Saturday, December 31
Bozeman
2 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Eastern Washington
RaeQuan Battle
Photo by: Kyle Cajero
Montana State Hosts Eastern Washington on New Year’s Eve
12/30/2022 8:52:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Coming off a Big Sky Conference-opening win over the University of Idaho, the Montana State men's basketball team returns to action this Saturday at 2 p.m. with a home game against the Eastern Washington Eagles.
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcasted for free on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. At the game, Montana State will host a New Year's Eve party with food, games, and a myriad of activities. Tickets for the game can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
Going into Saturday's contest, the Bobcats (8-6, 1-0 Big Sky) have a 14-game home win streak, which is the second-longest in program history. Should MSU beat the Eagles (7-7, 1-0 Big Sky), it will not only tie the all-time record of 15-straight home wins at Worthington Arena, but also make MSU undefeated at home for the 2022 calendar year. MSU's last home loss was to Weber State on Dec. 30, 2021.
Additionally, the win would be Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle's 65th, which would move him into a tie with Brian Fish for tenth all-time at Montana State.
On Thursday, Montana State earned its first conference win with a 72-58 victory over Idaho. In the win, Jubrile Belo (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Tyler Patterson (season-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting) led the way as the Bobcats neutralized Idaho's league-leading offense and limited leading scorer Isaac Jones to six points.
So far, Montana State leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense (41.6%). MSU also ranks second in a myriad of statistical categories, including scoring defense (68.3 points per game allowed), field goal percentage (47.8%), rebounds per game (36.1), blocks per game (3.0) and steals per game (6.6).
Going into Saturday's game, RaeQuan Battle has finished in double-figures over the past seven games. Battle is the sixth-best scorer in the Big Sky, averaging 16.9 points per game. Reigning Big Sky MVP Jubrile Belo is MSU's only other double-figure scorer, averaging 13.1 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game. This season, 12 of the 14 Bobcats on the roster have recorded double-figure scoring nights and four different players have led the team in scoring.
Meanwhile, the Eagles opened Big Sky play with an 87-80 road win over Montana. Senior guard Angelo Allegri was one of six Eagles in double-figures; he led the team with 19 points, five rebounds and six assists.
The Eagles are led by Preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection Steele Venters, who averages 14.3 points per game and makes 44.4% of his field goal attempts. Angelo Allegri chips in 11.4 points and a team-best 3.4 rebounds per game, while Casey Jones has worked his way into the starting lineup and leads the Eagles with 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Eagles and the Bobcats have no love lost between the two programs. The two teams squared off in the Big Sky Conference Championship game in 2021, where the Eagles led wire-to-wire and clinched the Big Sky Tournament title in a 65-55 win. Although then-head coach Shantay Legans bolted for Portland less than a month later, EWU and MSU's last two meetings have been determined by a combined six points. EWU has a slim, 48-47 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.
Following this game, Montana State takes its first conference road trip to Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. All Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Season tickets and single-game tickets for all remaining home games can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be broadcasted for free on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. At the game, Montana State will host a New Year's Eve party with food, games, and a myriad of activities. Tickets for the game can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
Going into Saturday's contest, the Bobcats (8-6, 1-0 Big Sky) have a 14-game home win streak, which is the second-longest in program history. Should MSU beat the Eagles (7-7, 1-0 Big Sky), it will not only tie the all-time record of 15-straight home wins at Worthington Arena, but also make MSU undefeated at home for the 2022 calendar year. MSU's last home loss was to Weber State on Dec. 30, 2021.
Additionally, the win would be Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle's 65th, which would move him into a tie with Brian Fish for tenth all-time at Montana State.
On Thursday, Montana State earned its first conference win with a 72-58 victory over Idaho. In the win, Jubrile Belo (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Tyler Patterson (season-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting) led the way as the Bobcats neutralized Idaho's league-leading offense and limited leading scorer Isaac Jones to six points.
So far, Montana State leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage defense (41.6%). MSU also ranks second in a myriad of statistical categories, including scoring defense (68.3 points per game allowed), field goal percentage (47.8%), rebounds per game (36.1), blocks per game (3.0) and steals per game (6.6).
Going into Saturday's game, RaeQuan Battle has finished in double-figures over the past seven games. Battle is the sixth-best scorer in the Big Sky, averaging 16.9 points per game. Reigning Big Sky MVP Jubrile Belo is MSU's only other double-figure scorer, averaging 13.1 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game. This season, 12 of the 14 Bobcats on the roster have recorded double-figure scoring nights and four different players have led the team in scoring.
Meanwhile, the Eagles opened Big Sky play with an 87-80 road win over Montana. Senior guard Angelo Allegri was one of six Eagles in double-figures; he led the team with 19 points, five rebounds and six assists.
The Eagles are led by Preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection Steele Venters, who averages 14.3 points per game and makes 44.4% of his field goal attempts. Angelo Allegri chips in 11.4 points and a team-best 3.4 rebounds per game, while Casey Jones has worked his way into the starting lineup and leads the Eagles with 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Eagles and the Bobcats have no love lost between the two programs. The two teams squared off in the Big Sky Conference Championship game in 2021, where the Eagles led wire-to-wire and clinched the Big Sky Tournament title in a 65-55 win. Although then-head coach Shantay Legans bolted for Portland less than a month later, EWU and MSU's last two meetings have been determined by a combined six points. EWU has a slim, 48-47 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.
Following this game, Montana State takes its first conference road trip to Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. All Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Season tickets and single-game tickets for all remaining home games can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
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