Montana State University
9-14,4-6Big Sky
Northern Arizona
14-10,5-6Big Sky
Lumberjacks Fell Bobcats in Flagstaff
2/6/2025 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jabe Mullins finishes with season-high 16 off the bench, Tyler Patterson knocks down five triples in 69-64 road loss
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Montana State men's basketball surged in the second half only to come up just short of their second Big Sky road win, falling to Northern Arizona 69-64 at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Thursday night.
Montana State (10-14, 5-6) rattled off a 10-0 run to go in front 64-62 on a Jabe Mullins pull-up jumper with 1:59 to play, but Northern Arizona (14-10, 5-6) closed the game on a 7-0 spurt to pull out the win and split the season series.
"Bottom line we just didn't make enough plays to finish the deal," head coach Matt Logie said. "When you allow someone to shoot 55% in the first half and give them confidence, you've got to make plays in the second half we and we didn't convert. We had things around the rim that didn't go in, we missed open shots, and therefore shot 31%. When those two things are true, to have a chance to win the game I guess is a silver lining, but I'm pretty frustrated with silver linings at this point. We've got to be tougher and make more plays."
Mullins finished with a season-high 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Bobcats, while Tyler Patterson knocked down five triples and ended the night with 15 points.
"I thought Jabe gave us a great burst there when we made our run and got the lead," Logie said. "He got a couple offensive boards, got to the rim a few times, and made a big three."
Brandon Walker was the go-to man out of the chute, scoring 13 of the Bobcats' first 25 points in the game. The junior forward would finish with 14 for the game, adding four boards and two assists.
Montana State tied things up at 38-38 just before halftime on a Patterson 3-pointer, but Northern Arizona took a two-point lead into the break on a Jayden Jackson jumper.
After halftime, Montana State turned it over just three times, but shot only 9 of 29 (31.0%) from the floor in the second half as a lid seemed to enclose the bucket on the offensive end.
Despite that, the 'Cats made a late break after trailing 58-48 with 8:29 to play.
Two 3-pointers from Patterson, two buckets from Mullins, and a beautiful feed and find for Sam Lecholat erased the deficit completely.
Another floater from Mullins put MSU in front and led to a Lumberjack timeout inside of two minutes.
Yet, jump shots for NAU's Jayden Jackson and Monty Bowser pushed the 'Jacks back into the lead.
Two empty possessions on Montana State's ensuing trips sealed the deal, cemented by a final chance that saw Patterson try to get open for a game-tying three but fall to the deck through heavy contact.
Trenton McLaughlin then made a pair of free throws to put NAU ahead by five and set the final margin. McLaughlin finished with a game-high 20 points and six assists.
Lecholat finished with six points and five rebounds.
Jed Miller finished with a team-high five assists, while Patrick McMahon and Chika Nduka both added four points.
UP NEXT
Montana State heads north to face league-leading Northern Colorado (17-7, 9-2) in Greeley, Colorado, on Saturday night.
Tip is set for 6 p.m. from Bank of Colorado Arena.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live radio play-by-play airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
Northern Colorado fell to Montana on Thursday night, 86-78.
#GoCatsGo
