Bobcats Use Strong Rebounding Effort to Hold Off Vikings in Portland

Saturday, January 21

Portland, OR

8 p.m. MT

Montana State University

9-12, 4-4

Portland State

11-7, 4-3

Montana State

Portland State

Devonte Klines

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

Bobcats Use Strong Rebounding Effort to Hold Off Vikings in Portland

1/21/2017 11:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Benson Osayande's career-high nine rebounds spurs MSU

By: Bill Lamberty

Brian Fish's formula is simple.

"When you do a good job on the boards, don't turn the ball over, and keep (the opponent) from shooting so many free throws," Montana State's third-year head basketball coach said after his team beat Portland State 71-65 on Saturday, "you'll have a chance to win."

The Bobcats checked all those boxes, and then some. Four Bobcats scored in double-digits and Benson Osayande spurred Montana State's best rebounding game of the season. The Cats committed only 10 turnovers, three after halftime, against a team that forces six more that. And while the Vikings shot a dozen free throws more than MSU, the teams each made 16 (MSU was 16-for-19, PSU 16-for-28).

"Coach always talks about rebounding the ball so I try to make an effort to make the hustle plays on the glass," Osayande said after grabbing a season-high nine rebounds. He snared six offensive rebounds, turning that cache into eight second-chance points in the second half. "It was just a matter of competing for the ball. They were out-rebounding us early, so we had to turn that around."

The Bobcats out-rebounded PSU 53-to-37. It was the team's second-best rebound margin of the season, its most rebounds, and its second-most offensive rebounds. Those numbers stemmed from playing with "a lot of energy," Fish said. "Benson really got after it, Q(inton Everett) made some big plays without scoring a lot, he really got some big rebounds, Zach (Green) got some big rebounds. It was a good team effort. Everyone contributed."

All this came after MSU's slowest start of the season. The Cats fell behind 9-0, and didn't score until more than five minutes had elapsed. The Bobcats played from behind most of the first half, and from in front most of the second. Osayande's career-high nine included

"I thought we showed good toughness after the first 10 minutes," said MSU coach Brian Fish. "They competed against a very tough, athletic team, and after the first 10 minutes took the fight to them."

Montana State missed its first six shots of the game, allowing PSU to jump out to its early lead. The Vikings hit three of their first five. But MSU kept cutting wood, drawing within two after five straight Zach Green points with just under 10 minutes until halftime. A Vikings spurt pushed the lead back to eight with six minutes to play. MSU finished the half on a defensive stand, holding PSU off the scoreboard from the 2:39 mark until Zach Gengler hit a short jumper to tie the score at 35. In the interim the Bobcats had taken their first lead of the game on Hall's jumper at 33.0 seconds.

Tyler Hall contributed in all phases. The spectacular sophomore scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out a couple of assists and blocked a shot. Devonte Klines chipped in 10 points, including an enormous three-pointer with 4:25 to play. That capped a 9-0 Bobcat run after PSU had cut MSU's lead to 58-56 at 7:24. The Vikings drew within two again at 67-65, but Harald Frey's jumper and two free throws by Klines sealed the win.

"This has been building," Fish said of a weekend road sweep that snapped an 11-game losing streak away from Worthington Arena. "I think the guys are figuring out what we expect from them, they're figuring out their roles, and they're competing."

The Bobcats raised their record to 9-12 with the win, leveling their Big Sky mark at 4-4. PSU falls to 11-7 overall, 4-3 in the league. The Cats face a pair of huge home conference games next weekend when Idaho visits Worthington Arena on Thursday at 7 pm. Eastern Washington comes to town for a Saturday matinee at 2 pm.