Saturday, January 24
2:35 pm
Montana State University
vs
Northern Arizona
Brian Fish leads the Bobcats into action Saturday afternoon
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Fresh Off Home Win, Cats Host Northern Arizona Saturday Afternoon
1/23/2015 4:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU's hot second half boosted Bobcats to win
Points could be at a premium Saturday, when Montana State and Northern Arizona clash in Worthington Arena. Tipoff for the Big Sky Conference contest is 2:35 pm.
The Bobcats (325th, 38.6%) and NAU (306th, 39.6%) each rank in the lower regions of the NCAA Division I shooting chart, but don't let that fool you, says Montana State coach Brian Fish. "Northern Arizona is big and physical inside, and they attack the basket," he said. "The score well from all five spots on the floor and have excellent scoring guards."
While NAU was watching its seven-point halftime lead flipped on its head in a 64-57 loss at Montana on Thursday, the Bobcats enjoyed the opposite sort of ending. MSU overcame 10-point deficits in each half, shooting 53.6% after intermission in racing to a 79-65 victory for the team's first league win of 2015.
While Stephan Holm kept the Bobcats in Thursday's game with 19 points, including a dozen in the first half when Southern Utah threatened to put the game safely away, senior guard Michael Dison was crucial late. He averages 13.5 points a game to pace the team, and had led the squad in scoring in the four games prior to Thursday. He stroked crucial back-to-back triples with around five minutes remaining Thursday to seal Montana State's victory.
Quinton Upshur scored 17 points to lead NAU in Missoula on Thursday, but the Lumberjacks couldn't slow down UM's Jordan Gregory, who went off for 31. Upshur leads the Lumberjacks with 13.9 points a game and Aaseem Dixon adds 12.6, but the attack is triggered by point guard Kris Yanku. He scores 11.3 points with 3.9 assists, and leads the Big Sky in free throw attempts.
The ability to avoid long offensive droughts remains a high priority for Fish. "We've worked hard on that," he said. "We want to respond in a positive way when we go a couple possessions without baskets, and the most important part of that is not letting a missed shot on offense affect your defense. I think we're seeing growth."
The Bobcats (325th, 38.6%) and NAU (306th, 39.6%) each rank in the lower regions of the NCAA Division I shooting chart, but don't let that fool you, says Montana State coach Brian Fish. "Northern Arizona is big and physical inside, and they attack the basket," he said. "The score well from all five spots on the floor and have excellent scoring guards."
While NAU was watching its seven-point halftime lead flipped on its head in a 64-57 loss at Montana on Thursday, the Bobcats enjoyed the opposite sort of ending. MSU overcame 10-point deficits in each half, shooting 53.6% after intermission in racing to a 79-65 victory for the team's first league win of 2015.
While Stephan Holm kept the Bobcats in Thursday's game with 19 points, including a dozen in the first half when Southern Utah threatened to put the game safely away, senior guard Michael Dison was crucial late. He averages 13.5 points a game to pace the team, and had led the squad in scoring in the four games prior to Thursday. He stroked crucial back-to-back triples with around five minutes remaining Thursday to seal Montana State's victory.
Quinton Upshur scored 17 points to lead NAU in Missoula on Thursday, but the Lumberjacks couldn't slow down UM's Jordan Gregory, who went off for 31. Upshur leads the Lumberjacks with 13.9 points a game and Aaseem Dixon adds 12.6, but the attack is triggered by point guard Kris Yanku. He scores 11.3 points with 3.9 assists, and leads the Big Sky in free throw attempts.
The ability to avoid long offensive droughts remains a high priority for Fish. "We've worked hard on that," he said. "We want to respond in a positive way when we go a couple possessions without baskets, and the most important part of that is not letting a missed shot on offense affect your defense. I think we're seeing growth."
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