Bobcats Look for Road Rally in The Nest on Saturday

Thursday, February 4

7:05 pm PT

Montana State University

Portland State

Quinton Everett had five steals Thursday

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

2/6/2016 9:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball

MSU faces high-flying Hornets team coming off epic win over Montana

By: Bill Lamberty

Montana State got the start it wanted Thursday, but after that everything went wrong. The Bobcats look to get right Saturday against a Sacramento State team fresh off 20-point comeback win against Montana on Thursday.

"They're playing better," said Bobcat coach Brian Fish of the team MSU topped 71-64 a month ago. "They had a great preseason then went through a lull, but that was a great win on Thursday and they're doing good things right now."

Fish's Bobcats put the misery of slow starts in his team's previous two games against Portland State to rest on Thursday, but the Vikings blasted through an 0-for-5 shooting start to hit 32 of their next 45 shots. The result was an 83-68 win that MSU was not really part of after halftime. The Bobcats handled post Cameron Forte, holding him to five points, but Isaiah Pineiro went off for 22 and reserve De'Sean Parsons had a career high 13.

"We just have to get back to work," Fish said of his team's approach Saturday. "To win on the road you have to get stops and make shots. We didn't do either of this things on Thursday. This is the time of year where guys have to make plays."

Tipoff is 7:05 pm PT on Saturday. View the game at watchbigsky.com.

The Matchup: Montana State (9-13 overall, 4-6 in Big Sky play) carries its three-game road losing streak to Sacramento State Saturday night, where a high-flying Hornets squad (10-10, 3-6) awaits. Sac State posted one of the most impressive wins by any Big Sky team since the calendar flipped on Thursday, coming from 20 points behind in the second half against league-leading Montana for an 83-79 home win. Sacramento State is now 7-3 in The Nest this season, and as a tribute to the Big Sky Tournament's debut just to the east in March Sac State is hosting Reno Night on Saturday.

About the Bobcats: Portland State shot 60% against the Cats on Thursday, 64% in the first half, and after starting 0-for-5 from the floor made 32 of their next 43 shots… the Bobcats have lost three straight league road games, two by double-digits… the Bobcats finished last February 3-5, the team's best month, but are 0-1 this season in the second month… three of MSU's nine win this season have fallen on a Saturday.

MSU on Offense: Montana State shot 39% in each half on Thursday, and the team's 39.1% effort in that category was its worst since Portland State held MSU to 37% shooting in Worthington Arena a month ago… the Cats have shot below 42% in three straight games, its worst shooting stretch since the pre-Christmas road trip… the team's yo-yo act from the free throw line during the conference season continued, as Montana State shot 63% on Thursday and its performance at the line has ranged from 94% at North Dakota (15-of-16) to marks in the 50% range against Idaho and Sacramento State… the Cats shoot 41% on the road this season.

MSU on Defense: Thursday's game was the first in MSU's five league road tilts this season that a Bobcat opponent has shot better than 46%... Montana State forced 15 Vikings turnovers on Thursday, matching the second-most takeaways in the Big Sky season for the Cats… Bobcat opponents have topped 50% from the floor in three straight halves, and in three straight second halves.

Projected Starters: G-22 Marcus Colbert (17.0/3.0/5.3a), G-3 Tyler Hall (17.5/5.4/1.7a), F-24 Quinton Everett (6.1, 4.3, 1.1), F-0 Zach Green (8.0/5.5/1.5a), C-25 Shy Blake (2.5/2.0/0.1b)

Player Notes: Freshman guard Tyler Hall was held below 10 points on Thursday for only the second time this season, and the first since Nevada did so in the team's season-opening tournament in Hawaii… if Hall scores 15 points in the next two games he will reach 400 for the season, making him the fastest Bobcat ever to 100, 200, 300 and 400 career points… senior guard Marcus Colbert has just four total turnovers in the last three games (against 13 assists), playing at least 35 minutes each time… Colbert shot just 7-for-24 in his two games against Portland State this season, but is 59-for-133 in the other league games… Zach Green scored a career high 17 points on Thursday, and his two three-pointers gives the sophomore forward three against Big Sky foes… Quinton Everett's five steals on Thursday was a career high, and was the most by a Bobcat this season… Sam Neumann's eight points Thursday doubled his season total to 16, and his five rebounds were a career high, as well for the freshman forward.