Harald Frey scored 14 points vs. Calgary Saturday
Photo by: MSU Sports Information
Tyler Hall Paces Bobcats to Third Straight Win in Calgary
8/12/2017 5:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU Replicates March with three games in less than 70 hours
The best thing about freshmen, Montana State men's basketball coach Brian Fish occasionally says, is that they become sophomores and juniors. That even applies to Freshmen of the Year.
Tyler Hall, the 2016 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, scored 24 points, and Harald Frey, last year's winner of that award, chipped in 14 points to pace the Cats in an uneven performance. Or as Fish said, "The defense was good. The offense was not."
The Cats built an early lead and maintained it for all but 40 seconds of the game. MSU shot 42%, holding the Dinos to 33%, and out-rebounded Calgary 46-to-39. The story of the day was 48 combined turnovers, 26 by the Cats. "We won the battle of boards, held them to a good field goal percentage, we just had too many darn turnovers," Fish said.
Hall, who has provided so many big shots and great moments in his two seasons at MSU, helped his team seal the win in the fourth quarter. "The big play of the game, we get the veterans in and run a play and Tyler gets his feet set and knocks down a three that really sealed the win," Fish said.
Much of MSU's offensive struggles stem from an emphasis on defense throughout the summer. "We don't have a lot of offense in right now, that hasn't been our focus," Fish said. "Transition offense is where we were fine, the half-court caused us problems. We were a little predictable."
But Fish said his team's focus is on the bigger picture of the four-game series in Canada. "To win the Big Sky Tournament you have to win three games (in three consecutive days). The best way b to learn that is to do it, and now we've done it. That's important."
While fatigue may be in issue, Fish said it won't be because the team worries too much about it. "I'm not asking," he said with a laugh. "I don't want to know." The team finishes with a 1 pm game against Alberta on Sunday.
FINAL STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/calgary/mbball/
Tyler Hall, the 2016 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, scored 24 points, and Harald Frey, last year's winner of that award, chipped in 14 points to pace the Cats in an uneven performance. Or as Fish said, "The defense was good. The offense was not."
The Cats built an early lead and maintained it for all but 40 seconds of the game. MSU shot 42%, holding the Dinos to 33%, and out-rebounded Calgary 46-to-39. The story of the day was 48 combined turnovers, 26 by the Cats. "We won the battle of boards, held them to a good field goal percentage, we just had too many darn turnovers," Fish said.
Hall, who has provided so many big shots and great moments in his two seasons at MSU, helped his team seal the win in the fourth quarter. "The big play of the game, we get the veterans in and run a play and Tyler gets his feet set and knocks down a three that really sealed the win," Fish said.
Much of MSU's offensive struggles stem from an emphasis on defense throughout the summer. "We don't have a lot of offense in right now, that hasn't been our focus," Fish said. "Transition offense is where we were fine, the half-court caused us problems. We were a little predictable."
But Fish said his team's focus is on the bigger picture of the four-game series in Canada. "To win the Big Sky Tournament you have to win three games (in three consecutive days). The best way b to learn that is to do it, and now we've done it. That's important."
While fatigue may be in issue, Fish said it won't be because the team worries too much about it. "I'm not asking," he said with a laugh. "I don't want to know." The team finishes with a 1 pm game against Alberta on Sunday.
FINAL STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/calgary/mbball/
Players Mentioned
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