Montana State University
2-4,0-0Big Sky
Southern Miss
2-3,0-0Sun Belt
Bobcat Defense Stifles Southern Miss in 79-59 Home Win
11/24/2024 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Brandon Walker leads with 19 points, Brian Goracke adds 15 as Cats get back in win column
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Tenacious defense helped power Montana State to a 79-59 win over Southern Miss on Sunday night, making the Cats' return to Worthington Arena a sweet one.
Montana State (2-4) held Southern Miss (2-3) to just 35.7% shooting from the floor and just a 15.0% clip from beyond the arc.
"I thought we had a really good defensive effort today," head coach Matt Logie said. "Our guys really understood the assignment. Southern Miss is a really talented team and came in here playing the fourth-fastest pace in the country—to hold them below 60 tells me that we're executing defensively. We forced them into 18 turnovers which was critical for us to get out in transition."
Brandon Walker poured in 19 points and six rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. The big man was able to get to his spot consistently in the paint, creating matchup problems for the Golden Eagles.
Brian Goracke scored 15 points off the bench and knocked down three triples, while fellow wing Tyler Patterson also hit a trio of 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 13 points.
However, it was on the opposite end of the floor where the Cats made their mark—holding Southern Miss to just 3-of-20 shooting from deep and forcing 18 turnovers.
On the heels of a 10-10 tie just over seven minutes into the first half, Montana State turned on the jets with a 22-5 run over the next 7:28, leading 32-15 on a fastbreak Patterson 3-pointer that came from a Jabe Mullins steal and assist.
The Bobcats held a 41-26 advantage at halftime after shooting 46.9% from the floor to the Golden Eagles' clip of 35.7%.
Christian Watson led Southern Miss with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while no other Golden Eagles finished in double figures.
Southern Miss did make a push in the second half, cutting the deficit from 18 points when the Cats led 48-30 with 18:08 remaining to just a nine-point affair at 53-44 with 12:22 to go.
Yet, the Cats would buckle down and get their share of stops to push the lead back out to 18 with a 7-0 run thanks to a second-chance Walker bucket, a Goracke made 3-pointer, and another Walker layup coming off an offensive rebound.
From there, Southern Miss never got back within 14 points.
"We play through so much freedom that some of the early lessons that we typically have to learn are with that freedom of responsibility," Logie said. "We're starting to figure out what that looks like and how to continue to be in attack-mode but do it intelligently and do it together, so we're trying to create things for other people."
Jed Miller highlighted a sturdy bench effort, contributing five assists, five rebounds, and no turnovers over a career-high 25 minutes of action.
Patrick McMahon finished with ten points, three rebounds, and three assists.
"They're all capable," Logie said. "Like we say all the time, it's not going to be one person's night every time. We're not built around one star. Tonight, Brandon Walker had a great game, Brian Goracke got 15 points on seven shots, and I thought Jed Miller did a really great job just organizing our team with the five assists and no turnovers. That's what it takes, it's going to be different guys stepping up."
Montana State led for 35:05 out of the possible 40 minutes of gametime, coasting to their first Division I victory of the season after a handful of close calls against difficult non-conference competition on the road.
UP NEXT
Southern Miss will face Abilene Christian from Worthington Arena on Monday night at 7 p.m. in a neutral site contest as action from the Basketball Travelers' Invitational continues.
Montana State will then face Abilene Christian on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Worthington Arena.
Tickets are available here.
#GoCatsGo
