Bozeman, Montana - The Thunderbirds wrapped up their trip to the state of Montana on Saturday afternoon with a matchup against the Bobcats of Montana State, and found themselves on the losing end as MSU topped SUU 80-73.
The Thunderbirds fell behind early, but were able to fight all the way back to make it an extremely close contest down the stretch.
“We showed tremendous determination, effort and togetherness in the second half to get within three,” SUU head coach Nick Robinson said about the game. “But, a rebound here and a missed free throw there turned the game in MSU's favor.”
The Bobcats started the game on a 5-0 spurt, but SUU was quick to make it close pulling the score to 7-6. After that point, however, MSU created some separation with a 12-0 run.
The Thunderbirds never let the game get away from them, even though the Bobcats had a sizeable lead, they were able to stay within 14 at halftime, trailing 40-26.
Robinson attributed the Bobcat lead to the way the Thunderbirds were taking care of the rock.
“We didn't take care of the ball in the first half and Montana State took advantage to gain a big lead,” he said.
The T-Birds continued to fight as the second half rolled along, and really hit a groove offensively as the clock ticked under five minutes to play. A one-and-one opportunity for SUU's John Marshall with just under three minutes left pulled the Thunderbirds within five, and another shot by Marshall would pull them within three with just over two minutes to play.
However, the Bobcats kept on answering right back. Every time the Thunderbirds would pull it close, MSU would respond, resulting in a seven point victory for the Bobcats.
Marshall had a huge game for the Thunderbirds, leading all scorers with 21 points. He finished 6-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, 7-of-10 from the free throw line and also pulled in six rebounds.
“John has done a great job leading this team during this road trip and his performance tonight inspired the entire team,” Robinson said about the effort of his point guard.
SUU's James McGee dropped in 16 points, also off 6-of-12 shooting, and Race Parsons dropped in 13 points and led the team with seven rebounds.
The Bobcats had five players hit double-figure scoring, led by Tyler Hall who had 14 points on the night. Sarp Gologlu had 13 for MSU, hitting three of the four three-pointers he shot.
The Bobcats got big production from their bench, as they were responsible for 31 of their points.
The Thunderbirds will be home next weekend for their final homestand of the season, as they will host in-state rival Weber State and Idaho State.
Tickets can be purchased online at tbirdtickets.com or at the Centrum Ticket Office.
Photo courtesy of Shellenberg Photography
