Montana State University
3-5,0-0Big Sky
CSUN
6-2,0-0Big West
Cats Fall in Overtime to CSUN
11/30/2024 4:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Max Agbonkpolo scores career-high 21 points, but MSU falters in overtime in 72-69 defeat
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State men's basketball fell to CSUN on Saturday afternoon, 72-69, dropping their first overtime game of the season.
Neither team led by more than four points through the final 12 minutes of regulation and into the overtime period, with both teams trading blows in a grinding, physical contest in which CSUN (6-2) emerged victorious.
Max Agbonkpolo led MSU with a career-high 21 points and seven rebounds, adding two steals and two blocks. The graduate student playing in his 123rd career game dropped 15 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting, highlighting a quick Bobcat start.
Montana State appeared to carry over momentum from Tuesday's home over Abilene Christian, racing out to a 14-3 lead through the first four-plus minutes of the first half with Brandon Walker sandwiching the under-16 media timeout with a pair of buckets in the paint.
However, CSUN roared back—chipping away at the lead and then breaking off an 8-0 run over a two minute stretch to make it just a one-point game in favor of the Bobcats at 25-24 with 7:30 remaining in the opening half.
"We didn't work collectively at times to create good-to-great shots," head coach Matt Logie said. "We let the ball stick in our hands, we stared at closeouts when we should have shot and that allows them to get back to neutral. We just didn't have a great pop to the ball and flow to it and obviously that's something we can clean up through film and practice but we just got a little stagnant out there and when things get stagnant, you're not able to build momentum."
Neither team scored in the final three minutes of the opening frame, as Montana State took a 36-35 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the game devolved into an intense, scrappy fight characterized by loose ball rebounds being jostled for and both teams turning up the pressure on the defensive end.
The Matadors held MSU to just 3-of-14 (21.4%) shooting from deep in the second half and just 10-of-27 (37.0%) from the floor overall in the second half.
Trailing by three with 90 seconds to play in regulation, Agbonkpolo found Sam Lecholat underneath the hoop for a wide open layup to make it 64-63 in favor of CSUN.
After a couple of empty trips, it came down to one last Montana State possession with 17 seconds left, still down a point.
Patrick McMahon drove to the hoop, used a head fake to get his defender airborne, then put up a shot through contact that rolled around the rim before falling off. With 3.3 seconds on the clock, the whistle came for the shooting foul to send McMahon to the free throw line needing one make to tie and two for the lead.
McMahon's first attempt was true, but the second was off the mark—forcing overtime at 64-64.
In the overtime period, all five of Montana State's points came at the free throw line as they were unable to get a field goal to drop.
CSUN led 70-68 with 19 seconds left before McMahon again drove to the hoop and drew a foul to send the redshirt junior to the free throw line.
McMahon again went 1-for-2 to force the Cats into a must-foul situation, where the Matadors sank both free throws to lead 72-69 with 15 seconds left.
Montana State drew up a play to go for the tie, but CSUN defended well to force a difficult, off-balance three-point attempt from Brian Goracke that fell off the mark just before the horn sounded.
"Oftentimes in close quarters and close games, the team that's the most connected and the most together, that has great attitudinal response—oftentimes they come out on top," Logie said. "We had flashes of that but not consistently up to what we're used to."
Tyler Patterson hit four 3-pointers for Montana State and finished with 12 points.
Brandon Walker ended his afternoon with 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Jabe Mullins collected seven points and nine rebounds.
CSUN outscored the Bobcats in the paint, 34-20. Montana State's normally productive bench was held to 14 points, while the Matadors' non-starters scored 40 points off the pine, highlighted by Marcus Adams Jr. Hitting five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points.
UP NEXT
Montana State hits the road to take on Omaha as part of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge.
The Cats face the Mavericks on Wednesday, December 4, at 6 p.m. MT in Omaha, Nebraska, before returning home for the second part of the conference challenge to host the University of Missouri-Kansas City at Worthington Arena on Saturday, December 7, at 7 p.m. MT.
#GoCatsGo
