Associated Press

Montana Grizzlies (7-4) at Northern Iowa Panthers (6-4, 1-0 MVC)

Cedar Falls, Iowa; Monday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Montana plays Northern Iowa after Joe Pridgen scored 21 points in Montana’s 89-60 win against the Montana Tech Orediggers.

The Panthers are 5-1 in home games. Northern Iowa ranks fifth in the MVC with 34.8 points per game in the paint led by Tytan Anderson averaging 7.0.

The Grizzlies have gone 0-4 away from home. Montana ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 13.8 assists per game led by Brandon Whitney averaging 3.0.

Northern Iowa makes 51.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.7 percentage points higher than Montana has allowed to its opponents (42.9%). Montana scores 12.9 more points per game (77.3) than Northern Iowa allows to opponents (64.4).

TOP PERFORMERS: Anderson is scoring 13.0 points per game and averaging 6.0 rebounds for the Panthers.

Money Williams averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Grizzlies, scoring 13.9 points while shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

A severe ice storm swept across Iowa and eastern Nebraska this weekend, creating hazardous travel conditions and causing chaos across the region. The storm forced the temporary closure of Interstate 80 highway after cars and trucks started to slide off the icy roads.
The icy conditions, which began Friday evening, have claimed at least one life in eastern Nebraska. A 57-year-old woman lost control of her pickup truck on Highway 30 near Arlington, colliding with an oncoming truck. The other driver suffered minor injuries, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s office.
“Luckily, some warmer air is moving in behind this to make it temporary,” said Dave Cousins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Davenport, Iowa. Temperatures rose on Saturday afternoon, melting the ice in many areas.
Meanwhile, California faced a rare tornado warning in San Francisco and nearby San Mateo County. The warning, issued early Saturday morning, was lifted within 20 minutes. Later that day, a tornado struck Scotts Valley, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, overturning cars, toppling trees, and damaging power lines and buildings. The city last experienced a tornado in 2005, though Meteorologist Roger Gass noted the warning system may have missed it back then.
“Based on video, photos, firsthand accounts, and radar signatures, a tornado occurred (at) 1.40 pm,” confirmed the National Weather Service. Images showed vehicles overturned and significant damage to the area. Several people were injured and hospitalised, including a battalion chief with the California department of forestry and fire protection.
Heavy snow blanketed upstate New York, with 33 inches reported near Orchard Park. In Nevada, parts of the Sierra Nevada saw up to 3 feet of snow, while winds gusted up to 112 mph at Mammoth Mountain resort. Avalanche warnings remained in effect for high elevations near Lake Tahoe.
Western Washington faced widespread power outages on Saturday due to rain and high winds, leaving tens of thousands without electricity.

Iowa made a big addition to a formidable lineup of future upperweights on Saturday when Harvey Ludington announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes. 

The nation’s top-ranked 190-pounder recently re-opened his recruitment after previously committing to Arizona State in August of 2023. Before making his pledge to the Hawkeyes, Ludington also considered North Carolina, North Carolina State and Oklahoma. He had been the last uncommitted top-30 prospect on the 2025 Big Board. 

In Ludington, the Hawkeyes are getting an athletic and skilled big guy who won a New Jersey state title as a freshman at 175 pounds. He captured his second state title as a junior and followed that up by rolling through his Junior freestyle bracket this past summer in Fargo. 

Ludington is ranked #14 on the 2025 Big Board. He’s the second blue-chip recruit from New Jersey to join Iowa’s 2025 recruiting class. Last month, the Hawkeyes signed Blair Academy’s Leo Deluca, the #8 prospect on the 2025 Big Board. 

With the Hawkeyes, Ludington could become another lineup pillar in a powerful row of upperweights, with former prized recruits Gabe Arnold, Angelo Ferrari and Ben Kueter already on campus at Iowa.