Will Cherry scored 27 points and Derek Selvig added 16 as Montana held off Northern Arizona 83-80 in the Big Sky opener for both Wednesday.
Brian Qvale had 13 points for the Grizzlies (9-4, 1-0), who have won four straight and six of seven. Kareem Jamar and Art Steward each finished with 11 points.
Cameron Jones scored 30 points and Eric Platt had 19 for the Lumberjacks (8-5, 0-1).
Montana led 35-32 at halftime and pushed its lead to 16 early in the second half before Northern Arizona rallied. A 6-1 run in the final minute pulled the Lumberjacks to within 79-77 with 20 seconds left, but they couldn't get any closer.
Northern Arizona shot 56.4 percent, compared to 50.9 percent for Montana, but the Grizzlies attempted 19 more free throws and made 10 more than the Lumberjacks.
