Jordan Hasquet's big treys save Griz.
Last night's Griz-NAU game was UM's most complete game of the year, but that doesn't mean there weren't a couple iffy stretches. The Griz almost lost the game before they ever even had a chance to win it but Jordan Hasquet made sure they were in it when it mattered.
Throughout the season, the Griz have had trouble finishing the first half. They seem to always come out playing well for the first 5-10 minutes; they came out playing very strong and were up 5 with 15:00 left in the half before things evened up for the next ten or so minutes.
Between the 5:14 and 3:28 mark the Lumberjacks went on a 7-2 run to take a 6 point lead. I was afraid the Griz would fall into old tendencies and the lead would be pushed to double digits before half.
Jordan Hasquet was crucial in the time period when the Griz had previously suffered the most. With the Griz down 6, Hasquet came out after the media timeout and knocked down threes on consecutive possessions. Hasquet also had the two points during the 'Jacks run.
I know games are decided in the second half, and this one on the final shot, but Hasquet made sure the Griz would be in it the whole way. The Griz had been playing from behind in far too many games and Hasquet's big plays during this stretch allowed them to go into the half with a lead and play from the front in the second period. The Lumberjacks led only once in the second half, and this was by one with more than 17 minutes remaining. This gave the Griz the confidence needed to pull off the huge road win.