Montana State University
11-14,6-6Big Sky
Northern Arizona
11-14,4-7Big Sky
Cats Drop Road Contest at Northern Arizona
2/10/2024 4:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Robert Ford III and Brian Goracke tally double-doubles but Montana State fades in second half on Saturday
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona rode a 14-2 run early in the second half to a 76-71 win over Montana State in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Saturday.
Trailing 48-40 after an Eddie Turner III three-pointer at 17:38, the Lumberjacks held MSU scoreless for over seven minutes. That decisive run expanded to 25-5 and covered most of the second half, allowing NAU to hang on for the win. The Lumberjacks cranked up the defense in the second half, holding MSU to 31% shooting after the intermission and 2-for-10 from three-point range.
"I thought we went off-script," head coach Matt Logie said. "You shoot 50% in the first half, you have six assists, four turnovers and you're executing pretty well, put 41 points on the board. Then we started making really poor decisions—shot selection was poor, ball-handling was poor—and that's not what the blueprint is. That's not how we've been building leads, and we have to figure out how to handle success and understand why we have a lead. Be disciplined enough to continue doing it for 40 minutes."
NAU wings Trent McLaughlin and Carson Basham did most of the damage, with McLaughlin scoring 24 points and Basham 20. McLaughlin's work came from the perimeter, including four three-pointers. Basham hit two free throws but the rest of his production came in and around the paint. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, with McLaughlin snaring six. Liam Lloyd 10 points and chipped in eight rebounds.
The Lumberjacks took advantage of its strong work inside. NAU out-rebounded Montana State 41-34, and outscored the Cats in the paint 44-32.
The Cats sustained a strong start until halftime. The Cats jumped out to a 23-11 lead after nine-and-a-half minutes, with Brian Goracke scoring eight of those points. Leading 32-24 with 5:49 to play in the first period, MSU allowed a 9-2 run as the Lumberjacks drew within 34-33. The Bobcats closed the half on a 7-3 run and carried a 41-36 advantage into the break. Northern Arizona out-shot the Cats 53% to 50% in the first half, but MSU converted six free throws to the home team's one.
Brandon Walker led the Bobcats with 22 points, while Robert Ford III scored 21. Ford III and Brian Goracke each grabbed 11 rebounds for Montana State.
"Brandon did a really good job," Logie said. "They were sticking to our perimeter guys, and Brandon had a really good first game against NAU and backed that up today and was able to get to the rim, get to the paint pretty much at will. Obviously we were able to exploit that. It says we had 12 turnovers, but probably ten of our shots in the second half were as good as turnovers. We didn't understand how we were being successful in the first half and we've got to grow in that area."
The Bobcats fall to 11-14 overall, 6-6 in Big Sky play, with the loss. Northern Arizona is 11-14, 4-7.
UP NEXT
Montana State visits Missoula next Saturday for a Cat-Griz showdown at Dahlberg Arena.
Tip is set for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play coverage airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
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