Montana

Second-half explosion leads Montana men to win over Idaho

Published

1 month ago

February 7, 2026

Second-half explosion leads Montana men to win over Idaho

MISSOULA — Tyler Thompson keyed a second-half eruption, and Montana got back in the win column Saturday with a 73-68 Big Sky Conference men’s basketball win over Idaho at Dahlberg Arena.

The Grizzlies, who entered the day on a two-game skid, made just six field goals and scored a paltry 19 points in the first half to trail 29-19, but they bettered that in the first eight minutes of the second half. Thompson canned his first 3-pointer less than 30 seconds in, proving a precursor to Montana’s ensuing explosion.

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Second-half explosion leads Montana men to win over Idaho

After the Griz and Vandals traded buckets, Idaho led 34-24 with 18:29 to play, but Thompson hit another 3 — this one kick-starting a 19-0 Montana run. Thompson had three 3s in the stretch, Te’Jon Sawyer had a powerful put-back dunk and another basket, and Money Williams and Kenyon Aguino each made 3s. Aguino’s 3, which came as the shot clock wound down, banked off the backboard, hit the front rim and bounced off the backboard again before trickling in.

Following Aguino’s 3, Montana led 43-34 and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. Idaho got back within two points — 48-46 — with eight minutes to play, but Sawyer and Brooklyn Hicks combined for an 8-0 spurt to keep the Vandals at bay.

Montana led by as many as 14 points — 70-56 — in the second half after trailing by as many as 13 in the first 20 minutes.

Williams led the Griz with 14 points, and Sawyer had 13. Thompson, Kepley and Hicks each added 12 points, as Montana made 19 of 28 field goals in the second half after going 6 of 24 in the first.

Biko Johnson scored a game-high 22 points for Idaho, which shot just 25 of 66 (37.9%) for the game.

The win gave Montana the season sweep over Idaho. The Griz (14-11 overall, 8-4 Big Sky) are back at home next weekend when they host rival Montana State on Saturday.

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Montana

Missoula and Western Montana neighbors: Obituaries for March 20

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4 hours ago

March 20, 2026

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Missoula and Western Montana neighbors: Obituaries for March 20

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Montana

Montana smokejumper Sam Forstag aims to flip House seat blue

Published

16 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Montana smokejumper Sam Forstag aims to flip House seat blue

Montana hasn’t elected a Democrat to the House since the late 1990s. Smokejumper Sam Forstag, who jumps out of planes into the remote wilderness to put out wildfires, is trying to change that. Forstag joins “The Takeout” to lay out his progressive campaign in the deep-red state.

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Montana

Amazing America: Smokejumpers share how job evolved through the years

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Amazing America: Smokejumpers share how job evolved through the years

MISSOULA, Mont. — In this week’s Amazing America, NBC Montana is highlighting smokejumpers and their efforts to keep our communities safe during wildfire season.

NBC Montana caught up with a current and a former smokejumper to learn more about the work they do and how the job has changed throughout the years.

Jim Kitchen was a smokejumper for 20 seasons, fought over 100 fires and raised his three daughters on a smokejumper base, where he served as base commander.

Kitchen says he’ll never forget his first jump, when he started training in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1987.

“I went, ‘That was amazing,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah,’ and I go, ‘Have you ever done anything as amazing in your life? I mean, we just made our first jump,” said Kitchen.

Kitchen told NBC Montana when he laughed his crew had to do 50 pushups.

Kitchen saw several changes during his career, including women entering a historically male-dominated field. He told NBC Montana Deanne Shulman, the first woman smokejumper, paved the way for the industry.

He recalled a time when he was on a trip to Washington, D.C. , in the early ’90s to coordinate emergency response, when a U.S. Department of State official asked him a question.

“He goes, ‘I didn’t realize men were smokejumpers.’ And I had to go, ‘Peter, I’ll have you know, there’s quite a few of us, and actually, it’s the women that are rare,’” said Kitchen “The early ladies in smokejumping, they always met and exceeded the bar, and they were instrumental in doing these winter details.”

Another change he oversaw as base commander, was moving from round parachutes used in World War II, to the ones used today.

“Ram-Air parachutes that inflate make the shape of the wing and they actually have about a 20 mph forward speed. And so you can you can fly those in much windier conditions, higher elevations,” said Kitchen.

Kitchen says the job requires you to roll with the punches and make quick decisions on the fly.

He said while training new jumpers, he taught them early to prepare and never hesitate.

“The only thing that we ask of you is that you take all the information that you can and then make a decision,” said Kitchen.

Nick Holloway, a current Missoula smokejumper, who’s been working for 14 seasons, says it’s important to rely on your training, stay positive and persevere.

“Having done this for a few years, it’s just trying to know that essentially every season is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. Just stay healthy, stay focused and keep having a good time,” said Holloway.

NBC Montana asked both men what they were most proud of during their time jumping.

Kitchen recalled fighting a fire near the Grand Canyon, when he and his crew decided to manage a fire instead of suppressing it when they ponderosa pine trees.

The crew let the fire burn to a plateau, “The Ponderosa pine has about a 20 to 30-year fire return interval in that area,” said Kitchen. “That’s one of the high points as far as land stewardship of my career is seeing fire on a landscape escape and not necessarily suppressing it but allowing it to burn, because then you’re saying it’s good for decades after that.”

Holloway told NBC Montana, while he has “too many to count,” he’s most proud that recently he jumped a 3- to 5-acre fire at Yellowstone National Park.

The fire grew to 8 acres, “So seven days later we got around everything, put it all out and essentially with a good product upon departure. So it’s just a classic example of a smokejumper fire.”

Holloway says staying fit for annual trainings, regardless of experience, is critical to staying fire-ready.

“Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, a certain amount and then a mile and a half in a certain time as well,” said Holloway.

Kitchen told NBC Montana he still does his pullups, pushups and sit-ups.

“Many of my colleagues are still in really fit shape even in their 60s, 70s and 80s,” he said.

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