Montana State University
6-9,1-1Big Sky
South Dakota State
8-8,1-0Summit League
Bobcats Fall to Jackrabbits in Big Sky-Summit Challenge
1/6/2024 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
South Dakota State uses big first half to power past Montana State in Brookings on Saturday
BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Montana State stumbled on the road in their final non-conference game of the season on Saturday, falling to South Dakota State, 89-61, at Frost Arena in Brookings, South Dakota.
The Jackrabbits (8-8, 1-0 Summit) showed why they were picked as the favorite in the Summit League, jumping out early on the Bobcats (6-9, 1-1 Big Sky) and never looking back in the finale of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge.
South Dakota State started the game connecting on 16 of their first 19 shots, and went into the halftime break shooting 21-of-28 from the floor (75%), leading the Cats 49-26.
Montana State committed 13 first-half turnovers, their most in a half this season, and struggled to find rhythm.
"Obviously we ran into a buzzsaw tonight, but that's below our standard," head coach Matt Logie said. "Montana State basketball is very much capable and on par and a peer of South Dakota State. Whether you're in year zero, year one, or year twenty, we expect better and our players know that. We didn't live up to that standard today. We got off to a decent start, we missed a few shots early and it was [16-13] after seven minutes, but then things got completely out of hand."
Brian Goracke ten of his 13 points in the opening 20 minutes, adding four rebounds. Eddie Turner III finished with ten points, four rebounds, and three assists. Sam Lecholat and Brandon Walker each chipped in eight points, while Robert Ford III added seven.
The game started with a flurry of three-point attempts, with the two teams combining for nine shots from beyond the arc in the opening six minutes. Montana State trailed by just three at 16-13 on a Turner 3-pointer with 13:42 remaining, but that's when the game would unravel for the Bobcats.
Over the next eight-and-a-half minutes, the Cats would go without a made field goal while the Jackrabbits erupted for a 29-3 run. When the dust cleared, South Dakota State led 45-16 and were in firm control of the game. The Cats hit four of their last five shots going into halftime, but still found themselves in a 23-point hole.
"What my message was to the team after that separation was created was 'garbage in, garbage out' let's reset the score and start over—and from that point it was 47-45," Logie said. "Obviously that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, other than our guys stayed together and tried to use the rest of the game as an opportunity to grow and get better. I thought we did some good things on offense, but defensively we have a long ways to go."
The 75% shooting from the Jackrabbits in the first half is the highest mark by a Bobcat opponent since Northern Colorado shot 80% in a half against the Cats in 2014.
As South Dakota State kept their foot on the gas in the second half, the Bobcats tried to keep up, cutting it to a 21-point game at 62-41 on a Turner second-chance layup in the paint with 12:55 remaining.
However, the Jackrabbits pushed the lead back out and the benches started to empty.
Montana State committed just three turnovers in the second half, ending with 16 to match the 16 committed by South Dakota State. The final margin in the paint was 50 to 22 in favor of the Jackrabbits.
"Obviously you tip your hat to South Dakota State," Logie said. "They shot the ball extremely well, they passed the ball extremely well, they cut and screened extremely hard. But we didn't execute our gameplan to the degree that we needed to, and we need to get back to the drawing board and collectively learn from this, because when you see a team that's playing at that level, it's very clear to see what the blueprint looks like for ourselves on both sides of the ball. We've got a ways to go."
Montana State now embarks on a four-game homestand as they resume Big Sky Conference action, trying to snap a three-game losing streak on Thursday at home against Northern Arizona. In 12-plus seasons as a head coach, Matt Logie has never lost four games in a row.
UP NEXT
Montana State returns to Big Sky Conference play, hosting a pair of crucial games this upcoming weekend at Worthington Arena.
In their home conference opener on Thursday night, the Cats will take on Northern Arizona in a rematch of the 2023 Big Sky Tournament championship game, which Montana State won to book their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
On Saturday, MSU welcomes Northern Colorado to The Brick for a 6 p.m. contest.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play airing on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network.
Tickets are available here.
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