MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -Anthony Johnson scored 23 points and Montana had the hot hand early en route to a 67-52 victory over UC Riverside Saturday.

Montana (8-4) sizzled in the opening 20 minutes, sinking 14-of-24 shots from the field and draining 9-of-16 from 3-point range to hold a 40-22 advantage at the break.

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Johnson picked up where the Grizzlies left off in the second half, scoring seven straight points in less than two minutes to give Montana its biggest lead at 54-26 with just under 13 minutes remaining.

The Highlanders (6-4) managed to shave the 28-point deficit to 13 by the three-minute mark before Michael Taylor iced the win with a 3-pointer from the corner with under 1:30 to play.

The Grizzlies finished 12-for-25 from 3-point range. Ryan Staudacher added 13 points for Montana. Kyle Austin scored 14 points to lead UC Riverside.