Montana State University
6-11,1-3Big Sky
Northern Arizona
10-7,1-3Big Sky
Cats Erase 16-Point Deficit In Needed 58-53 Win Over Northern Arizona
1/11/2025 9:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State snaps a six-game skid with come-from-behind thriller on Saturday night in Bozeman
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- A rollercoaster weekend ended in relief for the Montana State men's basketball team on Saturday night, as the Bobcats snapped a six-game skid with a 58-53 win over Northern Arizona at Worthington Arena.
Less than 48 hours after seeing a 20-point lead slip away in a deflating loss to league-leading Northern Colorado, Montana State (6-11, 1-3) performed the comeback theatrics themselves, erasing a 16-point deficit to out-muscle Northern Arizona (10-7, 1-3) in front of a raucous crowd.
"There's a lot of joy right now," head coach Matt Logie said. "We've been through the ringer a little bit. Sometimes we've lost because we've been a little soft, sometimes we've lost because we didn't move the ball enough, sometimes we've lost because we got a little bad luck or our opponent got hot. There's a million ways to lose but you've got to find ways to win and our guys just gritted it out tonight. To start 16-0 with no momentum on the offensive end but not let that affect your defense, that's a characteristic of a veteran, quality team. I'm really proud of these guys. They've stuck together in the fire. Now they know what it feels like again—it's been a little while since we've felt victory."
The Bobcats missed their first 13 shots from the floor to open the game, allowing the Lumberjacks to grab a commanding 16-0 advantage eight minutes into the game.
As became the theme of Saturday night, the Montana State bench willed the home side back into the game.
Chika Nduka popped the bubble with a layup to break the scoring drought, and Montana State chipped away and trailed 25-17 at halftime.
MSU finished the first half shooting a poor 7 of 32 from the floor (21.9%) and 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.
Yet, the Bobcats defensive intensity on the other end allowed them to stay in the game. A commitment to shutting down the nation's second-leading scorer in Trenton McLaughlin held the sharpshooter to just five points in the first half.
In the second half, Montana State started to find their offensive rhythm and feed off a loud crowd of 2,772.
After being held to just two points in the first half, Brandon Walker exploded for 15 in the second half, connecting on six of his eight shots in the second twenty minutes.
A defining moment came with 45 seconds left in the game, when Walker drove and missed a layup, but out-fought two Lumberjacks for the offensive board before laying it in and giving MSU a 56-53 lead.
That play helped define the night. On a six-game losing streak, trailing by 16 at home, the Cats refused to quit.
After missing the last three games with an injury, junior guard Bryce Zephir made a difference in the second half on Saturday, scoring nine of his 10 points on 4 of 4 from the field with four rebounds.
"Bryce can be a really big piece to this puzzle for us because he's a very good perimeter defender," Logie said. "He moves his feet well and has strength at the end of drives to hold his ground, which we've gotten hung up on a little bit. He's a very willing passer and paint toucher too, which allows us to unlock some other guys. I thought what he did great tonight was when he touched the paint and the defense spread out, he was able to get to his balanced finishes."
Montana State's bench scored 20 points and tallied 14 rebounds, with senior forward Sam Lecholat bringing both energy and a defensive presence in the paint and on the glass.
"Sam gave us great defensive minutes at the 4-spot," Logie said. "[NAU is] obviously a bigger team, but with a minute to go he stands up Carson Towt on the roll and forces a miss. Those are huge plays."
After coming out on the wrong end of their last seven games in contests decided by five or fewer points, Saturday night it was the Bobcats' turn to close out a close one.
Despite trailing for 37 minutes, MSU held NAU without a made field goal for the final 4:11, with the Lumberjacks unable to muster another made shot following McLaughlin's jumper that put them ahead 52-48.
Walker led the 'Cats with 17 points and seven rebounds. Zephir added ten points and four rebounds, while Tyler Patterson scored eight points and Max Agbonkpolo chipped in six.
Lecholat tallied three points, five rebounds, and three assists.
UP NEXT
Montana State hits the road next week, facing Idaho State in Pocatello on Thursday night at 6 p.m. and Weber State in Ogden on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
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