Montana State junior guard Christian Moon, a promising transfer from Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich., has the green light from coach Brad Huse to shoot at will.
That's all a shooting guard needs to hear.
"I get really upset with Christian when he doesn't shoot it," Huse said.
Moon is finally starting to listen. He scored a career-high 21 points against Portland State on Dec. 30 in an 86-73 victory, just two nights after scoring 20 against Eastern Washington in a 82-66 loss. In the two games, Moon made nine of his 13 three-point attempts.
Moon then scored 18 points in 4-of-7 shooting from the floor in the Bobcats' 73-69 win over at Idaho State on Jan. 5.
Huse indicated that he is not surprised that it has taken Moon half of the season to finally get in the flow of the offense.
"That's one of the things when a team has a lot of new pieces, trying to figure out what's a good shot and not a good shot," Huse said. "We want the mentality, depending on time and score of course, of looking for your shot. If the window's open and no one's there, shoot it. If someone is, then pass it. But certainly with a kid like Christian who shoots the ball as well as he does, you want him to get as many shots as he can."
Moon said the most difficult adjustment from junior college basketball to Division I is converting what he learns in practice to the games.
"The defensive structure, too," Moon added. "Defense wasn't the main option there (in junior college). Playing defensively, running the whole offense, learning (opposing) personnel, those are things you don't really do in JUCO ball."
Moon senses that he has gained the kind of consistency necessary to be a contender for All-Big Sky honors.
"I've been staying consistent," Moon said. "That's something I wanted to key myself on starting my last year in JUCO ball, because I know if I stay consistent in practice that it will lead to success in games."
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
MATCHUP TO WATCH: Montana at Weber State, Jan. 14 -- If Montana wins at Northern Arizona and Weber State takes care of Montana State at home on Jan. 12, the Grizzlies and Wildcats would be unbeaten in Big Sky play when they face off at Ogden, Utah. The game will feature two of the best guards in the league -- Weber State's Damian Lillard and Montana's Will Cherry. Lillard is a three-time Big Sky Player of the Week winner this season, and he likely will get a fourth selection after scoring 38 against Portland State. Cherry earned the player of the week honor last week after averaging 18.5 points against Portland State and Eastern Washington.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
EASTERN WASHINGTON
--For the first time this season, Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford used a different starting lineup when the Eagles hosted Northern Arizona on Jan. 7. Hayford wanted to keep leading scorer Collin Chiverton on the bench to rest a nagging foot injury, but with the regular lineup intact to begin the second half, the Eagles made a blistering 58 percent of their shots after halftime to outscore the Lumberjacks 49-28 en route to a 76-59 victory.
"We were going to see if we could make it through the night without him," Hayford said of the 6-foot-6 forward, who entered the game averaging 16.2 points per game. "But at halftime we made the decision to let him play, and obviously we were a better team with him on the floor. He did put the ball in the basket. Collin is a tremendous offensive player, and before his career is over, you'll see a very healthy Collin. ... You've seen glimpses of that. I'm just really proud of the effort he gives to his teammates."
--Eastern Washington scored 49 points after trailing 31-27 to Northern Arizona at halftime, and the Eagles won 76-59. It was their first victory in seven games this season when trailing at halftime. "I'm really proud of our team," Hayford said. "They were resilient. We made some good adjustments at halftime, and our players did what we asked them to do. I'm just really proud of them."
--It's been five years since Eastern Washington has had a winning record, but a 6-6 non-conference record through Jan. 8 made that an attainable goal for this year. Now in its 25th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference, Eastern has had a non-losing non-conference record in only seven of those years. The Eagles still must play non-league games this season versus Seattle (Jan. 16) and an opponent to be determined in the BracketBusters series in February. Eastern's last winning season came in 2006-07 -- with sophomore Rodney Stuckey leading the way -- when the Eagles finished 15-14 and 8-8 in league play. One season earlier, the Eagles were 9-5 in the Big Sky in Stuckey's freshman season, the last time the Eagles have had a winning record in league play.
IDAHO STATE
--Montana coach Wayne Tinkle showed some class to Idaho State interim coach Deane Martin after his team routed the Bengals 68-44 in Pocatello, Idaho, on Jan. 7. "It is hard to take a lot positive out of tonight," Martin said. "After the game, coach Tinkle was very nice. I told him, 'I hoped we would have given him a better game than what we did tonight.' I at least wanted to challenge him and give a little resistance. He said, 'You have had a tough stretch on the road with some games and you have had games where you haven't had a lot of time to prepare.' But there is not a lot you can take away from this. You put it in the books and move on."
--Idaho State defeated Northern Colorado 57-55 on the road Jan. 2. It was the Bengals' first road win of the season, and it snapped Northern Colorado's 14-game home conference winning streak. The Bengals had a season-low seven turnovers in the game.
--Last year, G Kenny McGowen scored in double figures 10 times in conference play after scoring in double figures in only two nonconference games. This year, the senior scored 10 points or more in two of the first three league games.
--Through Jan. 8, senior G Chase Grabau ranked 24th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.71 to 1).
MONTANA
--Montana guard Will Cherry had four steals in the victory over Idaho State. That moved him from 16th to a tie for 13th on the Big Sky's career list for thefts with 174 entering this week's games. "That's nice," Cherry told The Missoulian. He matched Cal State Northridge's Markus Carr on the Big Sky list. "I have to give credit to my coaches, though," he said. "Since I came here my freshman year they gave me the confidence, the leadership and the leeway to roam a lot and get those steals. They allow me to take those chances because they know I'm reliable."
--Montana only missed six shots in the second half (11 of 17) of its 68-44 win over Idaho State on Jan. 7. The Grizzlies made 60 percent of their shots, exhibiting balance in the process. Four members of the starting lineup took eight shots and the other six. All told, the lineup of Art Steward, Derek Selvig, Mathias Ward, Cherry and Kareem Jamar was 23 of 38 from the field (60.5 percent).
"That's nice balance," Cherry said. "You can't key on one guy. It makes it tough for opposing teams."
--Between Dec. 30 and Feb. 6, Montana will have played just two games in Missoula. During that stretch, the Grizzlies will six of eight games on the road. "We'll talk about road warriors and how we're up against it but not make too big a deal of it," Montana coach Wayne Tinkle told The Missoulian. "We have to play those eight road games at some point -- six out of eight -- we'll just have to take it as it comes."
MONTANA STATE
--Montana State guard Jamie Stewart reportedly has left the team. The reason for his departure was not certain, although it has been speculated that he was disgruntled about his playing time after transferring from Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich. Christian Moon transferred from the same junior college and is flourishing with the Bobcats. Stewart reportedly is considering a transfer to Wayne State, a Division II school in his hometown of Detroit. Stewart started seven games and averaged 22.8 minutes a game, scoring 9.1 points per game.
--After losing four consecutive games, shooting 32.4 percent from the field in the process, the Bobcats won consecutive games over Portland State and Idaho State by shooting 53.4 percent. Also, the win at Idaho State on Jan. 5 reversed the Bobcats' dismal showing in their previous two road games -- blowout losses to Pepperdine, 59-36 on Dec. 18, and New Mexico, 91-46 on Dec. 20.
--Montana State never trailed in its two recent games against Portland State and Idaho State -- a span of 80 minutes -- thanks to quick starts. The Bobcats made their first nine field goals against Portland State and their first two field goals and free-throw attempts against Idaho State.
--The Bobcats' 15-of-19 shooting (78.9 percent) from the free-throw line at Idaho State represents its best foul-shooting performance this season.
NORTHERN ARIZONA
--Something had to give when the Lumberjacks faced Eastern Washington on Jan. 7. The Lumberjacks had the worst field-goal percentage defense in the Big Sky entering the game, while the Eagles were the worst shooting team. The teams played to form in the first half, as NAU outshot the Eagles 57.1 percent to 36.7 percent to take a 31-27 lead. But Eastern Washington broke out in the second half, shooting 58.1 percent to outscore the Lumberjacks 49-28.
"We emphasized that these guys were not going to lie down," said interim head coach Dave Brown. "We just have to learn to play 40 minutes. It is a habit. We have to keep in mind we have very young players that are struggling on the road. It is a learning experience. I was pleased with the effort, but we just don't understand what it takes to get over the hump, and that is our job as coaches to get that done."
--NAU leading scorer James Douglas, a freshman guard, went scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting from the field in the Lumberjacks' 82-62 loss at Portland State on Jan. 5.
NORTHERN COLORADO
--Northern Colorado allowed a season low in points in its 61-53 victory at Sacramento State on Jan. 7. The Bears held the Hornets to 38 percent shooting as they won their seventh straight game against Sacramento State. It was also the first true road victory of the season for Northern Colorado, which previously lost at Wyoming and Marquette.
"(Our) energy, (our) focus was as good as I've ever seen it this year and as good as I've ever seen it as a head coach," Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill said. "This is definitely the best Sacramento State team that's been here in the six years I've been in the Big Sky. This is a really good team. (Head coach) Brian (Katz) is doing a great job, and for us to come in here and win is a heckuva job."
--Northern Colorado beat Sacramento State on the road despite dealing with the leg injuries of leading scorers Tate Unruh and Paul Garnica. Unruh finished 1-for-4 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point attempts. Garnica did not even make the trip from Greeley, Colo.
--Redshirt freshman G Tevin Svihovec scored a career-high 16 points in the win over Sacramento State. Svihovec continued his surge over the last month with his fourth straight double-figure scoring game in his seventh straight start. He was the Bears' leading scorer (12.3 points per game) in their first three Big Sky contests.
"How good was he?" Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill said. "I mean, for a freshman to come in here and have 16 (points) and four (rebounds) and three assists and four steals and play 35 minutes ... He's got a lot of toughness and it shows, and each game since Colorado State (on Dec. 22), he's just been getting better and better and more confident."
PORTLAND STATE
--Despite leading 47-32 at one point in the first half and 51-44 at halftime, Portland State lost a home game for the first time this season, suffering an 88-81 setback to Big Sky leader Weber State on Jan. 7. The Vikings were 5-0 at the Stott Center when the Wildcats visited. After scoring 51 in the first half, Portland State managed only 30 in the second half, shooting just 35 percent from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
--Senior G Chehales Tapscott put on a good show in front of 11 NBA scouts during the game against Weber State. The scouts were there to watch the Wildcats' Damian Lillard, but Tapscott must have drawn some attention. He had a season-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. He also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"He played pretty good tonight. He did about everything, and we kept going to him," Portland State coach Tyler Geving said of Tapscott's 17 second-half points. "He is just a workhorse. Che is a good player, and we have got to keep going to him down the stretch."
SACRAMENTO STATE
--Sacramento State coach Brian Katz is feeling the crunch of a failed season, losing eight of the last 10 games through Jan. 8. Part of the problem was the instability of his lineup. The Hornets had used 10 different starters. Only two players -- Jackson Carbajal and Kendell Groom -- had not started this season. Carbajal, a sophomore guard, had only played in four games entering this week. However, he scored 11 off the bench in the Hornets' 61-53 loss to Northern Colorado on Jan. 7.
--Sacramento State's 61-53 home loss to Northern Colorado on Jan. 7 featured only eight combined offensive rebounds and two fast-break points. The Hornets had only one second-chance point.
--The Hornets keep tabs of charging fouls drawn. Sacramento State drew a season-best five charges against Northern Colorado, including three from Julian Demalleville and one each from Heath Hoffman and Joe Eberhard.
--Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill made a comment after the game that this is the best Sacramento State team he has seen in his six years in the Big Sky. That's hard to believe inasmuch as Sacramento State had lost eight of its last 10 games through Jan. 8, with the only two victories coming at home against the likes of Cal Maritime and North Dakota.
WEBER STATE
--Weber State's prolific scoring guard Damian Lillard nearly matched his scoring average of 25.5 points in the first half alone when the Wildcats beat Portland State 88-81 on Jan. 7. The teams shot at a torrid pace in the first half, making better than 65 percent from the field with only five turnovers. Portland State led 51-44 at halftime.
Lillard, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who was being followed by 11 NBA scouts at the game, made seven of eight from 3-point range. None was more impressive than a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the midcourt line as the halftime buzzer sounded. "That was a big shot at the end of the half," said Portland State coach Tyler Geving. "It gave them a little momentum going into the locker room."
Lillard played all 40 minutes for the first time in his career and was 12-for-23 from the field, including 8-for-14 from 3-point range, and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line for 38 points. The eight 3-pointers were just one off the Weber State single-game record. The 38 points were the second most of his career and marked the fifth time this season he has scored 30 or more points. He added five assists and five rebounds. He led the nation in scoring at 26.3 points per game through Jan. 7.
--Lillard was selected as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced. Lillard is one of 20 players in the nation who are finalists for the award, which recognizes the top point guard in college basketball. The honor is named for Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, a Boston Celtics great.
--Weber State lost freshman G James Hajek to a knee injury during the Portland State game on Jan. 7. The timetable for his return was uncertain. He was averaging 3.4 points in 9.5 minutes a game.
--Through Jan. 8, Weber State was 4-0 in the Big Sky for the first time since the 2002-03 season, when the Wildcats finished 14-0 in regular-season conference games.
