BOZEMAN, Montana – Southern Utah (5-12, 2-4) was unable to extend its winning streak to three in Bozeman as Montana State (4-14, 1-5) pulled away late, defeating the Thunderbirds, 79-65. In a game that the box score shows extremely similar numbers, the stat that stands out was the 12 three-point shots the Bobcats made to just six for the Thunderbirds.
After leading by ten on two separate occasions, the Thunderbirds could not contain Montana State on the three-point line. After the Thunderbirds recovered from a nine-point deficit and cut the Bobcats' lead to three, Montana State connected on its next four shots, three of which were triples. The run extended the lead to 12 for the Bobcats; a deficit that the Thunderbirds were unable to overcome.
Head Coach Nick Robinson was pleased with the team's effort Thursday night; unfortunately it was not enough to tally a win for the Thunderbirds. “I thought we played well,” Robinson said. “We moved the ball well, we took care of the ball in the first half and we gave a good effort… but all the credit goes to Montana State”
Southern Utah played a back and forth game with the Bobcats until the 7:40 mark in the first half. Freshman guard, James McGee hit back-to-back three-point shots and the Thunderbirds went on a 9-0 run to stretch their lead to ten, at 30-20. Montana State responded to the SUU run with a 10-1 run its own, cutting the SUU lead to one. The Thunderbirds were able to extend their lead back out to seven and take a six-point lead into halftime.
Casey Oliverson only missed one field goal in the first half where is had nine points on 4-5 shooting. Oliverson also added three rebounds and an assist. Sophomore, Race Parsons added ten first half points and was hot from the three-point line. Junior guard, AJ Hess contributed nine points of his own in the first half and added two rebounds and two assists.
The Thunderbirds came out hot in the second half connecting on its first two shots and stretched their lead to 45-35. SUU ran into some trouble at that point. Montana State went on a 25-6 run and led 51-60 with just over eight minutes to play in the second half. The Bobcats found success at the free throw line during its run, where they converted six free throws and the Thunderbirds racked up nine fouls over the 11-minute stretch.
Coach Nick Robinson seemed to know exactly what his team needed. Robinson called a timeout with just under seven minutes to play. Travon Langston and Hess responded, rattling off six straight points and cutting the Bobcats lead to just three with just under six minutes to play.
Montana State guard, Michael Dison responded for the Bobcats as he connected on two three-point shots and put Montana State out in front by 12 points with four minutes to play. SUU could not find an answer for sophomore guard, Stephan Holm of Montana State, who finished with 19 points off the bench and did not miss a single shot all night. Holm finished 7-7 from the field, 3-3 from beyond the arch and 2-2 from the free throw line.
Oliverson for SUU was held to just four second half points, he finished with 13 points on 6-7 shooting and added six rebounds. Oliverson's remarkable shooting continued where he is now 22-25 shooting from the field in the past three games. Hess led the Thunderbirds with 18 points and contributed three rebounds and two assists as well. Parsons was the only other Thunderbird in double-digits and finished with 12 points.
The Thunderbirds as a team shot 48.1 percent from the field for the game, but the Bobcats could not miss from three, where they shot 12-23 (52.2 percent). SUU continued to move the ball well, ending with 13 assists for the game, which exceeds their season average. The Bobcats did win the rebound battle, but the Thunderbirds were able to keep it close once again. The most surprising state line of the night is arguably the bench points, where SUU was outscored 27-18.
“We need to get over this road hump. In order to win in this league you have to win on the road,” Coach Robinson said. “We're focused on the next game. We're going to look at what we need to do to combat Montana.”
The Thunderbirds continue their road trip Saturday when they play in Missoula against the Grizzlies of Montana. The game is set to tip at 7:05 pm, Saturday night.
