Saturday, January 7
Flagstaff, AZ
2 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Northern Arizona
Darius Brown II
Photo by: Jam David/Northern Colorado Athletics
Bobcats Square off with Northern Arizona
1/6/2023 10:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana State and its stifling defense will finish its first road trip of Big Sky Conference play in the Walkup Skydome on Saturday afternoon.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The first Big Sky Conference trip of Montana State men's basketball's 2022-23 season continues this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Northern Arizona.
Saturday's game and all Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+ and a free radio broadcast will be provided on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Links to livestream, live stats can be found on the men's basketball team's schedule page on msubobcats.com.
The Bobcats (9-7, 2-1 Big Sky) have won the last seven meetings over the Lumberjacks (5-11, 1-2 Big Sky). This streak is tied with Idaho State for MSU's longest active win streak against any Big Sky opponent. Yet the last three contests between the two teams have been determined by five points or less.
The Bobcats are coming off beating Northern Colorado 77-56 on Thursday night. MSU's defense held former Big Sky leading scorer Dalton Knecht to eight points on 4-for-11 shooting — well off his 25.5 points per game average in conference play — and Daylen Kountz to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting. Northern Colorado didn't make a three in the first half and finished 4-for-17 (23.5%) from beyond the arc.
Thursday helped head coach Danny Sprinkle's squad solidify itself as one of the best defenses in league play. Through the first three conference games, Montana State boasts the league's best scoring defense (61.3 points per game) and the second-best field goal percentage defense (40.2%).
Offensively, MSU's frontcourt was the difference in the win. Jubrile Belo led the way with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds, plus Great Osobor chipped in 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Sam Lecholat re-entered the starting lineup in Caleb Fuller's stead and contributed with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Darius Brown II ran the offense with another unselfish stat line of 10 points, seven assists and only one turnover. The CSUN transfer has been a steady force for the Bobcats in his first year in Bozeman, as he not only leads the team with 4.9 assists per game, but also leads the Big Sky with a 6.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in league play. His 4.0 assists per game in league play ranks third amongst all Big Sky players.
Meanwhile, in the Walkup Skydome, the Lumberjacks knocked off the Montana Grizzlies 75-74 in overtime behind 26 points from Jalen Cone. Prior to Thursday night, NAU had dropped its last two games in overtime this season, yet they got off the schneid by holding the Griz to 1-for-7 shooting in extra time.
Senior guard Jalen Cone is the first name on the scouting report for NAU. The Virginia Tech transfer has been a one-man wrecking machine for NAU by averaging 17.3 points per game in league play. He has recorded two of the top five scoring nights by any player in the Big Sky this year: a 45-point night at Southern Utah and a 38-point showing against Abilene Christian.
Following this game, Montana State heads back home for a two-game homestand against Idaho State and Weber State next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Season tickets for all remaining home games can be found at msubobcats.info/tickets.
Saturday's game and all Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+ and a free radio broadcast will be provided on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Links to livestream, live stats can be found on the men's basketball team's schedule page on msubobcats.com.
The Bobcats (9-7, 2-1 Big Sky) have won the last seven meetings over the Lumberjacks (5-11, 1-2 Big Sky). This streak is tied with Idaho State for MSU's longest active win streak against any Big Sky opponent. Yet the last three contests between the two teams have been determined by five points or less.
The Bobcats are coming off beating Northern Colorado 77-56 on Thursday night. MSU's defense held former Big Sky leading scorer Dalton Knecht to eight points on 4-for-11 shooting — well off his 25.5 points per game average in conference play — and Daylen Kountz to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting. Northern Colorado didn't make a three in the first half and finished 4-for-17 (23.5%) from beyond the arc.
Thursday helped head coach Danny Sprinkle's squad solidify itself as one of the best defenses in league play. Through the first three conference games, Montana State boasts the league's best scoring defense (61.3 points per game) and the second-best field goal percentage defense (40.2%).
Offensively, MSU's frontcourt was the difference in the win. Jubrile Belo led the way with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds, plus Great Osobor chipped in 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Sam Lecholat re-entered the starting lineup in Caleb Fuller's stead and contributed with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Darius Brown II ran the offense with another unselfish stat line of 10 points, seven assists and only one turnover. The CSUN transfer has been a steady force for the Bobcats in his first year in Bozeman, as he not only leads the team with 4.9 assists per game, but also leads the Big Sky with a 6.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in league play. His 4.0 assists per game in league play ranks third amongst all Big Sky players.
Meanwhile, in the Walkup Skydome, the Lumberjacks knocked off the Montana Grizzlies 75-74 in overtime behind 26 points from Jalen Cone. Prior to Thursday night, NAU had dropped its last two games in overtime this season, yet they got off the schneid by holding the Griz to 1-for-7 shooting in extra time.
Senior guard Jalen Cone is the first name on the scouting report for NAU. The Virginia Tech transfer has been a one-man wrecking machine for NAU by averaging 17.3 points per game in league play. He has recorded two of the top five scoring nights by any player in the Big Sky this year: a 45-point night at Southern Utah and a 38-point showing against Abilene Christian.
Following this game, Montana State heads back home for a two-game homestand against Idaho State and Weber State next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Season tickets for all remaining home games can be found at msubobcats.info/tickets.
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