Tyler Hall caught the ball, cross over dribbled into his signature step-back jump shot. The Montana State star elevated, flicked his wrist and drilled the 371st 3-point shot of his record-setting career.
The vintage take was Hall at his best, the 6-foot-4 combo guard using his skill to swish the 724th made field goal as a Bobcat. The buttery shot crowned Hall as the Big Sky Conference’s all-time leading scorer. With the pressure of passing former Eastern Washington star Bogdan Bliznyuk behind him, the record-breaking jumper opened the floodgates for Hall.
After surpassing Bliznyuk with MSU playing at Bliznyuk’s alma mater, Hall continued to bury jump shots. He hit three of his first four 3-pointers. He scored 19 point in the first half. He finished the game with 26 points, giving him 2,195 points during his four seasons, more than any Big Sky player before him. Bliznyuk, the Big Sky MVP last season, held the record for just 310 days.
Hall hit his fourth 3-pointer to cut the EWU lead to five less than five minutes into the second half. Hall hit jump shots with a hand in his face on consecutive possession to cut the lead to five with five minutes to play. But Hall took just one shot the final four minutes, 15 seconds of action.
Throughout his career, Hall has deflected any and all praise, saying all he cares about is winning. On Saturday at Reese Court, Hall etched his name in Big Sky lore forever. But as has often been the case throughout Hall’s individual triumphs, the Bobcats fell short of the win column.
Jacob Davison scored 14 of his team-high 23 points and Tyler Kidd scored 15 of his 17 to stake EWU to a 45-42 first-half lead and Eastern posts Jesse Hunt and Mason Peatling carried the Eagles down the stretch in an 85-81 win on Saturday afternoon in Cheney, Washington.
Eastern Washington junior Mason Peatling shoots over Tyler Hall/ by EWU athletics
Montana State cut the Eastern Washington lead to 83-82 on a corner 3-pointer from senior Keljin Blevins with 1:06 to play. But officials reviewed the long shot from the corner, determining Blevins’ foot was on the line and ensuring the hosts maintained a two-point lead.
Montana State got the stop it needed, forcing Davison into an errant shot. But Peatling grabbed the offensive rebound. EWU wound 23 seconds off the clock before Peatling was fouled.
Peatling, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and Hunt, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, each made one of two free throws in the final 14 seconds. After Peatling’s miss with 14 seconds left, Blevins got a clean look from the top of the key. His 3-point shot hit the front of the rim and Hunt secured the rebound.
The loss drops Montana State to 4-3 in Big Sky play, 7-10 overall. MSU is 43-61 since Hall joined the roster. Saturday marked Hall’s ninth 20-point game this season. Hall is averaging 19.7 points per game in his career.
Eastern Washington won just two games during the non-conference. EWU stumbled to a 1-3 start in league play. But the Eagles beat defending Big Sky champion Montana 78-71 on January 10. With nine days off, Eastern hit 12 3-pointers, held MSU All-Big Sky point guard Harald Frey to nine points and won the battle of the boards 34-31 to win for the second straight time. EWU is 3-3 in league play, 5-12 overall.
Blevins, one of three MSU seniors along with Hall and forward Sam Neumann, entered the game 1-of-21 from beyond the 3-point arc this season. He hit his first 3-point try Saturday, one of nine in the game for the Bobcats in 22 attempts. Blevins’ second made 3 cut Eastern’s lead to 63-62 with 10:03 left.
Eastern Washington senior Jesse Hunt battles for a rebound/ by EWU athletics
The 6-foot-4 stretch forward scored 15 of his 23 points after halftime, grabbed a team high eight rebounds and played the best game of his senior year. But EWU built a 36-32 advantage on points in the paint, a gap that proved to be the final difference.
Ladan Ricketts hit three 3-pointers and scored 15 points to join Hall and Blevins in double figures scoring for MSU.
Montana State hosts Weber State on Thursday. WSU hosts Northern Colorado tonight.
Eastern Washington plays at Portland State on Thursday. The Vikings posted a 77-74 overtime win in Missoula that snapped Montana’s 20-game home winning streak. PSU has lost its other five Big Sky contests, including an 82-75 loss at Northern Arizona on Saturday.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez and courtesy of Eastern Washington athletics. All Rights Reserved.
The first photo of Montana State guard Tyler Hall (3) ever captured by Skyline Sports photographer Brooks Nuanez/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State guard Tyler Hall (3), pictured here in 2016…kept shooting all the way to the Big Sky Conference all time leader in scoring/by Brooks Nuanez
