Wednesday, November 17
Brookings, SD
6 p.m.
Montana State University
at
South Dakota State
Tyler Patterson
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcats Begin Long Road Stretch at South Dakota State
11/16/2021 8:54:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana State begins a stretch of seven consecutive road games on Wednesday when the Bobcats take on South Dakota State in Brookings
| Montana State Bobcats (1-1) vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (2-1) | |
| Date and Time | Wednesday, November 17 - 6 p.m. MT |
| Location | Brookings, South Dakota |
| Site | Frost Arena |
| Television/Stream | ESPN+/GoJacks.com |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | BobcatStats.com |
| Tickets | GoJacks.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| South Dakota State | Men's Basketball Home Page |
Montana State begins a stretch of seven consecutive road games on Wednesday when the Bobcats take on South Dakota State in Brookings. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Bobcats and Jackrabbits meet for the fifth time in men's basketball with the all-time series square at two games apiece. The two teams last met on Dec. 5, 2019, as part of the Big Sky-Summit League Series in Bozeman and faced one another for the first time in 13 years. The game was a back-and-forth affair with Montana State closing the contest on a 9-2 run to eventually earn a 77-70 victory over SDSU.
As part of the series in 2021, MSU drew the Summit League's top two teams based off the conference's preseason polls. SDSU, the pick to win the Summit League title with 23 of a possible 36 first-place votes, is the Bobcats' first matchup. The Bobcats are also set to host North Dakota State, the No. 2 team in the Summit's preseason poll, in Bozeman on Dec. 7. MSU added another Summit foe to their schedule as part of a home-and-home as the Bobcats will travel to league newcomer St. Thomas on Dec. 11.
The Jackrabbits enter Wednesday's matchup at 2-1 overall with victories over Bradley and Stephen F. Austin along with a loss to nationally-ranked Alabama. SDSU is led by four double-digit scorers in Noah Freidel, Douglas Wilson, Baylor Schierman and Alex Arians. Schierman is one of the top rebounders in the nation in the early part of the season with his clip of 14 boards per game.
"South Dakota State is terrific," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "They're so disciplined and every single player on their team is a great basketball player. By that, I mean they can dribble, pass, shoot, cut, they know how to make reads and they take advantage of every mistake the defense makes. Even offensively, you take a bad shot or turn it over, it's two points.
"You can see by the success that they've had for over 10 years at home and even on the road. It's their discipline and their toughness, The coaching staff they have now has just continued that culture, they've done a tremendous job. It's going to be a tough game. We're going to have to be disciplined, take great shots and share the basketball, because if we don't, they'll make us pay for it."
Montana State picked up its first victory of the season against Rocky Mountain in Worthington Arena on Dec. 14. Jubrile Belo scored a season-high 21 points, Tyler Patterson registered career highs in points (15) and 3-pointers (5), while Abdul Mohamed recorded a near double-double to lead the Bobcats on Sunday.
The Bobcats returned to Bozeman following a season-opening overtime defeat at Colorado, 94-90, on Tuesday. MSU led by as many as 13 in the second half but the Buffaloes battled back and forced overtime with a crucial 3-pointer to tie the score at 80 with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. Colorado ended a Bobcat winning streak of six games that had extended to the 1923-24 season and avenged a last meeting in 2008 that Montana State had won in overtime.
Montana State was led by multiple players in the overtime loss at Colorado. Mohamed had a near double-double with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Belo had 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting. Five players scored in double figures as Montana State held the edge in turnovers (14-16) and assists (23-15).
A two-time All-Big Sky selection and Preseason All-Conference Team selection, Belo has got off to a strong start this season. In less than 60 college games Belo is nearing the 800-point threshold. He leads MSU so far this season with an 18.5 points per game mark. He currently ranks eighth in the country in field goal percentage (87.5%).
Patterson's five 3-pointers on Sunday were the most by a Bobcat in almost two years. The total was the most by a Bobcat since Harald Frey made five at Montana on Feb. 1, 2020.
MSU's Wednesday contest against South Dakota State will be streamed on ESPN+ and GoJacks.com. The game will also be broadcast on the Bobcat Radio Network on KMMS 1450 AM and on the Varsity Network app.
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