OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Tony Frohlich-Fair (Sr., W) led The Evergreen State College with 23 points and six rebounds, but Kyle Gruhler topped the University of Montana Western with 31 points and seven boards, as the Bulldogs defeated the Geoducks 76-61 on Sunday, Oct. 26 at the Costantino Recreation Center in the season opener for both teams. Montana Western moved to 1-0, while Evergreen fell to 0-1.
The Geoducks shot out to a 6-0 lead on a pair of three-pointers by Kenzel Massey (So. G) in the first 1:01 of the game. Gruhler hit a 3-pointer for UMW 24 seconds later, starting an 11-0 run that gave the Bulldogs an 11-6 edge. Evergreen regained the lead at 18-16 on a layup by Jemoi Davis (Sr., W) and held a 22-19 advantage with 8:38 left in the half following a free throw by Jacob Laff (Jr., W).
Montana Western countered with a 12-2 surge that included a 3-pointer by Emanuel Steward and ended with a 3-pointer by Jacksen Burckley for a 31-24 lead at the 4:58 mark. Evergreen scored next on a layup from Frohlich-Fair, who also added two free throws a bit later to cut the margin to 31-28 with 3:58 on the clock. The Bulldogs ended the half with an 8-2 run and entered the intermission with a 39-30 lead.
At the start of the second half, Billy Carlson sank a 3-point shot for Montana Western and the Bulldogs held a double-digit margin for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs were in front 58-41 after David Young made a layup with 11:27 left to play. The Geoducks tallied the next six points and eventually pulled within 62-52 when Gabriel Wigginton (Jr., W) put through a 3-point shot with 4:33 remaining. Evergreen was unable to get closer.
Frohlich-Fair was joined in double figures for the Geoducks by Massey, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Laff scored six points, while Zach Jefferson (Sr., G) earned four points, four rebounds, and a blocked shot.
For Montana Western, Gruhler was one of two players in double figures, as Steward contributed 13 points. Quincy Taylor scored eight points, and Carlson added seven points. Jacob Ankeny grabbed six boards. Kolter Merritt was credited with two blocked shots and two steals.
Evergreen shot 42.3% from the field (22 of 52), while converting 6 of 19 shots from 3-point range (31.6%). The Geoducks made 11 of 15 free throws (73.3%). The Bulldogs hit 25 of 69 field goals (36.2%) and connected on 13 of 37 three-point attempts (35.1%). UMW sank 13 of 19 free throws (68.4%) and earned a 41-31 rebounding margin, including 18 offensive boards.
The Geoducks will play a pair of exhibition games at the University of Alaska-Anchorage on Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8. The first game will be at 4 p.m. Alaska Time (5 p.m. PT) and the second game one day later will be at 12 p.m. Alaska Time (1 p.m. PT).