Thursday, February 11
Bozeman, MT
7:05 pm
Montana State University
vs
Northern Arizona
Sam Neumann and the Bobcats look to maintain momentum this weekend
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Host Northern Arizona Looking to Maintain Momentum
2/10/2016 5:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Quinton Everett, Zach Green among players stepping up as season progresses
The opponents are the same, but not the mindset. That is a universal truth in college basketball, and Montana State continues that plunge this weekend when the Bobcats host Northern Arizona (Thursday at 7:05 pm) and Southern Utah (Saturday at 2:05 pm) in Worthington Arena.
"In conference play the second time around you're trying to steal a possession, you're trying to get an easy basket or get a stop by throwing something at somebody that's going to lead to a positive result," MSU coach Brian Fish said. "We've been (dealing with close games) all year, but normally this time of year these games will come down to the last possession or two so you're trying to steal one or get an easy one."
The Bobcats snagged their 10th win of the season Saturday, topping Sacramento State 79-76. It was a typical MSU win – eight of the team's victories have come by single-digit margins. It also gave the team three more victories that it earned a season ago, and in winning its fifth Big Sky game it also topped last year's number (four) in that category.
Fish said his squad continues to seek consistency, both within games and from game-to-game. "We've been a little bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde team where we've been the really good Bobcats or the suspect Cats," he said. "We were very good (at Sacramento State). We could have played that game until Sunday morning and we were going to find a way to win it. They were locked in and executing."
One of the players responsible for MSU's recent surge in winning three of five is junior wing Quinton Everett. "A lot of (the team's recent hot stretch) centers around Quinton Everett," Fish said. "I think we're 3-2 in the last five games against five really, really good teams and if you look at those five games he's played very well." Everett averages 7.3 points and 4.7 boards against Big Sky opponents, but in the last five games gets 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds a game with nine steals and only two turnovers.
Northern Arizona enters Thursday's game with a 4-18 record, 2-9 in Big Sky play, but Fish says the record is deceptive. "Veteran to inexperience," he says of the Lumberjack team that often fields an all-underclassman lineup with at least a couple of freshmen. "(Last season) they knew what they wanted, they had purpose to everything they did a year ago. Now they have a lot of young talent out there that's very impressive on film. They're still finding their way a little bit, but if you look at their scores they've been in every (league) game but one. They're a very scary team because they've got guys that can hit threes pretty easy."
All-purpose guard Kris Yanku averages 14.5 points a game, and at 4.7 assists is third in the Big Sky in assists. Yanku has achieved a similar statistical profile to MSU's Marcus Colbert, who scores 17.0 points a game and while chipping in 5.2 assists, one spot ahead of his NAU counterpart. Bruising forward Ako Kaluna averages 11.6 points and 6.4 boards.
In addition to Colbert and Everett, freshman Tyler Hall has been steadily brilliant. He broke MSU's freshman scoring record last weekend, and now has 410 to his credit. He also possesses eight of MSU's top 10 scoring marks in a game by a rookie. Like Everett, sophomore Zach Green emerged on last weekend's road trip. The Phoenix-area product scored in double-digits each game, including a career-high 17 at Portland State.
"One through 11 I thought it was (Saturday's win) was the most balanced we've been all year," Fish said. "I thought we got all the guys to contribute. We need that kind of balance."
Purchase tickets at http://ticketswest.com/events/msu-mens-basketball/15402/.
"In conference play the second time around you're trying to steal a possession, you're trying to get an easy basket or get a stop by throwing something at somebody that's going to lead to a positive result," MSU coach Brian Fish said. "We've been (dealing with close games) all year, but normally this time of year these games will come down to the last possession or two so you're trying to steal one or get an easy one."
The Bobcats snagged their 10th win of the season Saturday, topping Sacramento State 79-76. It was a typical MSU win – eight of the team's victories have come by single-digit margins. It also gave the team three more victories that it earned a season ago, and in winning its fifth Big Sky game it also topped last year's number (four) in that category.
Fish said his squad continues to seek consistency, both within games and from game-to-game. "We've been a little bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde team where we've been the really good Bobcats or the suspect Cats," he said. "We were very good (at Sacramento State). We could have played that game until Sunday morning and we were going to find a way to win it. They were locked in and executing."
One of the players responsible for MSU's recent surge in winning three of five is junior wing Quinton Everett. "A lot of (the team's recent hot stretch) centers around Quinton Everett," Fish said. "I think we're 3-2 in the last five games against five really, really good teams and if you look at those five games he's played very well." Everett averages 7.3 points and 4.7 boards against Big Sky opponents, but in the last five games gets 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds a game with nine steals and only two turnovers.
Northern Arizona enters Thursday's game with a 4-18 record, 2-9 in Big Sky play, but Fish says the record is deceptive. "Veteran to inexperience," he says of the Lumberjack team that often fields an all-underclassman lineup with at least a couple of freshmen. "(Last season) they knew what they wanted, they had purpose to everything they did a year ago. Now they have a lot of young talent out there that's very impressive on film. They're still finding their way a little bit, but if you look at their scores they've been in every (league) game but one. They're a very scary team because they've got guys that can hit threes pretty easy."
All-purpose guard Kris Yanku averages 14.5 points a game, and at 4.7 assists is third in the Big Sky in assists. Yanku has achieved a similar statistical profile to MSU's Marcus Colbert, who scores 17.0 points a game and while chipping in 5.2 assists, one spot ahead of his NAU counterpart. Bruising forward Ako Kaluna averages 11.6 points and 6.4 boards.
In addition to Colbert and Everett, freshman Tyler Hall has been steadily brilliant. He broke MSU's freshman scoring record last weekend, and now has 410 to his credit. He also possesses eight of MSU's top 10 scoring marks in a game by a rookie. Like Everett, sophomore Zach Green emerged on last weekend's road trip. The Phoenix-area product scored in double-digits each game, including a career-high 17 at Portland State.
"One through 11 I thought it was (Saturday's win) was the most balanced we've been all year," Fish said. "I thought we got all the guys to contribute. We need that kind of balance."
Purchase tickets at http://ticketswest.com/events/msu-mens-basketball/15402/.
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