Big Sky Conference
AROUND THE BIG SKY
Danny Sprinkle scored 15 points and Montana State pulled away in the second half to defeat archrival Montana 87-74 in Missoula. The Grizzlies have lost seven consecutive conference games. … Ross Land scored 12 of his team-high 28 points in the final 6 minutes as Northern Arizona rallied to win at Idaho State 69-61. Land broke open a 53-53 tie with a 3-pointer at the 3:15 mark to kick-start a 10-0 Lumberjacks run. Idaho State led by four at halftime and took a 43-35 lead with 12:29 remaining in the second half. Land responded with a 3-pointer as Northern Arizona went on to post 11 straight points over the next 3 minutes to take a 46-43 lead. Kevin Sweetwyne scored a game- and career-high 32 points for Idaho State.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Around the Big West
Donnie Johnson scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Utah State’s 61-54 victory over visiting New Mexico State, snapping NMSU’s nine-game win streak. Charles Gosa led New Mexico State with 17 points and 13 rebounds. New Mexico State was within one at 55-54 with 1:12 remaining after a Billy Keys 3-pointer. After a Johnson lay-in, Keys twice had a chance to tie the game, but both 3-point efforts missed. … Derrick Allen scored 20 points in UC Santa Barbara’s 76-61 home victory over UC Irvine. Josh Merrill added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Gauchos, winners of eight of their last 10 . … Clay McKnight scored 17 points and led a second-half surge that lifted Pacific to its 70-59 victory over visiting Long Beach State. Pacific’s Bob Thomason became the winningest coach in Tigers history with his 170th career victory, surpassing the 169 wins posted by Dick Edwards, who coached him. The Tigers overcame a shaky start and outscored the 49ers 62-41 over the final 30 minutes. D’Cean Bryant topped the 49ers with 14 points and Grant Stone added 13. … Mike Wozniak scored 21 points to lead Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s 101-81 victory over visiting Fullerton State. Kenroy Jarrett led Fullerton with 15 points. … John Burrell scored 34 points and Joao Santos hit a 3-pointer with 1:07 left in overtime to help Nevada snap a nine-game losing streak with its 95-87 victory over visiting North Texas.
WCC
Around the WCC
Jelani Gardner scored 15 points and Kelvin Gibbs grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Pepperdine’s 58-44 home win over Saint Mary’s. Pepperdine has won six straight games, its longest winning streak since winning seven during the 1993-94 season. … Nathan Fast, who scored 16 points, hit a layup with 18 seconds remaining to give Santa Clara its 64-62 road win against Portland. Jimmie Rainwater led Portland with 17. … Ryan Williams scored 24 points and Dana White added a career-high 20 in San Diego’s 76-67 victory over Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. The Toreros overcame a 14-point second-half deficit. San Diego trailed 42-29 at halftime and fell behind 56-42 with 12:29 remaining in the game but used a 14-0 run to take a 60-58 lead with 5:57 left. Loyola led once more, 67-66 with 2:37 left, but San Diego scored the game’s final 10 points.