BOZEMAN, Mont. – A go-ahead three-pointer from Eastern Washington guard Steele Venters with 19 seconds left handed the Montana State men’s basketball team its first home loss of the year in a 70-67 contest on New Year’s Eve.
The Bobcats (8-7, 1-1 Big Sky) had several opportunities to win late in the game. Montana State would pull within two off a cross-court inbound pass from Caleb Fuller to RaeQuan Battle, then the Eagles (8-7, 2-0 Big Sky) left the door open by splitting a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds left. But Robert Ford III’s long, game-tying three-point attempt was off the mark at the buzzer.
“We still gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle told Bobcat Sports Radio Network. “When Venters made that big shot, we were in our 1-3-1 and matching up, but we were a split-second too slow rotating and he made a big play.”
Eastern Washington out-rebounded MSU by a 40-29 margin, plus it had 18 second-chance points to the Bobcats’ nine. Despite turning the ball over 18 times, the Eagles offset their mistakes by connecting on 45.5% of their threes in the second half, three of which came in the final five minutes.
“We got out-toughed, which is terrible to say — especially at home,” Sprinkle said. “We got beat at our own game. Eastern Washington probably hit four of their made threes off offensive rebounds. They had 18 second-chance points, which was the difference in the game.”
After trailing at halftime, Montana State got back into the game thanks to an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double from redshirt junior guard Darius Brown II. The CSUN transfer scored 12 of his team-best 18 points in the second half, most of which were off big three-pointers that helped kickstart the Bobcat offense. Brown II’s 18 points were a season-best; the double-double was the third of his career.
“Darius kept us in the game,” Sprinkle said. “When we were stagnant offensively, he bailed us out with late threes. That’s the type of player he is. I’m proud of him for fighting, competing and for him leading us with 11 rebounds.”
Battle added 13 points and eclipsed 700 career points in the game, plus Fuller added 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and four rebounds. Belo finished with eight points on 4-for-5 shooting and Sam Lecholat added seven points off the bench.
Angelo Allegri led the Eagles with 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting, plus nine rebounds after pouring in 19 points and dishing out six assists in EWU’s 87-80 win over Montana in Missoula. Venters was close behind with 17 points, plus Casey Jones chipped in two points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Following this game, Montana State takes its first conference road trip to Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. All Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Going into Saturday’s game, the Bobcats carried a 14-game home winning streak and hadn’t lost a home game in 2022. MSU will look to start a new streak on Jan. 12 against Idaho State.
