Keljin Blevins Leads Bobcats to First Win of 2018-19

Sunday, November 11

BOZEMAN

7 pm

Montana State University

1-2

Presentation

4-5

Team	1	2	F
Presentation	25	43	68
Montana State	44	39	83

Photo by: Andrew Pedersen

11/11/2018 10:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Senior forward notches double-double in win

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – A conversation that took place after Montana State's season-opening loss to Utah State and began taking hold in its game at Indiana on Friday played out in Worthington Arena on Sunday night, as the Bobcats beat Presentation College 83-68 in Bozeman.

"Coach wanted me to change my mindset for this game and be the best rebounder and best defender on the floor," said senior forward Keljin Blevins after a 26-point, 15-rebound effort in the win. "I changed my mindset and it resulted in (15) rebounds and I feel like we're going to need that down the road. As a team we all played hard and all had passion and were all talking."

Blevins said a blunt conversation with Bobcat coach Brian Fish did the trick. "He challenged me," Blevins said. "After the first game I only had two rebounds and he told me that was unacceptable. I accepted the challenge."

The result was an aggressive performance in which Blevins attacked the rim on the offensive end and the boards on both ends. He finished 12-for-15 shooting, and four of his 15 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Fish said he noticed a change in Blevins beginning Friday at Indiana. "It started the other night," he said. "He was very good in Indiana. He's been vocal, he's been leading through ups and downs. We had a couple bad turnovers tonight that didn't derail him one bit, he just dropped it and moved on to the next play."

The Bobcats scored the first seven points Sunday, including a bucket by Blevins on the opening possession, and the game was never within double digits after the first seven minutes. MSU's opening spurt was balanced, with five players combining to score in the 24-10 spurt to open the game. Blevins, Tyler Hall, Devin Kirby and Ladan Ricketts each scored two buckets, and Sam Neumann scored once. "I thought there was a lot of good ball movement," Fish said.

In addition to Blevins' career-best game, Kirby also scored 12 points on five-for-five shooting. Ricketts' 13 points was also a career high. MSU shot 57.6%, a stark contrast to the 35% shooting rate entering the game. The Bobcats also turned things around on the boards, out-rebounding Presentation 43-to-27 for its first positive rebound margin of the season. Hall finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots, while Ricketts added 13 points.

Presentation, an NAIA foe from Aberdeen, South Dakota, was led by a name that Bobcat fans back to thrilling times. Quadre Lollis Jr., the son of Bobcat Hall of Famer Quadre Lollis, who led MSU to its last NCAA Tournament bid in 1995-96, scored 16 points and grabbed three boards. He also called the elder Lollis from his MSU Hall of Fame plaque in the Fieldhouse following the game.

But the night's main storyline remained Blevins, who said his effort on the boards energized him. "Getting rebounds builds my confidence, so that goes along with the rest of my game. When I get rebounds I feel good and my game flows with it."

The Bobcats head back on the road for four straight, starting with a Wednesday game at Colorado State. MSU visits UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, and after a quick trip home plays at Arkansas and Omaha during Thanksgiving week. Tipoff Wednesday is 7 pm.

#GoCatsGo