The Associated Press

MISSOULA, Mont. - Blake Stepp scored 22 points and had nine assists as Gonzaga rallied from an 11-point deficit midway through the second half to beat Montana 75-67 Thursday night.

Redshirt freshman guard Kevin Criswell led Montana with 29 points, his final steal and layup giving Montana (1-5) a 61-50 lead with 10:39 remaining.

Montana started running down the shot clock and did not get a shot attempt on five straight possessions.

Kyle Bankhead ignited Gonzaga's 25-3 rally with two straight 3-pointers.

Montana's only score during the run was a 3-pointer by Ryan Pedersen with 5:45 remaining to give the Grizzlies a 64-59 lead.

Gonzaga (4-2) took a 75-64 lead on two free throws by Cory Violette with 41.3 seconds remaining, before Derrick Mansell hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining for Montana's final score.

Gonzaga, a preseason top 25 team, led by as much as 21-11 with 12:28 to go in the first half, but Criswell came off the bench to score 21 first-half points and spark the Grizzlies to a 40-37 halftime lead. Criswell also led Montana with eight rebounds and four steals.

Steve Horne added 18 for Montana, but no other Grizzly scored more than seven points.

Violette had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Gonzaga and Bankhead finished with 12 points.