Thursday, February 13
Grand Forks, ND
7:05 pm
Montana State University
12-12 (7-6)
78
at
70
at NORTH DAKOTA
10-13 (7-6)
1
2
F
Montana State
36
42
78
North Dakota
25
45
70
Flavien Davis' 19 points led MSU on Thursday
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Strong Finish Boosts Bobcats to Road Win at UND
2/13/2014 10:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU hits 11 of its 12 free throws in the game's final minute
On a night studded with outstanding individual performances, Montana State coach Brad Huse was eager to talk about the aggregate after his Bobcats earned a 78-70 win at North Dakota Thursday.
"We played great team basketball tonight," Huse said of the victory that countered North Dakota's 72-69 in Bozeman last month. "The guys were really determined to win this game."
No one was more determined than senior forward Flavien Davis, who led the Bobcats with 19 points while grabbing five rebounds. Guard Marcus Colbert scored 16 points, while center Paul Egwuonwu added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Keyed by a couple of Stephan Holm three-pointers and two big plays by Eric Norman, the Bobcats used a 15-3 run mid-way through the first half to seize control of the game. Norman hit an and-one three-point play at 11:28 to give the Cats a 15-12 lead, then Holm hit a three-pointer after a Troy Huff turnover for an 18-12 lead.
A jumper and a pair of free throws by Antonio Biglow two minutes later pushed the Bobcat lead to 10, and when Paul Egwuonwu converted a layup on a dish from Biglow at 6:04 Montana State held a 27-15 lead. The Cats carried a 36-25 lead into the intermission.
MSU held its double-digit lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half, but a three-pointer by Quinton Hooker followed by an Aaron Anderson triple cut MSU's lead to 55-50 at the 8:31 mark. A Stefan Cole layup at 8:01 stretched the UND run to 8-0 before four free throws and a layup by Flavien Davis pushed the Bobcat lead back to nine.
In spite of three-pointers by Huff, Anderson and Lenny Antwi in the last four minutes, MSU was able to withstand North Dakota's closing push. Solid ball-handling and key baskets by Biglow and Colbert, along with nearly-flawless free throw shooting, allowed the Cats to hold on.
"We made clutch free throws and shots coming down the stretch," Huse said. "They made a big run at us, which we knew they would because of their veterans, but we were able to hold them off."
The Bobcats hit 11 of their 12 free throws in the game's final minute. In fact, in the final 7:19 of the game MSU hit four of its six field goal attempts and was 12-for-15 from the line. For the game, the Bobcats shot 52.4%, the team's second-best mark against a Division I opponent this season, and 58% after halftime. MSU also out-rebounded North Dakota 30-28, helping to counter 17 Bobcat turnovers, matching the season-high.
The win raises Montana State's league record to 7-6, the same as Montana and North Dakota. Saturday's Bobcat opponent, Northern Colorado, is 8-5 after a home overtime win against the Grizzlies on Thursday, along with NAU, who defeated Portland State in Portland. MSU and the Bears tip off at 7 pm Saturday.
"We played great team basketball tonight," Huse said of the victory that countered North Dakota's 72-69 in Bozeman last month. "The guys were really determined to win this game."
No one was more determined than senior forward Flavien Davis, who led the Bobcats with 19 points while grabbing five rebounds. Guard Marcus Colbert scored 16 points, while center Paul Egwuonwu added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Keyed by a couple of Stephan Holm three-pointers and two big plays by Eric Norman, the Bobcats used a 15-3 run mid-way through the first half to seize control of the game. Norman hit an and-one three-point play at 11:28 to give the Cats a 15-12 lead, then Holm hit a three-pointer after a Troy Huff turnover for an 18-12 lead.
A jumper and a pair of free throws by Antonio Biglow two minutes later pushed the Bobcat lead to 10, and when Paul Egwuonwu converted a layup on a dish from Biglow at 6:04 Montana State held a 27-15 lead. The Cats carried a 36-25 lead into the intermission.
MSU held its double-digit lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half, but a three-pointer by Quinton Hooker followed by an Aaron Anderson triple cut MSU's lead to 55-50 at the 8:31 mark. A Stefan Cole layup at 8:01 stretched the UND run to 8-0 before four free throws and a layup by Flavien Davis pushed the Bobcat lead back to nine.
In spite of three-pointers by Huff, Anderson and Lenny Antwi in the last four minutes, MSU was able to withstand North Dakota's closing push. Solid ball-handling and key baskets by Biglow and Colbert, along with nearly-flawless free throw shooting, allowed the Cats to hold on.
"We made clutch free throws and shots coming down the stretch," Huse said. "They made a big run at us, which we knew they would because of their veterans, but we were able to hold them off."
The Bobcats hit 11 of their 12 free throws in the game's final minute. In fact, in the final 7:19 of the game MSU hit four of its six field goal attempts and was 12-for-15 from the line. For the game, the Bobcats shot 52.4%, the team's second-best mark against a Division I opponent this season, and 58% after halftime. MSU also out-rebounded North Dakota 30-28, helping to counter 17 Bobcat turnovers, matching the season-high.
The win raises Montana State's league record to 7-6, the same as Montana and North Dakota. Saturday's Bobcat opponent, Northern Colorado, is 8-5 after a home overtime win against the Grizzlies on Thursday, along with NAU, who defeated Portland State in Portland. MSU and the Bears tip off at 7 pm Saturday.
Team Stats
MSU
UND
FG%
.524
.433
3FG%
.667
.344
FT%
.875
.467
RB
30
28
TO
17
10
STL
5
13
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
10
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
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