Big Sky Conference Tournament: Senior guard Kevin Criswell led No. 2 Montana with 25 points, including six in overtime, to push the Grizzlies into the Big Sky Conference Championship with a 73-71 win against No. 3 Eastern Washington. Montana survived despite blowing a 13-point lead in the final eight and a half minutes. Eastern Washington’s late rally, fueled by freshman phenom Rodney Stuckey, couldn’t quite overcome the Grizzlies. Stuckey finished with 26 points in the loss. The Grizzlies will play No. 1 Northern Arizona, the host of the conference championship game, Wednesday.
Northern Arizona held down home court against No. 5 Sacramento State 98-83 to earn a Big Sky Conference Championship appearance against No. 2 Montana. Senior guard Steve Sir led Northern Arizona with 21 points and helped build a first-half double-digit lead. The Hornets rallied late in the game to pull within four points, but the Lumberjacks turned away the upset bid to cruise to the victory. [3/07/06]
