MISSOULA, Mont. The University of Montana outscored the University of Denver men’s basketball team by 18 points in the second half, as the Grizzlies beat the Pioneers 63-44 at Dahlberg Arena on Thursday evening.

                                                                                      

 “In the first half, we were really ready to play with toughness and focus, and that’s how we need to play,” head coach Joe Scott said. “Now we need to learn how to sustain that level of toughness and focus throughout the entire game.”

 

Junior guard Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) led all scorers with 14 points, while sophomore forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added 12 points and a game-high five rebounds.

 

Montana (4-4) jumped off to an initial five-point lead, but Denver (0-5) stormed back with an 11-0 run, split between Rohnert and Rob Lewis with five and six points during the streak, respectively.

 

The Grizzlies took an 18-16 lead with 6:56 remaining in the half after three-straight baskets by 7-foot freshman Derek Selvig.

 

Rohnert traded buckets with Montana, including a pair of three-pointers, over the next three minutes, and freshman guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) hit a floater with 2:02 remaining to put Denver back on top 26-24.

 

The Griz hit a shot from inside the paint and a free throw to send Montana into halftime with a 27-26 edge.

 

Rohnert led all players with 13 points in the first half, while Rob Lewis had eight points and five rebounds, as DU shot 47.4 percent in the half and Montana hit 54.5 percent of its shots.

 

Stafford gave Denver the lead with a three-pointer to open the second half, but the Griz responded with a 20-3 run over the following seven minutes to take a 15-point lead with 10:32 remaining.

 

A four-point play by sophomore guard Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.) cut the deficit to 49-38 with 9:36 left to play.

 

However, Montana regained the momentum with a 9-0 run that pushed the Grizzlies’ lead to 58-38 with 3:13 remaining and coasted to the victory.

 

Montana shot 62.9 percent in the game, including a 76.9 percent effort in the second half, while Denver was held to 40.5 percent from the field. The Pioneers turned the ball over 20 times and fouled the Grizzlies 22 times, including 15 in the second half, compared to 11 by Montana.

 

Denver continues the Grizzly Basketball Classic against Texas-Arlington on Friday at 7:05 p.m. MT.