PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Will Cherry scored 20 points and Mathias Ward had 18 as Montana defeated Portland State 69-67 on Sunday.
Kareem Jamar added 11 points for the Grizzlies (15-6, 8-1 Big Sky), who moved into a tie with Weber State for first place in the conference standings.
Charles Odum led Portland State (10-11, 4-5) with 19 points. Chehales Tapscott added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Montana led most of the first half but fell behind 32-30 with 2 minutes to play before halftime. The Grizzlies then rattled off 13 straight points, including the first eight of the second half, and led 43-32 after a Ward lay-in with 17:48 left to play.
The Vikings fought back thanks to eight straight points from Odum during a 10-1 run, and cut the lead to 65-63 with 34 seconds remaining. But the Grizzlies hit 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch to secure their 10th win in the last 11 games.
