Thursday, December 2
Greeley, CO
6 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Northern Colorado
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Road Grind Continues as Bobcats Open Big Sky Play at Northern Colorado
11/30/2021 4:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State opens the first two games of its Big Sky Conference schedule on the road this week starting with a 6 p.m. matchup versus the Bears
| Montana State Bobcats (4-3) at Northern Colorado Bears (3-5) | |
| Date and Time | Thursday, December 2 - 6 p.m. MT |
| Location | Greeley, Colorado |
| Site | Bank of Colorado Arena |
| Stream | ESPN+ |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | UNCBears.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Northern Colorado | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State opens the first two games of its Big Sky Conference schedule on the road this week. The Bobcats play at Northern Colorado Thursday starting at 6 p.m. then travel to face Sacramento State on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT.
MSU begins its league slate against Northern Colorado for the second consecutive year. The 2020-21 season featured a Big Sky schedule that had teams facing each other in back-to-back games at primarily the same site. The Bobcats won both matchups over Northern Colorado in Greeley. The 'Cats opened the series with a 79-67 win on Jan. 7, then completed the sweep with a 76-74 overtime victory on Jan. 9. The season sweep was the first for MSU over UNC since the 2006-07 season.
The first matchup a season ago featured MSU utilizing a 21-1 run in the second half en route to the win. The 'Cats trailed by as many as 13 in the second half of the second contest before tying it up and eventually survived a litany of Bears 3-point attempts at the overtime buzzer. Amin Adamu scored a career-high 36 points in the second matchup, while Xavier Bishop's back-to-back scoring performances of 28 and 22 points earned him Big Sky Player of the Week honors.
Montana State continues its season-long road stand with its Big Sky opening games. The Bobcats have played five consecutive games away from home already, but are coming off an undefeated appearance at the UIW Thanksgiving Invitational in San Antonio. MSU earned victories over Portland, Incarnate Word and SEMO over three days. The 3-0 regular season tournament title was the second in three years for the 'Cats.
Montana State completed the first two games of its road stand dropping contests at South Dakota State and New Mexico. The Bobcats fell to the Jackrabbits in Frost Arena on Nov. 17 91-74 as SDSU jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead by shooting a blistering 60% from the field and a 7-for-9 mark from 3-point range to open the game.
The 'Cats and Lobos traded leads throughout the second half of their matchup in the Pit on Nov. 20, but New Mexico rode the wave of a crowd of over 9,000 en route to a 81-78 win. The Bobcats outshot the Lobos from the field, but New Mexico's 10 extra trips to the charity provided the necessary boost to a victory. MSU was led by six double-digit scorers in the loss.
Montana State has been paced by its starting lineup of Amin Adamu, Jubrile Belo, Xavier Bishop, Abdul Mohamed and Tyler Patterson with each playing over 26 minutes per contest. All five Bobcats are averaging double digits in the scoring column.
Jubrile Belo has moved up Montana State's historical charts as he leads the team in several categories. Belo nears the 850-point threshold in the midst of his third year at MSU. He moved up two spots on the career blocks list during his five-block effort against SEMO. He currently ranks seventh all-time in program history with 78 blocks.
The Bobcats rank atop the Big Sky Conference in multiple areas. MSU is first in assists per game with 16.6, while the 'Cats are second in free throw and field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goals and assist-turnover ratio.
Montana State's games at Northern Colorado and Sacramento State will each be streamed on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on the Bobcat Radio Network on KMMS 1450 AM, with the Voice of the Bobcats Zach Mackey on the call Thursday, as well as on the Varsity Network app. Links for live streams, live stats and radio coverage is available on the men's basketball schedule page on msubobcats.com.
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