SALT LAKE CITY—Buoyed by a double-double performance by
Malik Moore, the first of his career, that saw him score 18 points and secure 11 rebounds, the Adams State Grizzlies escaped Behnken Field House with a 69-65 win over the Westminster Griffins.
Adams State, who is now 6-6 on the season, came out sluggish as they were 1-of-6 in the opening five minutes. The cold-shooting saw them in a 7-2 hole at the first media timeout. But the ball turned the momentum to Adams State as they stopped their 11.1 percent 1-of-11 shooting from the field and they went on a 9-0 run thanks in part to two 3-pointers from
Trace Dimeff.
With the score tied at 13, Adams State rattled off another 9-0 run over 5:06 and took a 22-13 lead thanks in part to Moore who had ten points and five rebounds with over six minutes remaining in the opening half.
Despite forced turnovers by
Destan Williams, Westminster went on a 12-2 run to close out the first half and cut the lead to just three, 33-30.
The second half started with both teams battling and the Griffin tied the game at 46 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Adams State and Westminster traded runs as the Grizzlies had an 11-0 run and the Griffins had a 7-0 run. During a stretch where seven straight shots were made between the two teams, Williams got the hot hand as he hit three straight field goals from inside the paint to push the score to 65-57 with just over six minutes remaining.
Adams State and Westminster then traded buckets before Westminster cut the lead down to three and turnovers hurt the Grizzlies in the final minute and a half. Westminster got the ball with 35.2 seconds remaining. The Grizzly bench then got the defensive assist as they were able to confuse the Griffins who did not watch the shot clock. Thanks to Dimeff counting down way early, Reme Torbert pulled the trigger with 10 seconds still on the clock. The shot was errant, and Fred Jackson came away with the rebound and he was fouled. Jackson and
Rylan O'Brien ice the game around a Jarrett Jordan layup.
The Grizzlies were led by Moore but Jackson and O'Brien scored 12 and ten points, respectively. The Grizzlies shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) and 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from beyond the arch.
The Grizzlies will now turn their attention to the No. 8 ranked Colorado Mesa, a team they lost to by just two points, 100-98, back on Dec. 18. Tipoff for Saturday's game is set for 7:30 p.m.
