Tyler Hall hit a pair of 3-pointers during an 8-0 run to help the Bobcats force overtime, then scored six more points in the extra period as Montana State earned a 74-72 win against Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Saturday.
Hall, MSU’s freshman sensation who scored 36 points in his Big Sky Conference debut Thursday, shook off a 1-of-7 shooting start to finish with 16 points. He scored 12 points in the final 3:36 of regulation and the five-minute extra period.
MSU senior point guard Marcus Colbert scored 23 points and dished out eight assists before fouling out. Colbert scored 18 points after halftime. His steal and fast-break layup helped MSU turn a 62-60 deficit into a 65-62 advantage in overtime. The Bobcats would never trail again, although Mike Green’s 3-pointer with 1:36 in OT tied the game at 67.
MSU sophomore Zach Green, who recorded his second straight double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in his first college game in his home state, converted a bucket to give MSU a boost on the ensuing possession. Hall’s 3-pointer with 48 seconds left gave MSU a 72-68 lead. Hall and Sarp Gobeloglu hit free throws down the stretch to preserve the MSU victory.
Montana State’s overtime win is MSU’s third road win of the season and the first of the Big Sky campaign. The Bobcats are 6-8 overall and will return home after six straight and 12 of their first 14 games on the road. MSU went on a four-game, 10-day road trip that included a win at San Jose State before loses at North Dakota State, Buffalo and Syracuse. The Bobcats then opened Big Sky play on the road. MSU fell 93-82 at Southern Utah on Thursday despite 36 points from Hall. NAU drops to 0-2 in Big Sky play following Thursday’s 96-90 double-overtime loss to Montana. The ‘Jacks are 2-11 overall.
With junior guard Quinton Everett still unavailable because of what MSU lists as a head injury, Green (32), Danny Robison (34), Hall (38), and Colbert (39) all played at least 32 minutes. Gobeloglu scored 11 points in 29 minutes and Stephan Holm made just 2-of-9 for six points in 25 minutes.
NAU point guard Kris Yanku scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lumberjacks, who dressed just nine players because of injuries. Felix Rivera-Vega drilled a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to draw NAU to within one, 73-72. He converted all five of his field goal attempts and scored 15 points.
MSU shot 28 percent in the first half before finding its stride after intermission. The Bobcats shot 15-of-32 from the floor, 5-of-10 from deep as Colbert hit 8-of-14 for 16 points. Marcus DeBerry scored all 13 points for NAU in the second period as the Lumberjacks converted 12-of-26 shots in a back-and-forth stanza leading to OT.
Montana State opens the home portion of its conference schedule by hosting Sacramento State on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday.
