Tuesday, December 1
7:00 pm
Montana State University
at
Utah Valley
Stephan Holm scored 11 at Wyoming Saturday
Photo by: Ruth Shellenberg
Bobcats Visit Utah Valley on Tuesday
11/30/2015 5:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU looks for stronger defensive effort along the Wasatch Front
For those trying to divine the focus of Montana State's practice sessions in the time frame immediately after his team's 82-68 loss at Wyoming Saturday, Bobcat coach Brian Fish is happy to provide clarity.
"We've got to play some defense," Fish said as his team prepares for Tuesday's game against Utah Valley. "Our defensive effort is not acceptable. We're going to work at that, and we're going to get better."
Wyoming scored 82 points on the Cats for the second straight game – MSU topped its bordering state rival to the south 83-82 in Billings last Sunday – and also shot over 50% from the floor in the second half for the second straight game. Statistics bear out that this trend has persisted through MSU's 3-3 start to the 2015-16 season. The Cats stand ninth in the 12-team Big Sky in scoring defense, allowing 81.3 points a game, and 11th in field goal defense (.501).
Fish doesn't find blame entirely on one side of half-court. "Our offense is a big part of our defense," he said. "(Saturday at Wyoming) we didn't have one possession in the second half where we ran the (shot) clock inside 10 seconds. We need to execute better offensively to help our defense."
The Cats stand to face a test against Utah Valley on Tuesday in Orem, where the Wolverines stand 2-0 all-time against Montnaa State with a +26.0-point average margin of victory. Konner Frey averages 16.3 points to pace UVU, while Marcel Davis' 4.8 assists a game is among the top 100 in the nation.
Fish is impressed with what he's seen of the Wolverines. "They want to get out and run a little bit, and they play really hard," he said. "They're very well-coached. I'm really impressed on film with how hard they play. They'll be the most physical team we've played so far. They run a little bit of the same principles as Wyoming (on offense), and they really pack it in defensively in a man-to-man."
While senior Marcus Colbert continues to pace the Bobcats, finishing with a team-high 16 points Saturday, other contributions tend to come from among the team's eight newcomers. Freshman Tyler Hall scored 14 in Laramie, the fifth time in his first six games scoring in double-digits, and so did junior Sarp Gobeloglu, the best game of his young Bobcat career.
While the Bobcats carry a 3-3 record into Tuesday's contest, Utah Valley is 2-4. The Wolverines own wins over Great Falls and Antelope Valley, and the losses have come at BYU, Denver and Utah State before Saturday's home loss to UC Davis. Tipoff is 7 pm, and after that outing the Cats return home for their only game in Worthington Arena until Sacramento State visits to begin the second weekend of Big Sky play in January.
"We've got to play some defense," Fish said as his team prepares for Tuesday's game against Utah Valley. "Our defensive effort is not acceptable. We're going to work at that, and we're going to get better."
Wyoming scored 82 points on the Cats for the second straight game – MSU topped its bordering state rival to the south 83-82 in Billings last Sunday – and also shot over 50% from the floor in the second half for the second straight game. Statistics bear out that this trend has persisted through MSU's 3-3 start to the 2015-16 season. The Cats stand ninth in the 12-team Big Sky in scoring defense, allowing 81.3 points a game, and 11th in field goal defense (.501).
Fish doesn't find blame entirely on one side of half-court. "Our offense is a big part of our defense," he said. "(Saturday at Wyoming) we didn't have one possession in the second half where we ran the (shot) clock inside 10 seconds. We need to execute better offensively to help our defense."
The Cats stand to face a test against Utah Valley on Tuesday in Orem, where the Wolverines stand 2-0 all-time against Montnaa State with a +26.0-point average margin of victory. Konner Frey averages 16.3 points to pace UVU, while Marcel Davis' 4.8 assists a game is among the top 100 in the nation.
Fish is impressed with what he's seen of the Wolverines. "They want to get out and run a little bit, and they play really hard," he said. "They're very well-coached. I'm really impressed on film with how hard they play. They'll be the most physical team we've played so far. They run a little bit of the same principles as Wyoming (on offense), and they really pack it in defensively in a man-to-man."
While senior Marcus Colbert continues to pace the Bobcats, finishing with a team-high 16 points Saturday, other contributions tend to come from among the team's eight newcomers. Freshman Tyler Hall scored 14 in Laramie, the fifth time in his first six games scoring in double-digits, and so did junior Sarp Gobeloglu, the best game of his young Bobcat career.
While the Bobcats carry a 3-3 record into Tuesday's contest, Utah Valley is 2-4. The Wolverines own wins over Great Falls and Antelope Valley, and the losses have come at BYU, Denver and Utah State before Saturday's home loss to UC Davis. Tipoff is 7 pm, and after that outing the Cats return home for their only game in Worthington Arena until Sacramento State visits to begin the second weekend of Big Sky play in January.
Players Mentioned
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