Sports

Montana Basketball Star Drops 40 To End Rival’s Season After Tone-Deaf Social Media Jab

#Montana Grizzlies
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Money Williams / Montana Grizzlies

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The Montana basketball team took down league rival Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Tournament on Monday night in Boise. The loss ends UNC’s March Madness pursuit.

Grizzlies star Money Williams got revenge after being personally targeted by the Bears’ social media admin.

Williams is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 19.6 points per night. He also paces the team in assists with five dimes a game.

The Griz met up with the Bears last week in the regular season finale. Northern Colorado won the game handily, 85-57.

Williams was held slightly below his season average with 17 points. He also had a game-high three turnovers. After the fact, the Bears took a swipe at Montana’s star.

Some viewed the post as tasteless given Williams’ past.

Who is Money Williams?

The guard was a state champion at Oakland High School in California before committing to play for Montana as a 2023 prospect. He chose the Griz over offers from UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, and Seattle.

That move has paid dividends.

Williams made an immediate impact in the lineup after signing. He’s averaged double figure scoring totals in each of his three seasons on campus.

As a freshman, he totaled 13 points per night across 12 games before suffering an injury. He matched that number as a sophomore to help the Griz make their first NCAA Tournament trip since 2019.

This year has been the guard’s best.

He’s set career highs in scoring, assists, and rebounds. At just under 20 points per night, he is the Big Sky Conference’s top offensive threat.

The 2025 season has been one of redemption and perseverance. Not many have faced the adversity that Williams has experienced.

Last season, he took a leave of absence from the team following the passing of his mother, Latoya Bailey. That tragic loss came less than a year after his father, Money Williams Sr., passed.

A GoFundMe page was created to help support the family during their time of grief – which made Northern Colorado’s “No Money in the bank” comment appear tone-deaf.

Williams saw that personal jab. He responded on Monday.

Montana ended Northern Colorado’s basketball season.

The Grizzlies beat the Bears in the conference tournament, 95-89. It effectively dashes UNC’s March Madness hopes as they’ll instead be rerouted to another postseason event.

Money Williams scored a career-high 40 points in the win. The guard shot 10-21 from the field and 18-19 from the charity stripe.

After the game, he spoke on the performance, as well as the previously mentioned jab.

Northern Colorado’s trash talk aged, oh, so poorly.

The Bears’ regular season was capped by a win over the Griz. Their NCAA Tournament ambitions ended one week later at the hands of that same Montana team.

UNC has been eliminated from the Big Sky Championship. It is no longer playing meaningful basketball.

Montana will advance to the next round of postseason play to face Portland State. A win would get them to the Finals, and one step closer to the Big Dance.