BOZEMAN — Following Montana State’s win over Northern Arizona, Harald Frey expressed articulately what MSU’s seniors have meant to him during his career.
After all, Montana State’s lefty point guard came from the other side of the globe to Bozeman, Montana. The Oslo, Norway native said he considers Tyler Hall, Keljin Blevins and Sam Neumann “some of the best friends I’ve had in my entire life.”
Monday at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Frey expressed his gratitude in the best way he knows how. The polished playmaker converted six of his seven shots after halftime, including four of his five shots from beyond the arc. Frey scored 23 of his career-high 32 points after halftime, hitting 5-of-10 from deep and 11-of-12 from the free throw line to lift MSU to a 90-83 win over Southern Utah in front of 2,573 fans on senior night for its three seniors.
Montana State guards Tyler Hall (3) and Harald Frey (5)/by Brooks Nuanez
“I don’t know college without these guys, Tyler, Sam, Keljin,” Frey said. “I don’t know college without them. I came over here halfway across the world and I didn’t know what I got myself into. I didn’t know anything. To come over here and be here all alone, they took me in and they have been brothers to me. They are life-long friends. I wanted to send them out on the right night the way they deserve.
“Tonight was fun. One last ride.”
Frey hit 3-pointers on three consecutive plays to help Montana State close what was a nine-point SUU advantage to a 60-57 gap. Frey scored 12 straight points during a 14-2 MSU run that helped the Bobcats hold off a much-improved Thunderbirds’ squad that already set a program record with nine Big Sky Conference wins this season.
“We wanted to send our seniors out on a high note,” Frey said. “First of all, I think Senior Night is always a weird night, how you are going to approach it. It can be difficult and I thought it was for a little bit there. But then we got into the flow, got into halftime, made some adjustment, got the first wind out of us.”
MSU’s seniors made just three of their first 17 shots in the first half. SUU led 40-33 at the break. Blevins scored seven of his nine points after halftime finishing 3-of-11 from the floor overall. Neumann finished with four points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. And Hall missed his first seven 3-point tries on the night, finishing 6-of-17 from the floor.
Montana State junior guard Harald Frey (5) trapped by Southern Utah defenders Andre Adams (32) and Cameron Oluyitan (23)/by Brooks Nuanez
Brandon Better’s 3-pointer with 2:24 let cut Montana State’s lead to 76-73. But Frey hit a jump shot, then dished out one of his six assists to Hall, who drilled a signature dagger, a fitting triple stamp a 15-point outing and lift the Bobcats to their 11th win in Big Sky Conference play.
“Southern Utah is a really good team and when they make a mistake, they expose you a little bit,” MSU fifth-year head coach Brian Fish said. “They have really good players. They gave us a helluva shot. We were able to withstand it. We were better defensively and we made some big shots.”
Montana State’s victory, its sixth in its last eight games, combined with Idaho State’s 78-74 win over Weber State gives Montana State a one-game lead for third place on WSU and Eastern Washington with two regular-season games left to play. MSU plays at Sac State on Thursday and at Portland State Saturday leading up to next week’s Big Sky Tournament in Boise.
“Harry is playing with supreme confidence,” Fish said. “He’s a really good player. It kind of reminds me when Marcus Colbert was a senior and Tyler as a freshman and Tyler was allowed to do what he does well.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen a player improve more in a season than Harry has. He is playing at a really high level.”
Montana State junior guard Ladan Ricketts (11)/by Brooks Nuanez
MSU junior Ladan Ricketts, a Livingston native, had a career night. The sharpshooter scored from his two favorite spots: the 3-point line and the free throw line. He scored nine of his career-high 23 points in the first two minutes of the second half to keep MSU within reach.
His triple with 9:26 left broke a 60-60 tie. His 3-pointer three minutes later gave Montana State a 71-64 lead.
“Ladan plays a key part in what we do,” Frey said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s making shots or not. Defenses have to give him that attention just based on his shooting ability. He’s had a couple of tough games but we just tell him to keep shooting.”
Southern Utah hit 11 3-pointers, including four by Better, who finished with 12 points. Southern Utah shot 50 percent in the second half and 49 percent overall, led by Boise State transfer Cameron Oluyitan’s team-high 22 points. Jacob Calloway added 17 points and 14 rebounds, Dre Marin finished with 13 points and five assists but the T-Birds fell to 9-10 in league play, 14-14 overall.
SUU is in seventh place in the league standings with one game left to play.
“In the first half, we shared the ball and we were real unselfish,” SUU head coach Todd Simon said. “We had the pace we wanted in the first half. In the second half, we lost that a little bit. We had some one-pass shots.
“This is a tough place to play and we weren’t aggressive enough.”
Montana State senior guard Tyler Hall (3) defended by Southern Utah forward Cameron Oluyitan (23)/by Brooks Nuanez
The combination of nerves for MSU’s seniors and SUU’s rangy rotation caused MSU to shoot 11-of-32 in the first half. But once Frey seized the pace and tempo of the game, MSU’s league-leading offense started to hum. Montana State hit 9-of-15 from beyond the arc as Frey and Ricketts combined to shoot 8-of-11 from deep in the second half. Montana State shot 62.1 percent after halftime.
“They took the emotion and we were caught up in the emotions and they were playing well,” Fish said. “They had a purpose, they came at us and we were able to somehow stay in it. Then we came out and scored in the second half, got some baskets.
“It’s a March win. I’m happy with that.”
Montana State’s attention now turns to a road trip the Bobcats hope last more than a week. MSU has secured a first-round bye and can finish as high as third. The third seed will play the winner of No. 6 versus No. 11 in the final game of Thursday’s slate of four games. Portland State is currently sixth in the league at 9-9. Idaho is in 11th at 2-16.
“We still have business left to take care of,” Frey said.
“We are all aware just how long this season is. And I think last year, we got caught up in the whole season. This season, we have done a great job of having that game-to-game mentality, that day-to-day mentality. We have had some tough losses this season but I have always thought we can look forward to the next chance and the next day to get better. That’s been huge.”
Editor’s Note: Reporting and observations courtesy of Brooks Nuanez, Skyline Sports.
Montana State junior guard Harald Frey (5)/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State senior forward Keljin Blevins (2)/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State junior guard Harald Frey (5)/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State senior center Usman Haruna/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State senior forward Keljin Blevins (2)/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State senior forward Sam Neumann (4)/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State senior guard Tyler Hall (3)/by Brooks Nuanez
