Montana State University
1-2,0-0Big Sky
Northwest Indian College
0-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Indian | 15 | 20 | 35 |
| Montana St. | 60 | 33 | 93 |
Bobcats Dominate in 93-35 Home Opening Win
11/11/2024 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
After dropping another championship banner and recognizing Bozeman’s native son Carter Ash, Montana State eases to lopsided win on Monday
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Scoring 55 of the game's first 61 points, Montana State coasted to a 93-35 win over Northwest Indian College in the Bobcats' home opener at Worthington Arena on Monday night.
The Cats (1-2) held leads of 25-2, 46-4, and 55-6 en route to the dominant victory.
"I was pleased with our guys' performance today," head coach Matt Logie said. "That's one of those games where our main focus was just to stay on brand. Pay attention to the details. Make sure that when we do build a lead, there's not slippage and we don't break good habits that we've been building, because it might not hurt you tonight but it'll hurt you on Sunday or hurt you next week. Our guys did a really good job of that."
Prior to the game, Montana State recognized three-time Big Sky champion Carter Ash ('24) in a special ceremony before unveiling their 2024 Big Sky Tournament Champions banner in the rafters.
Once the opening tip was settled, Montana State quickly left no doubt as to the outcome.
The Cats led 60-15 at the halftime break, holding the Eagles to 5-of-26 shooting (19.2%) in the first 20 minutes. On the offensive end, the Bobcats converted on 18-of-26 shots from inside the arc.
Bryce Zephir led the way with a career-high 16 points, adding four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Zephir was one of five to finish in double-figures as 12 of the 13 Bobcats who appeared in the game scored.
Brandon Walker scored 13 points with five rebounds, Max Agbonkpolo added 12 points and eight rebounds, Brian Goracke chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, and Jeremiah Davis scored ten points with five rebounds.
Sam Lecholat hit three 3-pointers in the final four minutes and finished with nine points and five rebounds.
Montana State forced 21 turnovers, including 14 steals, while turning it over just five times themselves.
The Bobcat bench scored 55 points as the game quickly got out of hand.
"Our defensive intensity was really good," Logie said. "We were in a stance, we were talking, we were making the proper switches when we needed to. We made it really hard for them to get angles or advantages, and that's why you saw the lead balloon. I was just as pleased that as we went to our bench that didn't dissipate. The guys that haven't had quite as many opportunities yet were able to come in and get their feet wet and get some of the nerves out of their system."
UP NEXT
After their third game in five days, Montana State will have some time off before returning to action on the road with trips to Denver (Nov. 17) and Northwestern (Nov. 19).
#GoCatsGo
