Bobcat Game Notes vs. UM
1/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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MONTANA STATE (10-7/2-2) vs. Montana (5-11/2-2)
Montana State stares down its arch-rival this weekend, hosting Montana at 7:05 pm Saturday. The Grizzlies, like the Bobcats and every other team in the league, have been inconsistent this year. After hammering Idaho State at home last Thursday, the Grizzlies lost Saturday to Weber. MSU suffered a similar fate, topping Weber on Thursday before falling to ISU. NEXT UP: Montana State hosts Montana on Saturday at 7:05 pm.
GAME FACTS
TIPOFF 7:05 pm MST
SITE Bozeman, MT
ARENA Worthington Arena
RADIO Bobcat Radio Network
(Kris Atteberry)
TELEVISION MTN Stations
HIGHLIGHTS
l Jason Erickson leads the Big Sky with 47 steals, and has at least one steal in 15 of MSU’s 17 games
l Mick Durham’s 103 wins in league games is the most in Big Sky history
STREAKS
l Montana State has shot 42% or less in five straight games
l The Bobcats have shot below 50% in eight straight halves, and in that stretch are shooting 19% from three-point range
NOTEWORTHY
l Montana State is 15-for-78 (19%) from three-point range in the last four games, 88-for-221 (39%) from the floor
l MSU has been outrebounded 143-129 in the four league games
l Montana State has now won its home conference opener in all 14 of Mick Durham’s seasons
l Jason Erickson now has 1,054 career points, two points away from 28th place on MSU’s career list
The Bobcats Montana
‘03-04 RECORD 10-7 5-11
Home/Road/Neu 7-3/1-3/2-1 4-4/1-7/0-0
Conf./Record Big Sky/2-2 Big Sky/2-2
HEAD COACH Mick Durham Pat Kennedy
Alma Mater MSU/’80 Kings/’75
Overall/Years 213-178/14th 411-304/24th
At School/Years same 18-28/2nd
vs Opponent vs. UM: 11-19 vs. MSU: 1-1
Hm/Rd/Neu 7-7/3-10/1-1 1-0/0-1/0-0
SCHOOL INFO
Spirit colors Blue, gold Maroon, silver
Location Bozeman, MT Missoula, MT
Enrollment 12,000 13,058
Arena Worthington Arena(7,000) Adams Center
SERIES CAPSULES
MSU vs. Montana........................................ 140-127 (88-41/47-79/5-7)
PROJECTED MSU STARTERS Ht Wt Cl Pt Re A/B/S
F #33-Danny Faaborg 6-5 200 Sr 6.8 2.5 1.3a
F #24-Josh Barsh 6-3 195 Sr 3.6 2.0 1.1a
C #4-Calvin Ento 6-7 215 Sr 8.6 5.8 0.9s
G #11-Frank Brown 6-2 160 So 8.2 3.5 4.5a
G #10-Jason Erickson 6-3 185 Sr 17.4 2.7 3.1a
BOBCAT RESERVES
#3-Nick Dissly 6-4 205 Fr 9.9 3.7 1.5a
#5-Dennis Woodall 6-5 225 Jr 3.8 2.5 0.3s
#20-Carson Durr 6-6 200 Fr 1.1 0.7 0.2a
#22-Wes Morales 6-5 190 Sr 0.7 0.3 0.3a
#23-Marcus Clift 6-2 175 Fr 0.3 0.8 0.3a
#30-PJ Owsley 6-8 200 Fr 2.8 0.9 0.1a
#50-Martrel Johnson 6-5 225 Fr 0.5 0.8 0.3b
#52-Matt Towsley 7-0 255 Jr 10.1 4.8 1.1b
*-has used redshirt season +-transferred to MSU
THIS WEEK
From Bobcat Coach Mick Durham
On Montana: “Kevin Criswell and Steve Horne are the two perimeter guys that can really get going. Defensively, those are important matchups for us. They have two very talented new inside players, Kamarr Davis and John Seyfert, and Derrick Mansell is playing well at the point. Those are three guys that we haven’t seen before, but they have several familiar faces, Victor Venters inside and Brent Cummings on the perimeter, that are effective players. We’re going to have to shoot the ball well Saturday night, we’re going to have to score some points. This is a player’s game. The atmosphere is great, and it’s a fun game to play in. But the players have to go play.” On the Bobcats: “We’ve played four conference games. On two nights our defense has been great, and on two nights it’s been horrible. We’ll make adjustments in that area. We really haven’t shot the ball well in conference games yet. We’re getting good shots, we’re just not knocking them down. Everyone goes through slumps. A lot of times guys are getting a little off-balance or the footwork is off, and those things you can work on. We don’t dwell on it a lot, but it hurts when several players hit shooting slumps at the same time. You just have to keep shooting. We’ll get through it.”
MONTANA ROSTER
4 Jon Wilkins, G/F 6-4 209 So Phoenix, AZ
10 Derrick Mansell, G 6-2 190 Sr Costa Mesa, CA
12 Kevin Criswell, G 6-2 185 So Colstrip, MT
20 Brian Lynch, G 6-0 185 Fr Great Falls, MT
22 Roy Booker, G 6-2 190 Jr Portageville, MO
24 Brent Cummings, F 6-7 210 Sr Pullman, WA
33 John Seyfert, C 6-10 240 So Stevensville, MT
34 Steve Horne, F 6-6 190 Sr Pensacola, FL
40 Matt Dlouhy, F 6-6 190 Fr Coeur d’Alene, ID
44 Ryan Pederson, F/C 6-9 215 Sr Maple Grove, MN
50 Kamarr Davis, F 6-7 235 Jr Milwaukee, WI
52 Corey Easley, F 6-8 220 So Inver Grove Hts, MN
54 Chris McKay, C 6-11 235 So Victoria, BC
55 Victor Venters, F 6-8 220 Sr Richmond, CA
HEAD COACH: Pat Kennedy
GRIZZLY NOTES
Montana, like the Bobcats, began the league season with a road split and a home split, and stand 2-2 entering the third weekend of conference play... the Grizzlies are led by sharpshooting guard Kevin Criswell, who averages 13.5 points and is tied with Jason Erickson for seventh in the Big Sky with 30 three-point field goals (although UM has played one less game than the ‘Cats)... the Grizzlies played an enormously difficult non-conference schedule, facing schools such as Washington State, Southern Illinois, UNLV, Gonzaga, and Auburn... point guard Derrick Mansell had 20 assists in the first three conference games before being blanked against Weber State... forward Kamarr Davis had 23 points and 12 boards against Idaho State last week... John Seyfert (14 points, 10 rebounds vs. SE Missouri) has UM’s other double-double on the season.
SCOPING THE BOBCATS
Last Time Out
Idaho State started each half with 8-0 runs and shot 51%, as the Bengals beat Montana State 75-64 on Saturday. ISU forward Doug D’Amore score 28 points, 22 more than his season average, and his 8-for-8 night from beyond the three-point line was the third-best game in NCAA history. Jason Erickson had 18 points and five steals to lead MSU.
The Three Company
MSU has hit at least one three-pointer in the last 292 games. From 1986 to late ‘92-93 MSU rolled up 197 straight games with a trey, giving MSU at least one three in 490 of the last 491 games.
The Magic Number
The Bobcats are 104-15 when scoring at least 80 points since ‘93-94.
More Magic
MSU scored 80 points in five straight early-January games, a first for the ‘Cats since January 1994.
Eating Glass
Rebounding has been a pretty solid indicator of Montana State’s success this season. The Bobcats are 2-6 when the opponent grabs more rebounds than MSU, 8-1 when the ‘Cats are even or positive in rebounds. The Bobcats have been outrebounded by an average margin of 11 boards a game in losses, while the team’s rebounding margin in wins is three to the good. The last two wins -- at PSU and Weber at home -- are MSU’s only wins this season when out-boarded.
The Difference Maker
The Bobcats have been outrebounded in only four of the 14 games in which center Matt Towsley has played. Towsley missed three December games with a herniated disc.
Newbies
Bobcat coach Mick Durham is leading the youngest of his 14 Bobcat teams during the 2003-04 season. MSU’s roster features eight players out of 13 that did not play on the Bobcat varsity a year ago. In spite of that, however, four of the five Bobcat starters have previously seen action in the starting lineup for Montana State, including Jason Erickson, who has 52 starts. Six of MSU’s 13 varsity players -- which does not include redshirt Casey Durham, who is also a freshman -- are true or redshirt freshmen.
Freebies
Jason Erickson has shot 87.5% from the free throw line this year, the best mark in the conference, but other Bobcats have struggled from the line. MSU has shot just 63% as a team, and six of the seven players other than Erickson with at least 10 attempts are shooting below 65%. The four that join Erickson as starters combine to shoot 53% from the line.
Swattin’...
The Bobcats have improved in the shot-blocking category this year. Montana State has 39 blocked shots through 16 games, including 16 by Matt Towsley. Last year, MSU blocked 50 shots all season.
...and Swipin’
Montana State has had sticky fingers this year. The Bobcats have 132 steals through 17 games, an average of 7.8 a game. Last year, the ‘Cats averaged 5.3 steals per game. Jason Erickson has a league-high 47 steals -- 2.7 per game -- or nearly half of his career total before this season (98).
Shooting Woes
Montana State brought the league’s top field goal percentage into the conference season, but has shot a league-low 39.8% from the floor through four conference games.
BOBCAT RESULTS
FIU Hampton Inn Tipoff Classic
N21 Quinnipiac W 87-75
N23 Howard W 57-54
N25 at Florida L 73-112
N29 Idaho W 71-65
D3 at Denver L 53-55
D6 Santa Clara L 56-74
D13 Wyo. at Casper L 55-63
D20 Denver L 79-81
D22 Mary W 86-52
Holiday Stores Classic
D29 Morgan State W 81-57
D30 Western Carolina W 84-69
J2 Rocky Mountain W 83-70
J5 Colorado State W 82-75
J8 at Portland State W 61-54
J10 at Eastern Wash. L 55-70
J15 Weber State W 61-48
J17 Idaho State L 64-75
J24 Montana
J29 at Sac State
J31 at NAU
F5 Eastern Washington
F7 Portland State
F12 at Idaho State
F14 at Weber State
F21 at Montana
F25 NAU
F29 Sac State
MONTANA STATE (10-7/2-2) vs. Montana (5-11/2-2)
Montana State stares down its arch-rival this weekend, hosting Montana at 7:05 pm Saturday. The Grizzlies, like the Bobcats and every other team in the league, have been inconsistent this year. After hammering Idaho State at home last Thursday, the Grizzlies lost Saturday to Weber. MSU suffered a similar fate, topping Weber on Thursday before falling to ISU. NEXT UP: Montana State hosts Montana on Saturday at 7:05 pm.
GAME FACTS
TIPOFF 7:05 pm MST
SITE Bozeman, MT
ARENA Worthington Arena
RADIO Bobcat Radio Network
(Kris Atteberry)
TELEVISION MTN Stations
HIGHLIGHTS
l Jason Erickson leads the Big Sky with 47 steals, and has at least one steal in 15 of MSU’s 17 games
l Mick Durham’s 103 wins in league games is the most in Big Sky history
STREAKS
l Montana State has shot 42% or less in five straight games
l The Bobcats have shot below 50% in eight straight halves, and in that stretch are shooting 19% from three-point range
NOTEWORTHY
l Montana State is 15-for-78 (19%) from three-point range in the last four games, 88-for-221 (39%) from the floor
l MSU has been outrebounded 143-129 in the four league games
l Montana State has now won its home conference opener in all 14 of Mick Durham’s seasons
l Jason Erickson now has 1,054 career points, two points away from 28th place on MSU’s career list
The Bobcats Montana
‘03-04 RECORD 10-7 5-11
Home/Road/Neu 7-3/1-3/2-1 4-4/1-7/0-0
Conf./Record Big Sky/2-2 Big Sky/2-2
HEAD COACH Mick Durham Pat Kennedy
Alma Mater MSU/’80 Kings/’75
Overall/Years 213-178/14th 411-304/24th
At School/Years same 18-28/2nd
vs Opponent vs. UM: 11-19 vs. MSU: 1-1
Hm/Rd/Neu 7-7/3-10/1-1 1-0/0-1/0-0
SCHOOL INFO
Spirit colors Blue, gold Maroon, silver
Location Bozeman, MT Missoula, MT
Enrollment 12,000 13,058
Arena Worthington Arena(7,000) Adams Center
SERIES CAPSULES
MSU vs. Montana........................................ 140-127 (88-41/47-79/5-7)
PROJECTED MSU STARTERS Ht Wt Cl Pt Re A/B/S
F #33-Danny Faaborg 6-5 200 Sr 6.8 2.5 1.3a
F #24-Josh Barsh 6-3 195 Sr 3.6 2.0 1.1a
C #4-Calvin Ento 6-7 215 Sr 8.6 5.8 0.9s
G #11-Frank Brown 6-2 160 So 8.2 3.5 4.5a
G #10-Jason Erickson 6-3 185 Sr 17.4 2.7 3.1a
BOBCAT RESERVES
#3-Nick Dissly 6-4 205 Fr 9.9 3.7 1.5a
#5-Dennis Woodall 6-5 225 Jr 3.8 2.5 0.3s
#20-Carson Durr 6-6 200 Fr 1.1 0.7 0.2a
#22-Wes Morales 6-5 190 Sr 0.7 0.3 0.3a
#23-Marcus Clift 6-2 175 Fr 0.3 0.8 0.3a
#30-PJ Owsley 6-8 200 Fr 2.8 0.9 0.1a
#50-Martrel Johnson 6-5 225 Fr 0.5 0.8 0.3b
#52-Matt Towsley 7-0 255 Jr 10.1 4.8 1.1b
*-has used redshirt season +-transferred to MSU
THIS WEEK
From Bobcat Coach Mick Durham
On Montana: “Kevin Criswell and Steve Horne are the two perimeter guys that can really get going. Defensively, those are important matchups for us. They have two very talented new inside players, Kamarr Davis and John Seyfert, and Derrick Mansell is playing well at the point. Those are three guys that we haven’t seen before, but they have several familiar faces, Victor Venters inside and Brent Cummings on the perimeter, that are effective players. We’re going to have to shoot the ball well Saturday night, we’re going to have to score some points. This is a player’s game. The atmosphere is great, and it’s a fun game to play in. But the players have to go play.” On the Bobcats: “We’ve played four conference games. On two nights our defense has been great, and on two nights it’s been horrible. We’ll make adjustments in that area. We really haven’t shot the ball well in conference games yet. We’re getting good shots, we’re just not knocking them down. Everyone goes through slumps. A lot of times guys are getting a little off-balance or the footwork is off, and those things you can work on. We don’t dwell on it a lot, but it hurts when several players hit shooting slumps at the same time. You just have to keep shooting. We’ll get through it.”
MONTANA ROSTER
4 Jon Wilkins, G/F 6-4 209 So Phoenix, AZ
10 Derrick Mansell, G 6-2 190 Sr Costa Mesa, CA
12 Kevin Criswell, G 6-2 185 So Colstrip, MT
20 Brian Lynch, G 6-0 185 Fr Great Falls, MT
22 Roy Booker, G 6-2 190 Jr Portageville, MO
24 Brent Cummings, F 6-7 210 Sr Pullman, WA
33 John Seyfert, C 6-10 240 So Stevensville, MT
34 Steve Horne, F 6-6 190 Sr Pensacola, FL
40 Matt Dlouhy, F 6-6 190 Fr Coeur d’Alene, ID
44 Ryan Pederson, F/C 6-9 215 Sr Maple Grove, MN
50 Kamarr Davis, F 6-7 235 Jr Milwaukee, WI
52 Corey Easley, F 6-8 220 So Inver Grove Hts, MN
54 Chris McKay, C 6-11 235 So Victoria, BC
55 Victor Venters, F 6-8 220 Sr Richmond, CA
HEAD COACH: Pat Kennedy
GRIZZLY NOTES
Montana, like the Bobcats, began the league season with a road split and a home split, and stand 2-2 entering the third weekend of conference play... the Grizzlies are led by sharpshooting guard Kevin Criswell, who averages 13.5 points and is tied with Jason Erickson for seventh in the Big Sky with 30 three-point field goals (although UM has played one less game than the ‘Cats)... the Grizzlies played an enormously difficult non-conference schedule, facing schools such as Washington State, Southern Illinois, UNLV, Gonzaga, and Auburn... point guard Derrick Mansell had 20 assists in the first three conference games before being blanked against Weber State... forward Kamarr Davis had 23 points and 12 boards against Idaho State last week... John Seyfert (14 points, 10 rebounds vs. SE Missouri) has UM’s other double-double on the season.
SCOPING THE BOBCATS
Last Time Out
Idaho State started each half with 8-0 runs and shot 51%, as the Bengals beat Montana State 75-64 on Saturday. ISU forward Doug D’Amore score 28 points, 22 more than his season average, and his 8-for-8 night from beyond the three-point line was the third-best game in NCAA history. Jason Erickson had 18 points and five steals to lead MSU.
The Three Company
MSU has hit at least one three-pointer in the last 292 games. From 1986 to late ‘92-93 MSU rolled up 197 straight games with a trey, giving MSU at least one three in 490 of the last 491 games.
The Magic Number
The Bobcats are 104-15 when scoring at least 80 points since ‘93-94.
More Magic
MSU scored 80 points in five straight early-January games, a first for the ‘Cats since January 1994.
Eating Glass
Rebounding has been a pretty solid indicator of Montana State’s success this season. The Bobcats are 2-6 when the opponent grabs more rebounds than MSU, 8-1 when the ‘Cats are even or positive in rebounds. The Bobcats have been outrebounded by an average margin of 11 boards a game in losses, while the team’s rebounding margin in wins is three to the good. The last two wins -- at PSU and Weber at home -- are MSU’s only wins this season when out-boarded.
The Difference Maker
The Bobcats have been outrebounded in only four of the 14 games in which center Matt Towsley has played. Towsley missed three December games with a herniated disc.
Newbies
Bobcat coach Mick Durham is leading the youngest of his 14 Bobcat teams during the 2003-04 season. MSU’s roster features eight players out of 13 that did not play on the Bobcat varsity a year ago. In spite of that, however, four of the five Bobcat starters have previously seen action in the starting lineup for Montana State, including Jason Erickson, who has 52 starts. Six of MSU’s 13 varsity players -- which does not include redshirt Casey Durham, who is also a freshman -- are true or redshirt freshmen.
Freebies
Jason Erickson has shot 87.5% from the free throw line this year, the best mark in the conference, but other Bobcats have struggled from the line. MSU has shot just 63% as a team, and six of the seven players other than Erickson with at least 10 attempts are shooting below 65%. The four that join Erickson as starters combine to shoot 53% from the line.
Swattin’...
The Bobcats have improved in the shot-blocking category this year. Montana State has 39 blocked shots through 16 games, including 16 by Matt Towsley. Last year, MSU blocked 50 shots all season.
...and Swipin’
Montana State has had sticky fingers this year. The Bobcats have 132 steals through 17 games, an average of 7.8 a game. Last year, the ‘Cats averaged 5.3 steals per game. Jason Erickson has a league-high 47 steals -- 2.7 per game -- or nearly half of his career total before this season (98).
Shooting Woes
Montana State brought the league’s top field goal percentage into the conference season, but has shot a league-low 39.8% from the floor through four conference games.
BOBCAT RESULTS
FIU Hampton Inn Tipoff Classic
N21 Quinnipiac W 87-75
N23 Howard W 57-54
N25 at Florida L 73-112
N29 Idaho W 71-65
D3 at Denver L 53-55
D6 Santa Clara L 56-74
D13 Wyo. at Casper L 55-63
D20 Denver L 79-81
D22 Mary W 86-52
Holiday Stores Classic
D29 Morgan State W 81-57
D30 Western Carolina W 84-69
J2 Rocky Mountain W 83-70
J5 Colorado State W 82-75
J8 at Portland State W 61-54
J10 at Eastern Wash. L 55-70
J15 Weber State W 61-48
J17 Idaho State L 64-75
J24 Montana
J29 at Sac State
J31 at NAU
F5 Eastern Washington
F7 Portland State
F12 at Idaho State
F14 at Weber State
F21 at Montana
F25 NAU
F29 Sac State
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
