Montana
Johnson lifts Griz to 77-70 win over Cats – University of Montana Athletics
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Johnson scored 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting and led a fantastic team effort in the defensive end to help Montana win for the 17th time in the last 19 tries at home against the Cats.
“Just attack and be aggressive and get back to my game,” Johnson said of his mentality on Saturday night. “I had a little two-game rough stretch but just stayed confident in my abilities and the work I’ve put in my whole life to go out there and do what I do.”
Finger roll to get him to 2⃣1⃣ on the night. @LetItFlyKai | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/D6goeckg65
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) January 26, 2025
The Grizzlies (13-8, 6-2 Big Sky) scored 17 points off turnovers, forcing 13 Bobcat turnovers on the night. They also limited MSU (8-13, 3-5 Big Sky) to just four made three-pointers and gave up just four second-chance points.
Paired with a hot night from Johnson and balanced scoring behind him, and it resulted in Montana leading for more than 35 of the 40 minutes.
“I feel like tonight was the best we’ve executed on the defensive side of the ball all year,” head coach Travis DeCuire said. “And then our consideration. When we really needed a basket, whether it was the first or second half, we did a really good job of taking advantage of some things that we saw, but also getting to the second and third options.”
Montana State had a quick 4-0 lead before a 7-0 Grizzly run put the hosts back in charge. The teams traded baskets in the early-going and Montana State went ahead 21-20 on a three-point play with just under nine minutes left in the first half.
Then Johnson scored on a drive to the hoop to start a 22-9 Grizzly run over the final nine minutes. Johnson had 10 of the 22 points, and went into the halftime break with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Montana scored the final six points of the half, heading into the locker rooms with all of the momentum after shooting 63.3 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Malik Moore hit a three-pointer early in the second half and Johnson followed it up with a three-point play to put Montana ahead 48-31 in the early stages of the second half. The Grizzlies led by double figures for a large portion of the half, thanks in large part to the play of Joe Pridgen.
Pridgen had eight Montana points in a row early in the second half, and 10 out of 12 for Montana at one point. He scored 10 points on perfect shooting over the final 20 minutes, and ended the game with 14 points and a team-high six rebounds.
“Our patience side-to-side and our ball screen motion really saved us because we were able to milk the clock a little bit and then pick some things up against some switches,” DeCuire said. “Joe Pridgen got going for us a little bit, but Kai Johnson was the difference.”
Johnson had six straight on his own over a two-minute stretch that made it 69-57 Montana, and gave them enough of a cushion to withstand a field goal drought of nearly six minutes to end the game.
Montana State went on a 7-0 run following his last make to cut the lead to five points. They had another 6-0 run in the final two minutes to get within one possession at 73-70, but they never had the ball within a possession as Montana made its free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
The Grizzlies offense may have cooled off down the stretch, but it was the ball control that was key to the win. Montana did not commit a single turnover in the second half. MSU had five. It led to 13 more shots from Montana on the night.
“You won’t lose if you take care of the ball. If you get more shots than your opponent, you typically win, especially when you’re getting good shots,” DeCuire said. “I think for us, the ball pressure helped, they took advantage of it a little bit with space to drive, but we forced some turnovers to make up for it. The biggest thing is if you take care of the ball and get a shot every time down the floor, you give yourself a great chance and we did that tonight.”
The Grizzlies did well defensively on the three-point shooting of the Bobcats. They average nearly nine makes per game, but went just 4-of-12 on Saturday. The Griz also held the Cats leading scorer, Brandon Walker, well below his season average.
“Just paying attention to the details. Some guys we covered one way, some guys we covered another, and I felt like our guys did an incredible job of maintaining the coverage,” DeCuire said. “We knew who was going to shoot the threes in what situations, and they did a good job, they countered some stuff, but I just thing our guys did a great job understanding the personnel scout.”
It was Johnson’s best game of the season as the Western Washington transfer’s 25 points were a career high against a D-1 opponent. He had the hot hand early, and the Grizzlies fed him throughout the night.
𝑻𝑯𝑬𝒀. 𝑪𝑨𝑵’𝑻. 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷. 𝑯𝑰𝑴.
14 first half points for Kai. 🔥🔥🔥@LetItFlyKai | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/lRGh4Oc93l
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) January 26, 2025
Johnson said the crowd was “everything” for his team tonight, and he fed off the energy they brought. He certainly made the most of his first rivalry game, and it all started early with some tough baskets in the lane.
“At that point, you hit a couple of shots, you’re playing good defense, the team is playing good, you just kind of get in this flow state and it’s just instincts at that point,” Johnson said.
DeCuire has known that Johnson has performances like this in him. The blessing and the curse of this Montana team is that there are several ball-dominant players like Johnson that can take over any given game.
Johnson had just nine points over Montana’s previous three games. He made 11 shots on Saturday to get his form back and then some.
“He played his game. He’s good with the ball in his hands and he has been all year,” DeCuire said. “We created some opportunities for him, spaced the floor and went to a shooting lineup with Joe at the five which helped spread the floor and get to some things.”
Montana improved to 9-1 at home in the rivalry under Coach DeCuire, who won his 214th game to inch ever closer to the program record of 221 set by “Jiggs” Dahlberg.
There was a crowd of nearly 6,000 on hand to witness the Grizzly victory, which also improved DeCuire to 15-5 overall against the rivals. The majority of Montana’s roster was playing in its first rivalry game on Saturday night.
“I didn’t even really discuss it very much. I love this environment, this is what being a Griz is about, this support,” DeCuire said. “We recruited them to that, so they knew that everyone would show up for this game. I remember when they would show up for all of them, but we appreciate the support. They were loud, they were energetic, and we had a sixth man tonight.”
.@CoachDeCuire 🤝 @MontanaZooCrew pic.twitter.com/mFHcVQDpnr
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) January 26, 2025
The Grizzlies won’t have long to revel in the victory as they have another big game coming on Thursday night. Portland State, sitting right behind Montana in the league standings at 5-2, comes to town on Thursday night.
Montana then hosts Sacramento State in the annual N7 Game on Saturday afternoon.
The Vikings have won three straight games and have separated themselves as the clear third-place team in the league, setting up a huge showdown for Thursday evening.
“I think it’s healthy for us to get this one behind us so we can get back to us,” DeCuire said. Not about the crowd and things like that, but just play our best basketball and this is how we’re going to win. It’s a big week, it’s our biggest week of the year. If we take care of home, we’ve already won enough road games to put ourselves in a really good spot.”
Finger roll to get him to 2⃣1⃣ on the night. @LetItFlyKai | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/D6goeckg65
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) January 26, 2025
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Montana
Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Feb. 19, 2025
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Feb. 19, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Feb. 19 drawing
06-21-28-49-60, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Feb. 19 drawing
07-21-30-41-42, Lucky Ball: 02
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Feb. 19 drawing
03-22-23-35-41, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Feb. 19 drawing
16-18-19-20, Bonus: 09
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Feb. 19 drawing
15-21-34-43-60, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from Feb. 19 drawing
02-13-19-20-21
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Montana
FWP Unveils Second Phase of Project to Preserve 85,000 Acres of Private Timberland in Flathead, Lincoln Counties – Flathead Beacon
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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) is seeking public input on a proposal to put 53,000 acres of private timberland in Flathead and Lincoln counties under a conservation easement that would keep the land in production while protecting public access and wildlife habitat.
Last week, FWP published a draft environmental assessment that outlines the proposed second phase of the project, dubbed the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement. In total, the project would encompass 85,752 acres of private timberland owned by Green Diamond Resource Company. The first phase of the project, which protected 32,981 acres in the Salish and Cabinet mountains, received final approval from the Montana Land Board in December. The new easement would encompass forestlands in the Cabinet Mountains between Kalispell and Libby.
Proponents of the Montana Great Outdoors Act’s first phase included timber interests, hunting and angling advocates, conservation groups, business leaders, and neighbors to the proposed land deal. The project is the culmination of a years-long effort by FWP, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) and landowner Green Diamond Resource Company, which in 2021 purchased 291,000 acres of private timberland from Southern Pine Plantations (SPP), the real estate and investment company that in 2019 bought 630,000 acres from Weyerhaeuser Co., which acquired the land in 2016 from Plum Creek.
Despite the succession of private ownership, the land has been managed for de facto public access for more than a quarter century, in large part because the timber companies have been invested in long-term forest management as opposed to piecemeal development deals. But as demand for land intensifies in this corner of the state, so has a campaign to furnish permanent protections on northwest Montana’s working forests, which under a conservation easement can continue to produce lumber for local mills while allowing public access and preserving wildlife habitat, even as the state collects property taxes.
The property currently provides approximately 15,000 days per year of public hunting and angling use which would be secured in perpetuity under the easement, according to Jane Stoddard, bureau chief of the Montana Office of Tourism.
“This project has the potential to positively impact the tourism and recreation industry economy if properly maintained,” Stoddard wrote in a tourism report in support of the easement. “The opportunity to recreate in Montana is marketed to destination visitors from around the world. This includes emphasizing recreational opportunities in accessible locations.”
In 2021, Montana’s 12.5 million non-resident visitors spent over $5 billion in the state, according to a 2022 report from the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR).
“The intent to visit has dramatically increased due to the pandemic and a desire for safe outdoor recreation experiences,” according to Stoddard. “Recreation access and activities are in high demand for both non-resident and resident visitors. Public access, vital to resident and non-resident visitors, could be limited or excluded if this project does not move forward.”
Jason Callahan, Green Diamond’s policy and communications manager, said the Seattle-based company’s support for the project, as well as a suite of other conservation easements either proposed or completed on its checkerboard of Montana timberland, is rooted in its tradition as a family-owned forest management company.
“This conservation easement is attractive to us because we retain full ownership of the land and full management discretion. It’s called a conservation easement but that’s just the name we’re given. We consider it a working forest easement,” Callahan said.
Despite setbacks to the timber industry, it remains a critical sector of the economy in Flathead and Lincoln counties, which produced 37% of Montana’s timber volume in 2022, with Flathead County producing 69 million board feet and Lincoln County producing 48 million board feet, according to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana. In 2018, sales from Montana’s forest products industry totaled $553 million and forest industry employment was 7,981 workers.
FWP is hosting a public informational meeting on March 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the agency’s regional office in Kalispell, located at 490 N. Meridian. The public is invited to attend and ask questions about the project.
“The private property provides abundant public hunting and angling opportunities that would be permanently secured under this proposal,” according to FWP’s request for comment. “This project would conserve wildlife winter range and a movement corridor for elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and moose. It would provide critical habitat for federally threatened species found on or near the property including bull trout, grizzly bear, Canada lynx, and wolverine as well as protect streams for westslope cutthroat trout and Columbia River redband trout, both Montana Species of Concern.”
If the project is approved, Green Diamond would maintain ownership of the land under an easement owned by FWP. The easement would allow Green Diamond to sustainably harvest wood products from these timberlands, preclude development, protect important wildlife habitat and associated key landscape connectivity, and provide permanent free public access to the easement lands.
The appraised value of the proposed second phase of the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement is $57,544,144.20. Secured funding amounts and sources include: $1,500,000 from Habitat Montana, $200,000 from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and $35,805,000 from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program. The Landowner, Green Diamond Resource Company, will provide $20,039,144.20 (which is approximately 35% of the value) of in-kind contribution in the form of donated land value arising from the sale of the easement.
Completion of this project would build on the success of the nearby 142,000-acre Thompson-Fisher Conservation Easement (FWP), the 100,000-acre U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Lost Trail Conservation Area and other protected lands including the Kootenai and Lolo national forests, and the Thompson Chain of Lakes State Park.
The deadline to comment on the proposal is 5 p.m., March 15. To comment and learn more, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/news/public-notices.
FWP will review comments and forward a recommendation to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on April 24, with a review and decision due by June 19. The Montana Land Board would then review the project and issue a decision on Aug. 18.
[email protected]
Montana
Montana Slammed With 10th Polar Vortex
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Has this winter felt a little harsher than usual here in Montana? You’re not imagining things. There have been some major irregularities in polar vortex patterns this year, making for an extra brutal season.
I’ve lived in the West off and on for a few years now, specifically near Alpine, Wyoming, so I thought I was fairly prepared for whatever Montana had to throw at me. But I won’t lie—this winter has felt a little extra. So, I did some digging.
A polar vortex occurs when frigid air that usually stays locked in the North Pole gets disrupted by unusual weather patterns and shifts south.
Normally, this happens two or three times a winter. This year? The U.S. has been hit with ten polar vortex events—and winter isn’t over yet.
Meteorologists are studying why it’s happening more frequently this season, but for now, it seems to be an unusual but natural phenomenon.
Just last week, Montanans saw temperatures consistently dropping below -20°F, even setting a new daily record. Of course, that’s still a long way from Montana’s coldest-ever recorded temperature—a bone-chilling -70°F in Rogers Pass.
While we’re bundling up here in the southwest region, northeastern Montana is bracing for even more extreme conditions, with temperatures expected to plunge between -20°F and -60°F through Wednesday. And Glacier is under a winter storm watch, with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour.
So, in comparison, maybe we should consider ourselves lucky… and break out the shorts.
Credit: APnews
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Montana is named Big Sky Country for several reasons, not only grandiose Sunsets but impressive weather events as well! Ask any Montana resident who has scoffed at the idea of tossing a blanket or snow shovel in the trunk of the car ” just in case”. Here is a list of Montana’s Top 10 Record-Setting Wild Weather Events
Gallery Credit: Brian Lee
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Whether you’re looking for a thrill or something slower paced, Bozeman has plenty of incredible winter weather activities to keep you active and busy.
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Weather in Montana can be unpredictable. Here are 10 weather terms that you need to know.
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