October 2005
Bulldogs Host Eastern Oregon
Thursday, October 27 2005
The University of Montana-Bulldog basketball team hosts the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon University in a non-conference college basketball game from Dillon. The game tips off at 8:00 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium on the Western campus.
The game will be heard on KDBM radio, 1490 on the AM dial and on the Internet on Sportsjuice.com.
Western is 1-0 on the season after last Thursday's 92-85 win over the University of Lethbridge. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures in the Lethbridge win led by Tyler Palmer's 19 points.
This will be Eastern Oregon's first game of the season. Last year, the two teams played two games with Western winning both. The Bulldogs won in Dillon 95-84 and in La Grande, Oregon 74-68.
"We are ready to get back on the court after a good week of practice,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. “We felt like we didn't play that well defensively against Lethbridge. We gave up way too many easy buckets. Eastern Oregon comes in for their first game of the season. They have two really good players back and have added some talented transfers. This should be another fun game to watch. I'm excited to see our progression from last week. This is a fun group. They work hard and will continue to get better as the season goes on."
The Bulldogs travel to Salt Lake City November 4 and 5 to compete in a preseason tournament hosted by Westminster College.
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Bulldogs Come From Behind for Season Opening Win
Thursday, October 20 2005
The University of Montana-Western came from thirteen points down to defeat the University of Lethbridge 92-85 in a non-conference college basketball game Thursday night, Oct. 20 from Dillon.
The Bulldogs trailed Lethbridge by 13 at the nine mark of the first half. Western turned up the defense and finally had shots drop as they slowly caught up to the Pronghorns. A Jeff Graham three-point basket with 20 seconds left in the half tied the game at 44-44. Lethbridge then converted two free throws as time ran out to lead at the half 46-44.
The two teams traded leads in the second half's first few minutes. A Tyler Palmer three-point basket at the thirteen minute mark gave the Bulldogs a lead they would never lose. Lethbridge cut Western's lead to one, but that was as close as the Pronghorns would get.
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Palmer with 19, followed by Jeff Graham with 18, Charlie Cox with 17, Jeff Feenstra with 12 and Greg Hall with 11. Feenstra led in rebounding with eight followed by Kellen Ori with seven.
Tim Whitehead lead Lethbridge with 28 followed by Scott MacKinnon with 18.
Western hosts Eastern Oregon on Friday, October 28.
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Bulldogs Tip-Off Season Against Lethbridge
Wednesday, October 19 2005
The University of Montana-Western Bulldog basketball team tips off their 2005-2006 season with a non-conference game against the University of Lethbridge, Thursday, October 20. Tip-off is 8:00 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium.
The game will be broadcast locally on KDBM, 1490 on the AM radio dial, and over the internet on sportsjuice.com.
The Bulldogs saw their first game-like action in an exhibition game played against an Alumni team in Fairfield last Saturday night. The young Dawgs edged the Old Dawgs 108-100.
"We were excited to play a game and see where we are at,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. “After Saturday's game, we know what we need to work on, and what we were happy with.”
Western finished the 2004-05 season with a 20-13 record. The Bulldogs were one game away from the NAIA National tournament after losing to Lewis-Clark in the Frontier Conference Championship game.
Durham is building his team around three returning starters from last year. Seniors Jeff Feenstra of Bozeman and Jeff Graham of Chester along with junior Tyler Palmer of Fairfield.
Palmer was the third leading scorer last season with 14.4 points a game followed by Feenstra with 10.8. Graham finished the year with 7.7 points a game. Palmer won the conference free throw title and finished second in the nation. As a team, Western led the conference and the nation in free throw shooting.
“We have a lot of new guys that are learning our system and we need to play a few games to see if we are ready to put more stuff in or keep working on what we have in already. “This is a really fun group to work with.. “They are working hard and we have quite a few different combinations that we have been experimenting with. Our two seniors, Jeff Feenstra and Jeff Graham, are really doing a great job of being leaders and making sure these guys are ready to play everyday."
Rounding out the 2005-06 roster are juniors Kellen Ori from Kalispell, Wes Morales from Worden,MT, Greg Hall from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Marshall Lagge from Great Falls, sophomore Terry Hauser from Three Forks and freshman Charlie Cox from Missoula.
Ori transfers to Western from Montana Tech, Morales from Rocky Mountain and Hall from Reedley Community College. Lagge and Hauser worked their way up through the junior varsity program to a place on the varsity. Cox was the 2005 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year.
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