Sunday, December 19
BOZEMAN
2 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Portland
Photo by: Jack Murrey
MSU Men’s Basketball Begins Four-Game Homestand Versus Portland Sunday
12/16/2021 2:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State begins a span of four consecutive home games on Sunday when the Bobcats welcome Portland to Worthington Arena
| Montana State Bobcats (7-4) vs. Portland Pilots (8-4) | |
| Date and Time | Sunday, December 19 - 2 p.m. MT |
| Location | Bozeman, Mont. |
| Site | Worthington Arena |
| Stream | ESPN+ |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | MSUBobcats.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Portland | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State begins a span of four consecutive home games on Sunday when the Bobcats welcome Portland to Worthington Arena for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The matchup between the Bobcats and Pilots will be the second of the 2021-22 season.
The Bobcats went 3-0 at the UIW Thanksgiving Invitational from Nov. 26-28 with the first win at the regular season tournament coming in 69-66 fashion over Portland. MSU avenged a 62-59 defeat the season prior at the hands of Portland by making crucial plays down the stretch. MSU outshot Portland 43.6-41.5%. The 'Cats and Pilots also played on even terms in rebounds (30-30) and turnovers (12-12).
MSU was led in the contest by four double-digit scorers. Abdul Mohamed paced the Bobcats with a career-high 25 points. He hit seven field goals, four of which were 3-pointers, and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Amin Adamu had a season-high 15 points while Jubrile Belo notched his first double-double of the year.
Montana State wrapped up its slate of games versus Summit League opponents last Saturday when MSU played St. Thomas in St. Paul. The Bobcats finished 2-1 against Summit League opposition.
The Bobcats dropped a 91-74 contest at South Dakota State on Nov. 17. In its first home of the 2021-22 season versus a Division I opponent, MSU led for nearly the entire matchup in a 68-49 victory over North Dakota State on Dec. 7. MSU held NDSU to just 33% from the field and was led offensively by RaeQuan Battle's season-high 16 points. The Bobcats trailed by as many as 18 in the first half to the Tommies on Dec. 11, but season highs in scoring by Xavier Bishop (20) and Nick Gazelas (12) fueled MSU to a 72-65 win in St. Thomas' first Division I vs. Division I matchup in its gym.
Portland will head into the Sunday matchup versus Montana State playing its fourth game in seven days. The Pilots narrowly got past Cal Poly at home on Monday as Mike Meadows hit a pair of free throws with 8 seconds left to give Portland a 78-77 win over the Mustangs. Portland was led in the scoring column by Kristian Sjolund's career-high 20 points. On Wednesday, Portland dropped a 96-71 decision at Oregon. Chris Austin had a team-high 19 points.
Currently 8-4 overall, the Pilots host San Jose State on Friday prior to making the trip to Bozeman. Portland, which went 17 of 20 (85%) from the free throw line versus MSU on Nov. 26, is the nation's second-best free throw shooting team averaging an 81.4% clip.
MSU returners in Adamu, Belo and Bishop are each closing in on high-level achievements. Bishop's career 1,494 points rank him 54th among active Division I men's basketball players. His 426 assists have him at 40th overall. Adamu and Belo each are on trajectories to become 1,000-point scorers at Montana State. Adamu heads into Sunday's matchup with 782 points. Belo, who already ranks among MSU's top 10 in field goal percentage and blocks, sits at 875 points.
Montana State's game against Portland will be streamed on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on the Bobcat Radio Network on KMMS 1450 AM as well as on the Varsity Network app. Links for live streams, live stats and radio coverage are available on the men's basketball schedule page on msubobcats.com.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F/G
/ Men's BasketballBobcat Insider TV Show
Thursday, March 03
Inside The Brick (Amin Adamu)
Friday, November 05
Inside The Brick (Nick Gazelas)
Monday, November 01
Inside The Brick (Abdul Mohamed)
Sunday, October 31
