Montana State University
Cal State Northridge
Montana State Heads West to Face Cal State Northridge
12/21/2023 3:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Final game before Big Sky play begins takes Cats to California on Friday afternoon
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Coming off a thrilling overtime win over Southern Utah at the buzzer on Tuesday, the Montana State men's basketball team travels to Cal State Northridge on Friday afternoon for their final non-conference bout before starting Big Sky play next week.
Tip from Premier America Credit Union Arena in Northridge, California, is set for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the live radio play-by-play of Keaton Gillogly airing on the Bobcat Sports Radio network.
Brian Goracke's buzzer-beating triple at Worthington Arena lifted Montana State (5-5) to a thrilling 89-88 victory over Southern Utah in overtime on Tuesday, earning Goracke a spot in SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that evening.
Goracke finished with a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds, and is averaging 19.4 points over his last five games while shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
After facing the Matadors on Friday afternoon, the Cats begin Big Sky Conference play with a pair of road games at Idaho State (Dec. 28) and Weber State (Dec. 30).
GORACKE GAME-WINNER
With the Bobcats trailing 88-86 to Southern Utah with 2.5 seconds left on Tuesday night in Worthington Arena, Brian Goracke nailed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to hand the Cats a thrilling win. From the sideline, Tyler Patterson inbounded to John Olmsted, who delivered a perfect touch pass to Goracke on the wing. Goracke faked a shot, then delivered the buzzer-beater which checked in at No. 5 on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays segment that night.
SALUTE TO CHIKA
Chika Nduka enjoyed his best game as a Bobcat on Tuesday, tallying 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting with six rebounds and four assists off the bench. The Portland transfer tied his career-high in points and was a force in the paint, providing ten first-half points to set the tone for the MSU victory.
TYLER'S DIALED IN
Tyler Patterson was named Big Sky Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 27 after notching consecutive 20-point games.The junior from Snoqualmie, Wash., finished 7-of-9 from the floor and scored 18 points in the second half alone against UC Riverside,including going 4-of-4 from three-point range to lift the Cats to a huge non-conference win, then dropped 20 more points with seven rebounds while going 6-of-11 from three in a tight loss to Long Beach State
HIGHWAY ROB-BERY
Robert Ford III put up 16 points, ten rebounds, three asissts, and three steals on Tuesday, continuing his impactful stretch to start the season. The redshirt senior from Portland, Oregon, ranks third in the country in steals in per game (3.20) and 13th in total steals (32). On Nov. 20, Ford recorded a career-high seven steals against Green Bay, the second-most in a single game in program history and the most by a Bobcat since 2013. Among players 6-foot-2 or shorter, the Portland native ranks second in NCAA Division I in rebounds per game (8.0).
REINFORCEMENTS
After a wrist injury kept him sidelined for the first eight games, forward Jaden Geron made his return to the court last Saturday against SAGU before providing a big contribution on Tuesday against Southern Utah with seven points and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
BALLING BRIAN
Brian Goracke's game-winning three on Tuesday in overtime was just the latest gem in the crown of what has been a standout season for the Division II transfer from Point Loma. The junior is averaging 19.4 points over his last five games, going 18-of-45 from beyond the arc (40.0%) during that stretch. The Monroe, Oregon, native is averaging 15.7 points per game, good for third in the Big Sky Conference, and is third in three-point percentage (37.8%).
BACK HOME FOR JED
Sophomore guard Jed Miller hails from Aguora Hills, California, about 20 miles from the CSUN campus. Miller starred at Aguora High School before transferring to Southern California Acadmey. During his senior season, Miller dropped 62 points in a game and was an All-State First Team selection.
ABOUT CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
CSUN notched a road signature victory over UCLA on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion, ending the Bruins' 27-game home winning streak. The Matadors are out to an 8-3 start to the season, splitting their two previous games against Big Sky opponents, beating Idaho and losing to Northern Colorado. The Matadors are third in NCAA Division in rebounding margin (+13.4) and eighth in rebounds per game (44.18). Graduate forward De'Sean Allen-Eikens is averaging 19.6 points per game.
BIG WEST MEETS BIG SKY
Montana State is 1-1 against Big West opponents this season, taking down UC Riverside at home on Nov. 22, 69-68, and falling at home to Long Beach State on Nov. 26, 75-69.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday is the 20th meeting all-time between the two programs, with CSUN leading the all-time series, 11-8. The two teams last clashed on November 19, 2014, with the Matadors winning in Northridge, 72-65. CSUN has won six of seven meetings since 2000.
GOLDEN AGE OF BOBCAT BASKETBALL
The Bobcats are coming off of their two best seasons in the modern era. In 2021-22, Montana State went 27-8, which included a 13-1 record at home and a program-record 16 wins in conference play. In 2022-2023, Montana State went 25-10, collected a 12-1 record at Worthington Arena, and went 15-3 in conference action. Montana State has played in three straight Big Sky Tournament championship games, gone 37-7 against Big Sky opponents over the last two seasons, won at least 25 games in two straight seasons for the first time since 1927-1929, and are coming off consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history.
WELCOME TO THE LOGIE ERA
First-year head coach Matt Logie comes to Montana State after four seasons at Point Loma in California, where his teams rolled up an 82-23 record with three conference championships. His 12 seasons as a head basketball coach includes eight at Whitworth University in Spokane (2011-19), where his Pirates compiled a 194-35 record. Logie's 276-58 career mark in 12 seasons is good for an .826 winning percentage, the third-highest winning percentage in the history of all NCAA men's college basketball coaches.
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