis

MISSOULA — Montana picked up an impressive 78-65 wire-to-wire win on short rest against UC Davis Sunday in the opener of the Basketball Travelers Mike Montgomery Classic. The Grizzlies had five players in double figures and led by as many as 15 in the first half of a big win against the previously unbeaten Aggies.

The Grizzlies (2-1) showed no signs of fatigue after traveling back from Oregon on Friday night with just one day in between games. They went ahead early, forcing 19 total turnovers and scoring 24 points off of them, and led for nearly 39 of the 40 minutes in a comfortable win.

Dischon Thomas led the way with 23 points as the Grizzly frontcourt dominated against a guard-focused UC Davis team. It’s a season-high for Thomas and came just two short of his career high. Laolu Oke did set a career-high with 15 points, including some highlight reel slams that brought a good crowd in Dahlberg Arena to their feet.