Saturday, February 25
Missoula, MT
7:00 PM
Montana State University
47
at
57
at MONTANA
Montana State fell to Grizzlies in Missoula on Saturday
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Grizzlies Overcome Strong Bobcat Effort
2/25/2012 9:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana pulls away late for 57-47 win
Montana State hung around as long as it could, but a five minute dry spell late in the second half doome the Bobcats in a 57-47 Grizzly win on Saturday.
MSU trailed 47-45 at the 5:39 mark on after Jeff Budinich hit the last of his three three-pointers of the night, but Montana held the Cats scoreless for four minutes, pulling away for the win. Will Cherry converted a basket at just under three minutes left and UM hit six of its 10 free throws down the stretch.
"I'm proud of my guys," said MSU coach Brad Huse. "I thought they played disciplined. We struggled to make baskets (in the first half), but they did, too."
MSU and the Grizzlies struggled through a physical, low-scoring first half dominated by defense. The Bobcats held Montana to 43% shooting in the first half while finding the net just 32% of the time themselves, but when Rod Singleton hit a three-pointer at the end of the first half the Big Sky-leading Grizzlies and MSU were tied at 21.
"One thing you don't want to happen here is to get way behind early," Huse said. "We're not a team that's built to overcome big leads. I thought we played hard and played pretty smart. Montana made the plays it had to make."
The game began to flow offensively after halftime, with Montana shooting 55% after the break. MSU never lost touch, though, until the dry spell around the five-minute mark.
Neither team played at a fast tempo, which Budinich said was by design on MSU's end of the floor. "We stuck with our offensive plan to look for good shots," the sophomore forward said. "We knew we needed to swing the ball around the perimeter and find open looks."
Art Steward led the Grizzlies with 14 points, while Will Cherry added 13. Four UM players scored in double-digits. Budinich's 11 points made him to only Bobcat in double figures. MSU managed seven more shots than the Grizzlies by forcing 15 UM turnovers, grabbing eight offensive rebounds, although Montana's 49% shooting night also contributed.
The Bobcats play a crucial win-and-in affair to determine its post-season fate Monday night. MSU hosts Northern Arizona at 7 pm, with a victory clinching a spot in the Big Sky Tournament for the Bobcats. Montana hosts Weber State on Tuesday for the Big Sky regular season title and the host's role in the league tournament.
MSU trailed 47-45 at the 5:39 mark on after Jeff Budinich hit the last of his three three-pointers of the night, but Montana held the Cats scoreless for four minutes, pulling away for the win. Will Cherry converted a basket at just under three minutes left and UM hit six of its 10 free throws down the stretch.
"I'm proud of my guys," said MSU coach Brad Huse. "I thought they played disciplined. We struggled to make baskets (in the first half), but they did, too."
MSU and the Grizzlies struggled through a physical, low-scoring first half dominated by defense. The Bobcats held Montana to 43% shooting in the first half while finding the net just 32% of the time themselves, but when Rod Singleton hit a three-pointer at the end of the first half the Big Sky-leading Grizzlies and MSU were tied at 21.
"One thing you don't want to happen here is to get way behind early," Huse said. "We're not a team that's built to overcome big leads. I thought we played hard and played pretty smart. Montana made the plays it had to make."
The game began to flow offensively after halftime, with Montana shooting 55% after the break. MSU never lost touch, though, until the dry spell around the five-minute mark.
Neither team played at a fast tempo, which Budinich said was by design on MSU's end of the floor. "We stuck with our offensive plan to look for good shots," the sophomore forward said. "We knew we needed to swing the ball around the perimeter and find open looks."
Art Steward led the Grizzlies with 14 points, while Will Cherry added 13. Four UM players scored in double-digits. Budinich's 11 points made him to only Bobcat in double figures. MSU managed seven more shots than the Grizzlies by forcing 15 UM turnovers, grabbing eight offensive rebounds, although Montana's 49% shooting night also contributed.
The Bobcats play a crucial win-and-in affair to determine its post-season fate Monday night. MSU hosts Northern Arizona at 7 pm, with a victory clinching a spot in the Big Sky Tournament for the Bobcats. Montana hosts Weber State on Tuesday for the Big Sky regular season title and the host's role in the league tournament.
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