MISSOULA, Mont. -- On the road in a hostile environment, it's crucial for a basketball team to start fast. The Oregon State Beavers did not Wednesday night, and they paid for it.
The Beavers eventually got out of the blocks, but not in time to stop Brian Qvale and the Grizzlies, as Montana downed the Beavers 71-66 at Dahlberg Arena.
The Grizzlies (6-4) used Qvale to rush out to an 11-point lead midway through the first half.
"On the road you can't get out to a bad start like that," Oregon State coach Craig Robinson said. "We give them an 11-point head start, and at the end we're down by five. Without that start, we're winning that game."
The Beavers (4-5) used a 9-0 run to pull within three at the end of the half, but started slow after halftime and couldn't pull it together.
Qvale and sophomore guard Will Cherry had their way with the Beavers, as Qvale scored 27 points to go with 18 rebounds, and Cherry had 22 points.
Cherry, who leads the nation with 4.1 steals per game, had five.
"Their two best players had their best games of the season tonight," Robinson said.
Sophomore forward Angus Brandt and redshirt freshman Roberto Nelson led the Beavers with 13 points apiece.
Nelson, playing in his second game of the season, saw 17 minutes on the court.
"I think we may have played him too many minutes," Robinson said. "But he was able to get to the foul line and was helping out. He's making progress. We need to work on his defense a little."
Nelson hasn't played in nearly two years because of NCAA eligibility issues.
OSU senior forward Omari Johnson, who averages a team-high 13.8 points per game, scored only two points on three attempts.
"He had an off game, which is a shame because he's been playing so well for us," Robinson said.
-- Tyson Alger
