Montana State experienced a two-pronged rarity on Sunday afternoon in Fresno. First, explosive junior Tyler Hall, one of the nation’s leading scorers at just shy of 24 points per game entering the contest, was held scoreless in the first half. Second, despite Hall’s non-existence in the scoring column, the Bobcats trailed by just two points.
In the second half, Hall got on track but Fresno State scored on nine of its first 10 possessions after intermission to pull away for an 80-67 victory.
The Bulldogs used defensive intensity after halftime, forcing five turnovers in the first five minutes of the second half. That allowed Fresno State (4-2) to extend a two-point halftime lead to a 54-38 advantage. FSU also used 32 free throw attempts, making 29, in the second half to pull away.
Montana State head coach Brian Fish
“They just pinned their ears back and made free throws,” Bobcat head coach Brian Fish said. “We need to do a better job of guarding the ball. There were some guys we wanted to be physical with and put on the line, and credit to them they made their free throws.
“They got the calls. They shot 32 free throws in the second half, made 29 of them. Give them credit for getting there but gotta do a better job guarding one on one.”
The Bulldogs finished the game 32-of-39 from the line, including 29-of-32 in the second half. Those 25 points from the line matched Montana State’s point total for the second stanza. Montana State made 16 of its 26 free throws, including 7-of-12 after halftime.
Fresno’s DeShon Taylor hit 11 of his 12 free throw attempts in scoring a game-high 31 points.
The first half was one of runs. Fresno State scored the first six points, Montana State answered with seven straight, and the remainder of the half played out in similar fashion. The Bulldogs defended Hall effectively, holding one of the nation’s leading scorers without a point at the intermission, but Joe Mvuezolo (10 points at the half) and Zach Green (eight) kept the Cats in the game. MSU shot 14 free throws in the first half, twice as many as FSU, but in building the 37-35 lead the Bulldogs scored 28 points in the paint.
Hall hit a pair of 3-pointers, including a step-back triple off the dribble late to finish with a team-high 13 points. Keljin Blevins scored eight of his 11 points in the second half.
“We looked in the mud today, not really moving the ball very well,” Fish said. “From the get-go, it was pulling teeth there to get them to move the ball and play hard. We had some groups go in there and get us some stuff but at the end of the day, that 15-0 run to start the second half ended us quickly.”
The Bobcats head home after nearly two weeks on the road Sunday night, and host Bethesda University of California on Wednesday. MSU is now 4-3 on the season, while Fresno State raises its record to 4-2.
FROM WEDNESDAY
Montana State 88, Southeast Missouri 82 — Brian Fish saw one glaring weakness in his team’s tournament-clinching 88-82 win over Southeast Missouri in the Mayan Division of the 2017 Cancun Challenge.
Montana State junior Tyler Hall earned MVP honors at the Cancun Challenge/ by Brooks Nuanez
“We don’t know how to accept a trophy,” Fish dead-panned after his team awkwardly assembled at center-court to claim the hardware. “Something else to practice.”
It’s a weakness Fish was glad got exposed in November, and one he hopes to repeat in March. But mostly, he was pleased with the effort his team displayed in winning a pair of contests in Cancun.
“I liked the toughness our guys showed,” Fish said. “I liked their fight. In their offensive performance, in their defensive performance, the amount of fight they brought to this game was clear. I’m really proud of them for that effort.”
Montana State’s intensity was clear throughout, and it came early in the team’s first in-season tournament title since 2003. On the MSU’s second possession Tyler Hall drilled an easy three-pointer for the first points of the game. A minute-and-a-half later hall buried another three. The junior from Rock Island, Illinois, hit five triples in the first half, adding three in the second, to finish with a game-high 34 points. The Preseason Big Sky MVP is also the 2017 Cancun Challenge Mayan Division MVP.
Hall had considerable help. All-Tournament selection Harald Frey scored eight points with five assists and two steals in the face of withering pressure, marshaling the team on both ends of the floor.
“Harry does so many things that don’t show up in the stats,” Fish said. “He’s like a catcher in baseball. He keeps everything going.”
Frey exited the game in its final minutes with a facial injury, bringing unflappable freshman Isaac Bonton front and center. Averaging 12.5 points in the last four games while emerging as the first guard off the bench, Bonton took over the ball handling chores after Frey’s exit, resulting in the first six free throw attempts of his college career. He calmly made all six.
“I thought IB really played an important role,” Fish said of Bonton. “He’s learning on the go, but he gave us a big boost today.”
Isaac Bonton
The Bobcats built double-digit leads in each half, but Southeast Missouri responded each time. MSU led 29-17 with just over seven minutes to play in the first half, but the Redhawks scored on five of their next six possessions and trailed 41-34 at halftime. MSU pushed the lead to 47-34 with six straight points by Sam Neumann to open the second half, but SEMO battled back. With nine minutes remaining the outfit from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, led 60-59.
That would be its last lead. Bonton flipped the margin in MSU’s favor on the next possession, then Keljin Blevins scored two of his seven points – he also added five boards, three assists and a blocked shot – to push the lead to 63-60. Those baskets came as part of a 19-8 run that saw the Cats score on nine straight possessions, leading to the four-and-a-half minute mark. MSU closed the game with eight straight free throws, four each by Hall and Bonton.
Fish wasn’t surprised by the game’s back-and-forth nature.
“That is a talented, well-coached basketball team,” Fish said, “and this is a good win. Rick Ray has done an excellent job there, and I’m proud of this team for finding a way to win.”
