Former Wilby High School standout Walter Wright did his part and helped Montana almost pull an upset of No. 17/20 Gonzaga on Tuesday night at The Kennel in Spokane, Wash.
Josh Perkins put the Bulldogs ahead 59-58 on a jumper with 38 seconds remaining. Kyle Wiltjer added two free throws, and a late three-point attempt by the Grizzlies missed.
Wright, a junior who originally played for Snow College, played 36 minutes for Montana. He tallied 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting (2-of-5 3-pointers), three assists and three steals.
Wright gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the second half at 33-31 with a 3-pointer at the 16:39 mark of the second half. Wright extended Montana’s lead to four points at 35-31 with a jumper at the 14:20 mark.
Later in the second half, two baskets by Wright helped trim a six-point Gonzaga lead to just two at 50-48. Wright’s second straight lay-up, following his own steal, came with 3:50 to play.
Wright assisted on the tying 3-pointer by Brandon Gfeller, 56-56, at the 1:06 mark. Wright committed a foul with 59 seconds left and Montana up 58-56. Perkins made 1-of-2 free throws, but the Bulldogs got the offensive rebound (Domantas Sabonis) and Perkins buried the go-ahead jumper with 38 seconds left.
Wright is the second-leading scorer on Montana at 11.0 points per contest. He averages 30.6 minutes per game (second on the team) and has team highs in both steals (10) and assists (20).
The Grizzlies play at Washington on Saturday.