Antonio Biglow and the Bobcats face Pepperdine Thursday
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Host Pepperdine on Thursday
11/28/2012 6:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU looks to snap Waves' three-game winning streak
Montana State looks to end a couple of modest streaks Thursday, hosting a Pepperdine squad riding the wave of a three-game winning streak into the northern Rockies while the Bobcats look to bounce back from back-to-back road losses.
The Cats and Waves meeting in Worthington Arena at 8:05 pm Thursday, following the MSU women's game against UM-Western at 5:35 pm.
Montana State coach Brad Huse said the offense starts out front for Pepperdine. “Athletic guards is where their scoring comes from,” Huse said, “particularly their two wings.” The Wave's start a smaller lineup than the Bobcats saw last time out against Oregon State. Guard Lorne Jackson leads the team with 17.2 points a game, while guard Jordan Baker (11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds) and forward Stacy Davis (10.8 points, 6.6 boards) offer balance and punch inside.
Thursday's game marks the Worthington Arena debut of what Huse hopes becomes MSU's regular rotation for the next couple of weeks. The Bobcats have worked versatile wing Xavier Blount and 6-10 forward Jeff Budinich into the lineup in the last two games after suspensions put their season openings on hold. Blount, in fact, hasn't played a game that counts for MSU since last February, when non-basketball injuries ended his season early.
Blount has rejoined the lineup without missing a beat. He has scored 23 points in his two outings, hitting double-digits each game. Budinich's role has been more muted, three points in the two games, but he adds a serious perimeter threat.
“Everybody on the team is learning right now, feeling things out,” Huse said. “We're working two players back into the lineup, with the real goal of getting geared up for league play.”
League play comes sooner rather than later for the Bobcats. MSU visits Northern Arizona (Dec. 17) and Sacramento State (Dec. 19) to open Big Sky play in just three weeks. That places on MSU the binary goals of working toward peaking at the beginning of conference in the future while playing to win games in the present.
“We want to win games, but more important we want to get ready to play conference games,” Huse said. “Everything is geared for how we play in the league.”
Antonio Biglow continues to pace a Bobcat offense featuring four players in double figure scoring. Biglow averages 16.0 points a game, and his eight three-pointers is more than any other Bobcat. Flavien Davis (13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds) has been one of the steadiest Bobcats, while Calen Coleman (10.3 points) has added scoring punch off the bench.
While MSU has averaged 73.3 points a game playing three of its first four on the road. Huse's focus, however, is on the other end of the floor. “We need to defend a little better,” he said, “particularly on the road. We need to be more consistent at that end of the floor. But we've played good teams in tough places to play, and I'm pleased with how hard the guys are working.”
The Bobcats won't have much time after Thursday's contest. MSU hosts San Jose State of the WAC on Saturday at 12 noon.
The Cats and Waves meeting in Worthington Arena at 8:05 pm Thursday, following the MSU women's game against UM-Western at 5:35 pm.
Montana State coach Brad Huse said the offense starts out front for Pepperdine. “Athletic guards is where their scoring comes from,” Huse said, “particularly their two wings.” The Wave's start a smaller lineup than the Bobcats saw last time out against Oregon State. Guard Lorne Jackson leads the team with 17.2 points a game, while guard Jordan Baker (11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds) and forward Stacy Davis (10.8 points, 6.6 boards) offer balance and punch inside.
Thursday's game marks the Worthington Arena debut of what Huse hopes becomes MSU's regular rotation for the next couple of weeks. The Bobcats have worked versatile wing Xavier Blount and 6-10 forward Jeff Budinich into the lineup in the last two games after suspensions put their season openings on hold. Blount, in fact, hasn't played a game that counts for MSU since last February, when non-basketball injuries ended his season early.
Blount has rejoined the lineup without missing a beat. He has scored 23 points in his two outings, hitting double-digits each game. Budinich's role has been more muted, three points in the two games, but he adds a serious perimeter threat.
“Everybody on the team is learning right now, feeling things out,” Huse said. “We're working two players back into the lineup, with the real goal of getting geared up for league play.”
League play comes sooner rather than later for the Bobcats. MSU visits Northern Arizona (Dec. 17) and Sacramento State (Dec. 19) to open Big Sky play in just three weeks. That places on MSU the binary goals of working toward peaking at the beginning of conference in the future while playing to win games in the present.
“We want to win games, but more important we want to get ready to play conference games,” Huse said. “Everything is geared for how we play in the league.”
Antonio Biglow continues to pace a Bobcat offense featuring four players in double figure scoring. Biglow averages 16.0 points a game, and his eight three-pointers is more than any other Bobcat. Flavien Davis (13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds) has been one of the steadiest Bobcats, while Calen Coleman (10.3 points) has added scoring punch off the bench.
While MSU has averaged 73.3 points a game playing three of its first four on the road. Huse's focus, however, is on the other end of the floor. “We need to defend a little better,” he said, “particularly on the road. We need to be more consistent at that end of the floor. But we've played good teams in tough places to play, and I'm pleased with how hard the guys are working.”
The Bobcats won't have much time after Thursday's contest. MSU hosts San Jose State of the WAC on Saturday at 12 noon.
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