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Missoula, Mont. • In the end, Montana just had too much for Weber State.

On Wednesday night, the Grizzlies had too many options, too many weapons and too much of a home-court advantage in a very loud Dahlberg Arena. In short, the Wildcats were skinned alive by a second-half point explosion from Montana.

It all came together in an 85-66 victory by the Grizzlies for the Big Sky Conference championship, their second in three seasons, and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Meanwhile, Weber State (24-6) may have started quick, but by the conclusion there was only Damian Lillard carrying the Wildcats' offensive hopes. The junior guard finished with 29 points.

The loss put an end to what had once been a promising season, one that saw the Wildcats stay unbeaten at home and nursing NCAA dreams. The Grizzlies were hosting the Big Sky tournament thanks in large part to their season-ending victory against this same Weber State.

"It hurts a lot," said Lillard, who also saw Montana beat WSU two years ago in Ogden for the tournament title. "I had this game on my calendar. I wanted to pay them back. It hurts to fall short again."

Montana (25-6), which set a school record with its 14th consecutive victory, may have trailed by five at the half, but there were signs of what was to come. And that was a barrage of 3-point baskets, first by Mathias Ward and then by tournament MVP Kareem Jamar, who reacted to stronger defensive pressure by simply backing up a few steps and swishing shots from NBA range.

"They were just shot makers tonight," Lillard said. "Hands in the face or bumps."

Ward and Jamar each scored 23 points. They combined for 33 in the second half.

"It rained out there for a while," Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. "What a second half. That's all I can say. Weber State came out and hit us in the mouth. I said, 'Hang in there.'"

Montana, which tied Weber State with its eighth Big Sky title, scored 54 points in the final 20 minutes. The Grizzlies blew the game open with a 25-7 run midway through the half and just kept extending.

Ward put Montana on top for good, 44-43, then Jamar went off. It didn't take too long to realize he was in a shooting zone.

"When I had the first one, pretty much," he said. "They kept looking for me."

Weber State's task was made even more difficult, if that was even possible, by Montana's aggressive offense. Even though the Grizzlies were raining threes, they didn't settle for outside shots.

Montana kept attacking, forcing contact in the paint and winning some traditional 3-point plays. Jamar also helped make that possible with seven assists.

"Montana played unbelievable in the second half," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "I haven't seen a team shoot like that in a long time. Ward got their confidence up when he made a couple early."

Offensively, Weber State couldn't sustain its hot first half, one that saw it shoot 58 percent. The Wildcats managed only 40 percent in the second half. After praising his team, Rahe was reduced to the stating the obvious.

"Sometimes a team just makes shots."