Saturday, January 16
5:05 pm
Montana State University
at
Northern Colorado
Photo by: Sepp Jannotta
Bobcats Look for Improved Defense at Northern Colorado Saturday
1/16/2016 9:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MSU plays final road game for two weeks
An old nemesis reared its head again on Thursday.
After three games of improved defense, the Bobcats allowed North Dakota to shoot 57.9% in an 85-68 Fighting Hawks win over MSU in Grand Forks. UND shot well in the first half, hitting 52% of its shots, but caught fire after the intermission. UND hit 11 of its first 12 shots in the second half on its way to a 64% effort.
"We've got to get started early on defense," said MSU coach Brian Fish. "We're giving up way too many points. We're giving up layups. We're not executing offensively and that's leading to lapses on the defensive end. We've got to find a way to get out of this funk."
Fish hopes that effort begins Saturday, when the Bobcats visit Northern Colorado. The Bears are fifth in the league in scoring offense (5th, 75.4 points a game) and field goal percentage (45%), while the Cats have slipped to the bottom third of the league's rankings in both those defensive lists.
MSU enters Saturday's game 2-3 in the Big Sky, while Northern Colorado is 1-4. Tipoff is 5 pm at Northern Colorado's Butler-Hancock Arena.
The Matchup: Montana State (7-10 overall, 2-3 Big Sky) travels to Greeley for Saturday's 5 pm matchup against Northern Colorado (4-13, 1-4). While MSU dropped an 85-68 decision at North Dakota on Thursday, the Bears battled Montana before falling 73-66 at home. Bears guards Jordan Wilson (19 points) and Dallas Anglin (12 points) combine for nearly half of Northern Colorado's scoring output, with Wilson netting 10 of his 19 points from the line. The Grizzlies out-rebounded UNC 43-34, and held the Bears to 39% shooting. The Bobcats suffered through another slow start, trailing by as many as 14 in the first half and by 25 in the second before chipping away at the Fighting Hawks' lead. Tyler Hall was the only Bobcat in double-digits, scoring 15, as MSU shot under 40% (39.7%) for the second straight game.
About the Bobcats: North Dakota became MSU's second league opponent in five outings to top 50% shooting, hitting 57.9% of its shots in pulling away for the win. Two of Montana State's five Big Sky opponents have topped 50% from the floor. Freshman guard Tyler Hall paced the Bobcats with 15 points, his 16th game this season with at least 10 points, but he was MSU's only double-digit scorer. Junior center Shy Blake chipped in nine points, and was one of four Bobcats with five rebounds.
MSU on Offense: The Cats have shot below 40% in back-to-back games for the first time before Christmas, and the second time this season… MSU shoots 41.8% from the floor in league play, eighth in the Big Sky, and 36.8% from the arc, seventh in the conference… MSU's 19 turnovers was its most since giving the ball away 21 times against Hawaii in the season opener, and the team's 13 turnovers in the first half were more than the team's total in five of the previous seven games… the Bobcats' seven turnovers against North Dakota marked the team's lowest output in that category since hitting three at Utah Valley on December 1... MSU's 15-for-16 free throw effort was its best of the season, and the teams combined to shoot 24-of-27 from the line on Thursday.
MSU on Defense: The 15 turnovers MSU forced at North Dakota on Thursday marked the fourth straight the Cats have taken the ball away at least 10 times, and is the most forced by Montana State in a game since the Utah Valley game on December 1… North Dakota's 57.9% shooting was the highest percentage the Bobcats have allowed this season…
Projected Starters: G-22 Marcus Colbert (16.2/3.1/5.4a), G-3 Tyler Hall (17.5/5.6/1.9), F-24 Quinton Everett (5.4, 4.4, 1.0), F-0 Zach Green (7.8/5.8/1.6), C-34 Danny Robison (7.9/4.3/0.6)
Player Notes: Freshman guard Tyler Hall's 15 points raises his season total to 298, and if he scores two points Saturday he will be the fastest Bobcat to 300 points since the advent of alternating possession after made baskets in the 1930s… Hall has 95 rebounds, drawing him to within 24 of MSU's top five list in that category by freshmen… senior guard Marcus Colbert averages 5.4 assists overall, 6.8 in league play, both Big Sky-best marks… Quinton Everett joined Tyler Hall as the only Bobcats in 2015-16 to block two shots in a game… senior center Danny Robison is 7-for-9 shooting in the last three games… junior guard Stephan Holm's 3-for-4 shooting game Thursday was his best in league play this year.
After three games of improved defense, the Bobcats allowed North Dakota to shoot 57.9% in an 85-68 Fighting Hawks win over MSU in Grand Forks. UND shot well in the first half, hitting 52% of its shots, but caught fire after the intermission. UND hit 11 of its first 12 shots in the second half on its way to a 64% effort.
"We've got to get started early on defense," said MSU coach Brian Fish. "We're giving up way too many points. We're giving up layups. We're not executing offensively and that's leading to lapses on the defensive end. We've got to find a way to get out of this funk."
Fish hopes that effort begins Saturday, when the Bobcats visit Northern Colorado. The Bears are fifth in the league in scoring offense (5th, 75.4 points a game) and field goal percentage (45%), while the Cats have slipped to the bottom third of the league's rankings in both those defensive lists.
MSU enters Saturday's game 2-3 in the Big Sky, while Northern Colorado is 1-4. Tipoff is 5 pm at Northern Colorado's Butler-Hancock Arena.
The Matchup: Montana State (7-10 overall, 2-3 Big Sky) travels to Greeley for Saturday's 5 pm matchup against Northern Colorado (4-13, 1-4). While MSU dropped an 85-68 decision at North Dakota on Thursday, the Bears battled Montana before falling 73-66 at home. Bears guards Jordan Wilson (19 points) and Dallas Anglin (12 points) combine for nearly half of Northern Colorado's scoring output, with Wilson netting 10 of his 19 points from the line. The Grizzlies out-rebounded UNC 43-34, and held the Bears to 39% shooting. The Bobcats suffered through another slow start, trailing by as many as 14 in the first half and by 25 in the second before chipping away at the Fighting Hawks' lead. Tyler Hall was the only Bobcat in double-digits, scoring 15, as MSU shot under 40% (39.7%) for the second straight game.
About the Bobcats: North Dakota became MSU's second league opponent in five outings to top 50% shooting, hitting 57.9% of its shots in pulling away for the win. Two of Montana State's five Big Sky opponents have topped 50% from the floor. Freshman guard Tyler Hall paced the Bobcats with 15 points, his 16th game this season with at least 10 points, but he was MSU's only double-digit scorer. Junior center Shy Blake chipped in nine points, and was one of four Bobcats with five rebounds.
MSU on Offense: The Cats have shot below 40% in back-to-back games for the first time before Christmas, and the second time this season… MSU shoots 41.8% from the floor in league play, eighth in the Big Sky, and 36.8% from the arc, seventh in the conference… MSU's 19 turnovers was its most since giving the ball away 21 times against Hawaii in the season opener, and the team's 13 turnovers in the first half were more than the team's total in five of the previous seven games… the Bobcats' seven turnovers against North Dakota marked the team's lowest output in that category since hitting three at Utah Valley on December 1... MSU's 15-for-16 free throw effort was its best of the season, and the teams combined to shoot 24-of-27 from the line on Thursday.
MSU on Defense: The 15 turnovers MSU forced at North Dakota on Thursday marked the fourth straight the Cats have taken the ball away at least 10 times, and is the most forced by Montana State in a game since the Utah Valley game on December 1… North Dakota's 57.9% shooting was the highest percentage the Bobcats have allowed this season…
Projected Starters: G-22 Marcus Colbert (16.2/3.1/5.4a), G-3 Tyler Hall (17.5/5.6/1.9), F-24 Quinton Everett (5.4, 4.4, 1.0), F-0 Zach Green (7.8/5.8/1.6), C-34 Danny Robison (7.9/4.3/0.6)
Player Notes: Freshman guard Tyler Hall's 15 points raises his season total to 298, and if he scores two points Saturday he will be the fastest Bobcat to 300 points since the advent of alternating possession after made baskets in the 1930s… Hall has 95 rebounds, drawing him to within 24 of MSU's top five list in that category by freshmen… senior guard Marcus Colbert averages 5.4 assists overall, 6.8 in league play, both Big Sky-best marks… Quinton Everett joined Tyler Hall as the only Bobcats in 2015-16 to block two shots in a game… senior center Danny Robison is 7-for-9 shooting in the last three games… junior guard Stephan Holm's 3-for-4 shooting game Thursday was his best in league play this year.
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