Saturday, January 11
BOZEMAN
6 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Portland State
Photo by: Jack Murrey
Men’s Basketball Takes on Portland State in Saturday Tilt
1/10/2020 4:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bobcats return home for a quick turnaround to take on the Vikings at Worthington Arena
| Montana State Bobcats (9-7, 3-2) vs. Portland State (7-9, 1-3) | |
| Date and Time | Saturday, Jan. 11 - 6 p.m. MDT |
| Location | Bozeman, Mont. |
| Site | Worthington Arena (6,772) |
| Television | SWX Montana (check local listings) |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | msubobcats.com/watch | TuneIn app |
| Stream | Pluto TV | WatchBigSky.com |
| Live Stats | MSUBobcats.com (Statbroadcast) |
| Tickets | MSUBobcats.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Portland State | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State plays its sixth game in 15 days on Saturday when the Bobcats host the Portland State Vikings. Tipoff for the men's basketball Big Sky Conference matchup is set for 6 p.m. in Worthington Arena.
MSU returns home after a three-game road stretch. The Bobcats went 1-2 during that span, ending the trip with a 71-68 victory at Idaho Thursday.
MSU's recent victory saw the Bobcats outscore the Vandals 36-31 in the second half to earn a three-point win. The 'Cats have had strong finishes when games are within a single possession. MSU is now 4-1 this season in games decided by a single basket, with its lone loss a 74-72 defeat to CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 19.
The Bobcats improved to 8-3 this season when holding opponents to less than 70 points after Thursday's contest. A season ago, MSU held opponents to less than 70 only seven times. The last season MSU kept at least 11 opponents to 70 points or less was the 2014-15 campaign. All five Big Sky foes have been held under that mark.
Thursday's game was MSU's second consecutive with nine turnovers, its low mark for the season. The Bobcats have won or tied the turnover battle in five matchups this season, turning in a 5-0 record when doing so.
The Bobcats improved to 1-2 this year when being outshot by an opponent. The Vandals held the edge from the field 45.5-42.6%, but MSU took advantage by owning the battle on the boards (36-31) and hitting six more free throws (21-15).
Idaho was held to just 3-for-13 from the 3-point line, including a 1 of 8 mark in the second half. That output improved MSU's 3-point field goal defense to 28th in the nation as Bobcat foes average just a 28.2% clip from long range.
MSU's scoring defense is ranked second in conference play so far as the 'Cats have given up 61.4 points per game. On the year, the Bobcats have held 14 of 16 opponents to under 50% shooting, with MSU 9-5 in those contests. Green Bay and CSU Bakersfield remain the only teams to shoot over 50% and both defeated MSU this season.
Harald Frey continues to move up MSU's all-time scoring chart. The Oslo, Norway, native recorded his fourth game this season with at least 20 points Thursday and sits fifth in program history. He also is just two assists shy of passing Marcus Colbert (453) for second on the career list. Frey was the lone Bobcat to tally an assist Thursday.
Jubrile Belo and Borja Fernandez each recorded double-doubles at Idaho. Each recorded 10 rebounds apiece, while the two scored 15 and 10 points, respectively. The double-doubles were the first two for the program this season.
MSU is 5-1 in Bozeman this season heading into Saturday's tilt against Portland State. That mark matches starts at home in the last 10 years of the 2016-17 and 2013-14 seasons. The Bobcats' best home start of the past decade came during the 2010-11 season, when MSU won its first eight games within Brick Breeden Fieldhouse before finishing 9-5 in its home confines.
Portland State is 7-9 overall and 1-3 in Big Sky play. The Vikings opened the Big Sky slate with a 69-65 win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 28. The Viks have dropped three straight, including their most recent 71-69 loss to EWU on Jan. 4. Holland Woods paces PSU with 17.6 points and 5.5 assists per game, while Matt Hauser is a 3-point threat and averages 15.4 points. The Viks are second in the nation in offensive rebounds (15.4). They also lead the league in steals per game (8.4) and turnover margin.
Saturday's matchup will be televised by SWX Montana. SWX Montana can be found on channel 199 or 503 for Charter Spectrum subscribers, while it can also be found through digital antenna offering which can be found here. The game will be streamed on the Pluto TV app and on WatchBigSky.com. All Bobcat basketball games are available to listen to as part of the Bobcat Sports Radio Network and airing locally on KMMS 1450 AM. All tickets for home games are available at msubobcats.com/tickets, by calling 406-994-CATS or by visiting the Bobcat Ticket Office.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballBobcat Insider TV Show
Thursday, March 03
Inside The Brick (Amin Adamu)
Friday, November 05
Inside The Brick (Nick Gazelas)
Monday, November 01
Inside The Brick (Abdul Mohamed)
Sunday, October 31
