Friday, March 5
BOZEMAN
12 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Sacramento State
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Montana State Hosts Sacramento State to Close Regular Season
3/4/2021 1:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State closes out its regular season in Worthington Arena this weekend as the Bobcats host Sacramento State on back-to-back days
| Montana State Bobcats (10-8, 7-5) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (7-10, 4-8) | |
| Date and Time | Game 1: Friday, March 5 - 12 p.m. MDT Game 2: Saturday, March 6 - 11 a.m. MDT |
| Location | Bozeman, Montana |
| Site | Worthington Arena |
| Television (Game 2 Only) | SWX Montana (Check local listings) |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | TuneIn app |
| Stream | Pluto TV (Channel 1057) |
| Live Stats | BobcatStats.com |
| Tickets | N/A |
| Montana State | Game Notes Game 1 | Game Notes Game 2 | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Sacramento State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State closes out its regular season in Worthington Arena this weekend as the Bobcats host Sacramento State on back-to-back days. The series of contests opens at 12 p.m. on Friday with the second game starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Bobcats and Hornets split their matchups a season ago. In each team's Big Sky opener on Dec. 28 in Bozeman, the 'Cats held Sacramento State to 34% shooting in a 66-51 win. MSU was led in the scoring column by Jubrile Belo and Harald Frey who scored 18 points apiece. It was all Hornets in the second contest as they earned an 81-52 win over the 'Cats on Feb. 27. The Hornets forced the Bobcats into 22 turnovers while they had four double-digit scorers and were led by Bryce Fowler's 16 points.
"Same as they are as always they're big and physical," said Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle about Sacramento State this season. "They're simple in what they do, but they make it hard to guard because they're aggressive. They're always crashing the boards. If you're not bigger and stronger, they'll make you pay. It's going to be a physical matchup."
Montana State holds a 34-21 all-time series lead over Sacramento State heading into this weekend. The Bobcats are 23-5 at home and have won the last seven matchups in Worthington Arena against the Hornets.
The Bobcats snapped a five-game losing streak on Sunday when they defeated Idaho, 71-61, in the second game of a two-game series in Moscow. MSU used a 15-point scoring run at the start of the second half to break the game open while four Bobcats scored in double digits led by Amin Adamu's 21 points. MSU returned to the court after a 13-day break between games when it faced Idaho in Memorial Gym.
The Bobcats have had had three Big Sky series affected due to COVID-19 this season. MSU's Big Sky opener against Southern Utah was canceled due to a positive case within the T-Birds program. The Bobcats' two-game series against Montana scheduled was also affected due to the same issue within the Grizzlies' program. MSU's series with Idaho State from Feb. 18-20 was canceled due to an MSU pause in activities.
Montana State has been led by its upperclassmen throughout the 2020-21 season and that was evident in the Feb. 28 game versus Idaho with all four seniors, along with junior Jubrile Belo, were in the starting lineup. The four seniors -- Amin Adamu, Xavier Bishop, Devin Kirby and Abdul Mohamed -- will be recognized prior to Saturday's regular season finale.
Adamu, Belo and Bishop all average double digits in scoring to pace the Bobcats. Adamu leads the team in scoring (15.1 PPG) and is among the top five individually in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (50.3%) and steals per game (1.5). Belo is MSU's leading rebounder averaging 5.6 boards and is among the top four in the league in free throws made and attempted. Bishop surpassed the 1,300-point threshold in his career his last time out and is MSU's leader in assists this year with 3.7 per contest.
The Bobcats' international presence has been felt this season as the six players featured on MSU's roster have averaged 42.1 points per game. That mark is second among all Division I programs, trailing only Cal Baptist whose five international players average 58.9 points.
Sacramento State enters this weekend's series of games at 7-10 overall and 4-8 in Big Sky play. The Hornets are led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Ethan Esposito (17.6), Bryce Fowler (13.2) and Christian Terrell (12.2).
Montana State is currently fifth in the Big Sky standings with its 7-5 conference record. A win versus the Hornets this weekend would secure a top-five position in the conference standings for the Bobcats and a bye to the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals. A victory would also assure MSU, with a current 10-8 overall mark, a winning overall record in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
Saturday's contest versus Sacramento State will be broadcast on SWX Montana for those that carry the channel. The games on Friday and Saturday will also be streamed on channel 1057 of the Pluto TV app. All Bobcat basketball games are available to listen to as part of the Bobcat Sports Radio Network and air locally on KMMS 1450 AM.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F/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
