Montana State University
9-13,4-5Big Sky
Sacramento State
6-15,2-6Big Sky
Bobcats Break Down Hornets With Stifling Defense and Bench Lift
1/30/2025 10:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Patrick McMahon scores career-high 20 off the bench, Brandon Walker reaches 1,000 career points as Cats win on home court against Sacramento State
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- A stifling defensive effort and big production from the Bobcat bench lifted Montana State men's basketball to a satisfying 70-58 win over Sacramento State on Thursday night at Worthington Arena.
Montana State (9-13, 4-5) allowed fewer than 30 points in each half and forced 15 turnovers, holding Sacramento State (6-16, 2-6) to just 35.1% shooting from the floor.
The 'Cats improved to 7-2 at home this season and 3-1 at home against Big Sky opponents.
"Our defense was the anchor for us tonight," Logie said. "There were a couple different moments where a couple shots go in or a loose ball gets picked up here, maybe we could have broken it open earlier. But in all honesty, it's probably good for our team to continue to finish out close games and make smart decisions and make free throws. Those are valuable experiences for us too."
Patrick McMahon poured in 18 second-half points to finish with a career-high 20 off the bench. The redshirt junior from Palmer, Alaska, has now notched career-highs in consecutive games after going for 18 against Montana last Saturday.
"Pat gave us a great burst today," Logie said. "Obviously he's really settling into his role coming off the bench and finding his groove and rhythm that way. It's been great for our team. We've known for a long time that he can be an X-factor for this group, and he's done that on many nights recently here."
McMahon dazzled the crowd with highlight reel dunks and blocks, knocking down a pair of triples too. In the second half alone, the wing went 4 of 5 from the floor and 8 of 10 at the free throw line.
Since being moved to the bench ahead of the Cats' road win over Weber State, McMahon is averaging 15.0 points in reserve on 58.8% shooting over his last four games.
Thursday, McMahon's effort was part of a larger story of the MSU bench asserting its will on the Hornets.
Jabe Mullins pitched in ten points with five rebounds and two assists, and Jed Miller tallied three points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and no turnovers in 25 minutes at the point guard position.
"Our bench guys were plus-14, plus-11, plus-19, and plus-20," Logie said. "It's all hands on deck this time of year. We needed a lot of quickness out there today because of the constant movement from them. Our pressure in the post requires some speed, but I thought we were able to turn them over with that and got 15 turnovers and 22 points off of them."
Brandon Walker got Montana State started off on the right foot, scoring 15 points in the first 15 minutes of the game. The forward added another bucket in the second half, finishing with 17 on the night.
The junior from Oak Cliff, Texas, reached the 1,000 career point-plateau with his last bucket of the first half.
Walker has scored 791 of those 1,000 points in 57 games as a Bobcat, averaging 13.8 points per game since transferring from UT Arlington after his freshman season.
Max Agbonkpolo continued his steady production on Thursday, adding 12 points with five rebounds. The graduate student has scored at least nine in each of his last four outings, helping MSU win three of those and four of their last six after starting Big Sky play 0-3.
The Bobcats picked up their ninth win in the last ten matchups with the Hornets and improved to 27-6 all-time against them at Worthington Arena.
UP NEXT
Montana State hosts Portland State (13-8, 5-3) on Saturday night at Worthington Arena.
The Vikings remain third in the Big Sky standings after falling to the Griz in Missoula on Thursday, 92-78.
Saturday will be Pack the Place in Pink night, with fans able to purchase $5 tickets when they wear pink to the door.
#GoCatsGo
