By AUSTIN SMITH
When the ball left Montana guard Kareem Jamar’s hands, he knew the game-winning shot would miss.
The late comeback effort by Montana fell short and the University of San Francisco Dons escaped with a 75-74 win Friday night at Dahlberg Arena.
Jamar’s shot came on the heels of a San Francisco flagrant foul and subsequent free throw from Keron DeShields that pushed the score to 75-74. The Grizzlies had trailed by five as the clock wound towards the final two minutes, but were able to shorten the gap after Jamar’s jumper at 1:48.
A fast-paced series of intentional fouls and missed free throws ensued after Jamar’s bucket. San Francisco shot 45 percent from the line all game, with seven misses coming in the final minute.
Kareem Jamar led all scorers with 25 points and added eight assists and six rebounds. Photo by Austin Smith.
Jamar led all scorers with 25 points and added eight assists and six rebounds. Jordan Gregory, Chris Kemp and DeShields also finished in double-digits; the three combined for 32 points and nine rebounds.
San Francisco gained an early 10-2 lead after a flurry of offensive work from Cole Dickerson. One of four Dons to score in doubles, Dickerson finished the game with 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
Kruize Pinkins also had an impressive game, tallying 22 total points and chipping in 6 rebounds of his own. Combined with Dickerson, the two shut down the inside game for Montana, outscoring the Griz 46-28 in the paint and out-rebounding 35-25.
Montana now faces a road trip that starts in Seattle, Wash., and ends in sunny Honolulu, Hawaii on Nov. 29. The Griz will return to Dahlberg Arena Dec. 11 to host the Idaho Vandals.
GAME STATS (PDF) CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE