Montana State University
13-16,8-8Big Sky
Idaho
11-18,5-11Big Sky
Stifling Defense Shuts Down Idaho
2/29/2024 9:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bobcats hold Idaho to just 48 points, tally 13 steals in much-needed road victory in Moscow on Thursday night
MOSCOW, Idaho – Montana State relied on stifling defense to shut down Idaho in a 62-48 win at ICCU Arena in Moscow on Thursday night, picking up an important road victory to close out February.
Montana State (13-16, 8-8 Big Sky) held an opponent under 50 points for the first time since keeping Idaho State to 40 on January 1, 2022.
On Thursday night, the Cats limited the Vandals to just 34.0% shooting from the floor and turned their opponent over 17 times, including with 13 steals, a season-high and the Cats' most against a Division I opponent since February 13, 2022.
Idaho (11-18, 5-11 Big Sky) did not have a single player score in double-figures, as Montana State controlled the tempo and rhythm of the game throughout, never trailing and leading by as many as 22.
"I'm really proud of the guys," head coach Matt Logie said. "Like we talked about, this one was going to come down to energy on the defensive end, and to hold them to 34% shooting and force 17 turnovers is indicative of the attitude and the mentality that these guys had—not only in the prep, but in starting the game and starting the second half as well.
Robert Ford III finished with 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals. The redshirt senior now has 83 steals on the season, second in the country and second in a single season in program history behind Chris Conway, who had 92 during the 1987-1988 season.
Backcourt mate Eddie Turner III tallied seven steals, including five in the first half. The seven steals are tied for the second-most in a game in program history and are the most since Ford accomplished the feat against Green Bay earlier this season on November 20.
"The thing that we've been really trying to get Eddie to improve on is his engagement when his man doesn't have the ball," Logie said. "He applies a lot of pressure and is very good on the ball. He's got such good speed that if we can engage that activity—all the steals that he got today were times that it was smart for him to go and attack the basketball, and certainly five steals in the first half was tremendous and seven for the game is just incredible.
Tyler Patterson finished with 11 points, nailing three three's in the first half, and Brandon Walker added ten points and seven rebounds.
The Montana State bench continued to assert itself in the month of February, as Sam Lecholat poured in ten points and added five rebounds.
Jed Miller, John Olmsted, and Chika Nduka all contributed as reserves as well in a balanced team win.
"They were great," Logie said of the bench. "Jed came in there and scored two buckets for us. John had a big finish and big offensive rebound and sprayed it out to Sam for the three. Obviously their fishing excursions have helped them stay on the same page and know where they are on the floor. Really proud of those guys—that's hard to do throughout the year there were big windows of time where they weren't in the rotation but they stayed with it and are playing good basketball and are getting rewarded for it."
Montana State wrestled control of the game early, as Patterson knocked down three triples and scored 11 points in the first six minutes of the game to give the Cats a 20-8 lead with 14:03 to play in the first half. Montana State pushed it out to a 25-10 advantage on a Miller three with 11:42 left, and didn't look back, leading by at least 12 the rest of the game.
Offensive rebounds helped create second chance after second chance for the Cats on the glass, and intense pressure created Idaho turnovers that led to opportunities in transition.
Leading 42-28 at halftime, Montana State kept their foot on the gas pedal to begin the second frame, scoring the first five points courtesy of buckets Ford and Turner to open up a 47-28 lead. Just before the under-12 media timeout, a Lecholat triple from the corner off a Miller assist and a tough Walker layup in the paint pushed the lead to 22, the largest of the night.
Idaho made a semi-push, cutting the deficit to 12 at 56-44 with seven minutes to play, but the Cats responded with a handful of defensive stops to help turn the lights out for good.
UP NEXT
Montana State heads to Cheney, Washington, to face league-leading Eastern Washington (19-10, 13-3 Big Sky) on Saturday afternoon at Reese Court.
Tip is set for 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT, and will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
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