Griz 86, Lewis-Clark State 68
Star of the game: Junior wing Kareem Jamar. Jamar scored 19 of his team-high 26 points after intermission. He was 4 of 7 from 3-point range and added six rebounds and five assists. The strong second half continued a trend that began last season.
“I have to figure it out,” Jamar said. “As a leader, it starts with me. I have to start out better so the …

Star of the game: Senior Art Steward. The 6-foot-4 wing worked his magic inside, shooting 9 for 10 from the field to finish with a game-high 20 points. Steward is now shooting 73.3 percent in seven Big Sky Conference games.
“If you look at him he’s 6-4, really strong, so he’s hard to guard in the post,” said junior Mathias Ward, who added 16 points.” He can also put the ball …

Here are a few first impressions from watching the Griz basketball team practice on Friday afternoon:
Will Cherry still has great hands, vision and quickness now that he’s operating on two good wheels again.
The junior point guard showed no lingering effects from the ankle injury that slowed him for the latter part of last season.
Cherry started one nice sequence when he stole a pass from freshman Keron DeShields (who probably doesn’t …

Montana 85, Great Falls 50
Star of the game: Senior center Brian Qvale. Qvale was no match for the Argos’ interior players and finished with 16 points and five blocked shots.
Reasons for optimism:
1. Rebounding. The Griz continue to dominate on the glass, where they owned a 40-25 advantage against the Argos.
2. Free throws. After hitting just 62 percent through their first seven games, the Griz were 23 of 29 for 79 …