Thursday, January 10
Moscow, ID
8 pm
Montana State University
at
Idaho
Lassi Nikkarinen
Photo by: Joey DeGraaf
GAME #15: Bobcats Return to Road to Face Youthful Vandals
1/9/2019 9:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State travels to Idaho for Thursday night tilt
MOSCOW, Idaho – Montana State built momentum with a pair of solid home wins over the weekend. The next test is to carry the positive play onto the road when the Bobcats visit Idaho on Thursday.
Tipoff against the Vandals (4-11 overall, 1-3 Big Sky) is 8 pm MT in the Cowan Spectrum.
The youngest team in the nation, senior forward Nate Sherwood's injury left Idaho as the only Division I squad without a single active player not to have started at least one game for the program a season ago. Idaho starts three freshmen, a sophomore, and a junior, and there are no seniors on the active roster.
"This is a very exciting, hard-playing team that's very young," Fish said of Idaho. "I've been very impressed with them on film. We competed some of those (former Idaho players) for a long time, but even though they have a lot of new guys they're one of the hardest-playing teams in the league that I've seen."
The slow start notwithstanding – the team's only DI wins are against North Dakota and Eastern Washington – the Vandals have gained steam lately. The team's last game was an overtime loss to league-leading Northern Colorado
While veteran guard Trevon Allen leads the way (14.7 points per game), freshman sharpshooter Cameron Tyson has been one of the league's steadiest players. The 6-3 wing averages 14.3 points per game, and has nailed 51 three-pointers, a UI freshman record. He is on pace to become one of the great freshman scorers in Vandals history.
Montana State's season (6-8, 3-1) has followed a similar arc. While the Bobcats return veterans Tyler Hall, Harald Frey and Keljin Blevins, most of the rest of the roster is either new or playing in an elevated role for the first time.
Fish likes what he's seen in recent weeks. "We're 5-2 since we got out of the brutal early-season schedule," he said. "I think we're getting better. We're making strides. We have some young guys getting better, guys off the bench are improving. We're just trying to get better today."
While senior Hall sails along at nearly 19 points a game, leading the club in steals and blocked shots, Frey has caught fire lately. The junior has scored at least 20 points in three straight. A pair of sophomores have played extremely well. Center Devin Kirby has led the team in boards throughout the season, getting six per game, and leads the team in field goal percentage (53%). Guard Lassi Nikkarinen has posted career scoring highs the last two times out, and has provided steady minutes off the bench.
After Thursday's game, the Cats idle until Monday when the team hosts Northern Colorado. Fish said a weekend away from competition will aid the squad's continued development. "I like not being in the continuous schedule of playing every Thursday and Saturday," Fish said. "We play Thursday and Monday and that keeps things a little fresh."
#GoCatsGo
Tipoff against the Vandals (4-11 overall, 1-3 Big Sky) is 8 pm MT in the Cowan Spectrum.
The youngest team in the nation, senior forward Nate Sherwood's injury left Idaho as the only Division I squad without a single active player not to have started at least one game for the program a season ago. Idaho starts three freshmen, a sophomore, and a junior, and there are no seniors on the active roster.
"This is a very exciting, hard-playing team that's very young," Fish said of Idaho. "I've been very impressed with them on film. We competed some of those (former Idaho players) for a long time, but even though they have a lot of new guys they're one of the hardest-playing teams in the league that I've seen."
The slow start notwithstanding – the team's only DI wins are against North Dakota and Eastern Washington – the Vandals have gained steam lately. The team's last game was an overtime loss to league-leading Northern Colorado
While veteran guard Trevon Allen leads the way (14.7 points per game), freshman sharpshooter Cameron Tyson has been one of the league's steadiest players. The 6-3 wing averages 14.3 points per game, and has nailed 51 three-pointers, a UI freshman record. He is on pace to become one of the great freshman scorers in Vandals history.
Montana State's season (6-8, 3-1) has followed a similar arc. While the Bobcats return veterans Tyler Hall, Harald Frey and Keljin Blevins, most of the rest of the roster is either new or playing in an elevated role for the first time.
Fish likes what he's seen in recent weeks. "We're 5-2 since we got out of the brutal early-season schedule," he said. "I think we're getting better. We're making strides. We have some young guys getting better, guys off the bench are improving. We're just trying to get better today."
While senior Hall sails along at nearly 19 points a game, leading the club in steals and blocked shots, Frey has caught fire lately. The junior has scored at least 20 points in three straight. A pair of sophomores have played extremely well. Center Devin Kirby has led the team in boards throughout the season, getting six per game, and leads the team in field goal percentage (53%). Guard Lassi Nikkarinen has posted career scoring highs the last two times out, and has provided steady minutes off the bench.
After Thursday's game, the Cats idle until Monday when the team hosts Northern Colorado. Fish said a weekend away from competition will aid the squad's continued development. "I like not being in the continuous schedule of playing every Thursday and Saturday," Fish said. "We play Thursday and Monday and that keeps things a little fresh."
#GoCatsGo
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