Sacramento State is the biggest team in the Big Sky. Sam Neumann is the smallest starting center in the league.
Judging by Neumann’s performance on Saturday afternoon in Bozeman, the Montana State sophomore didn’t get the memo.
Neumann, generously listed at 6-foot-7 but realistically closer to 6-5, put forth a giant performance in the midst of Sac State’s towering front line. Neumann scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including five crucial offensive boards, to lead Montana State to a gritty 62-59 win in front of 2,916 at Brick Breedin Fieldhouse Saturday.
MSU forward Sam Neumann (4) fights for a loose ball
Neumann’s numbers proved to be huge on a night when he and fellow sophomore Tyler Hall combined to score 37 of MSU’s 62 points. Hall and Neumann hit 13 of MSU’s 20 field goals. Hall assisted on three of Neumann’s seven buckets and the converted swingman shot with more rhythm and confidence than he has all season. Neumann’s first four makes, including a pair of 3-pointers, were assisted conversions as Montana State notched 14 total dimes.
But Neumann’s ability to set the tone in physicality against a Sac State front line that boasts 6-11 senior Eric Stuteville, 6-7, 245-pound bruising senior power forward Nick Hornsby and 6-7 slashing junior forward Justin Strings proved to be the key factor in Montana State’s ninth conference win this season.
“He just battles, plays a cerebral game, plays an energy game,” Montana State third-year head coach Brian Fish said. “One thing I think gets lost is everyone looks at talent, the guy who does the big dunk. But there’s still a position in the game for somebody willing to do the dirty work and play a certain way, be a leader, pick up the scraps. He’s sucking all those in right now and is a huge key for us.”
Stuteville, the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week, continued his strong play, particularly on the offensive glass. He pulled down 12 rebounds, including seven offensive as Sac grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and scored 15 second-chance points. But Neumann and Hall combined to close out a win that gave Montana State its fifth straight home win, it’s 11th home victory this season and its 14th win in 28 games overall, equaling last season’s total with at least five games left to play.
MSU guard Tyler Hall (3)
“These last seven games have all been within five and we are finding ways to win,” Hall said. “That’s all that really maters.
“This takes toughness. I don’t think in December (during a stretch that saw MSU lose 10 of 11), we were that far away. There is a little more energy, a little better job on defense. And we understand how to win now. That’s key to picking up these wins in close game.”
Despite Neumann’s best efforts, Sac still made money on the offensive glass led by Stuteville’s shear size. The Big Sky’s biggest player (Stuteville also weighs 260 pounds) finished with 15 points, including four key put-backs to keep the Hornets close. Hornsby finished with eight points and seven rebounds but fouled out with more than 10 minutes to play. Neumann drew fouls on both ends to send Hornsby from three to five fouls and to the bench early.
“I may go over to their graduation just to make sure they are done,” Fish deadpanned about Stuteville and Hornsby.
Montana State hung tough, losing the boards just 41-35 despite the size discrepancy.
“They survived on second-chance points,” Fish said. ”They are a big team, a veteran team and they battle. They certainly had a purpose there and they are playing as well as any team in the league. It’s something I thought we’ve done this last 10 games is we are getting bigger, important rebounds that change the game.”
MSU forward Sam Neumann (4) guarding Sac St. forward Eric Stuteville (41)
Neumann hit four of his first six shots in rhythm as Montana State did a good job of handling Sac State’s trapping pressure zone. The St. Paul, Minnesota native scored seven of his 17 in the game’s final three minutes, 51 seconds. His layup off one of Devonte Klines’ four assists with 1:39 left pushed MSU’s lead to 60-54.
“Sam has a lot of heart and we know he is going to go in there and give us everything he’s got, whether it’s rebounding or drawing a foul,” said Quinton Everett, MSU’s lone senior. “Anything, we know he will do it. We are not surprised with anything he can do on the court.”
“He’s our glue guy, brings a lot of energy to our team by doing the dirty work,” Hall added. “He does a lot of things that don’t show up on the stats but he’s a huge key to our team.”
Neumann’s free throw with 1:07 left gave MSU a 61-54 lead but has been the case for the last three weeks, the Bobcats had to hang on for dear life.
MSU guard Devonte Klines (10)
The Bobcats have now won eight of their last 10 due in large part because of their ability to finish close games. MSU played three straight overtime games at home, beating Idaho 94-91 in double overtime, Eastern Washington 91-90 in overtime and Portland State 92-90 in OT on Thursday night.
Strings, Sac’s impossibly long-armed leading scorer, scored a career-high 29 points in Sac’s first-ever win in Missoula on Thursday night, a 67-65 triumph over reeling Montana. Strings did not convert his first bucket until more than 30 minutes into the game but his finish kept the Hornets alive until the final horn.
After Neumann’s free throw, Strings canned a corner 3-pointer. Everett made one of two free throws before Strings drilled another 3-pointer to give him 13 points and cut the MSU lead to 62-59 with 37 seconds left. On the ensuing MSU possession, the Bobcats ran the clock down to seven seconds before Zach Green air-balled a 3-pointer to force a shot clock violation.
Sac took over with 7.5 seconds left. Fish instructed his team to use its foul to give out of the final timeout but Green missed Sac point guard Marcus Graves, who found Matt Battaglia for an open look in the near corner. The game-tying attempt hit the front of the rim
MSU guard Quinton Everett (24)
The Bobcats officially find themselves alone in fourth place in the Big Sky standings with four games to play. Montana can keep pace with a win over Portland State in Missoula Saturday night, which will set up a rivalry Cat-Griz showdown on Saturday February 25 with huge ramifications.
“They beat us last time so we owe them one,” Hall said.
Hall hit 8-of-10 shots and scored 24 points, including the game-winning shot with 3.9 seconds left in overtime against Portland State on Thursday. He carried over his hot hand during Saturday’s matinee. He drilled his first three 3-pointers and finished 4-of-8 from distance overall. He hit 6-of-11 total to finish with 20 points, giving him 639 this season.
The single-season total is the second-most in MSU history behind only Tom Domako’s 667-point campaign in 1988. Hall’s 13 points in the first half staked MSU to a 28-25 lead and moved him past Bobcat legend Cat Thompson, who scored 629 points in 1928. Hall now has 101 3-pointers this season, the most in school history, and 197 in his already illustrious career.
Now Montana State’s attention turns to the Griz. The Bobcats have lost 12 straight to their bitter rival.
MSU guard Tyler Hall (3)
After Saturday’s win, a victory that helped Montana State surpass its eight league victories last season, Fish chose to reflect on the journey of a seesaw season that saw MSU lose 10 of 11 in 2016 only to surge into 2017 with eight wins in 10 games.
“I’m not sure we could’ve survived a game in November or December where Tyler wasn’t the bell cow,” Fish said. “Now he’s a piece of the puzzle. There’s a lot of guys playing very, very well. The locker room is very connected. Those things are growing, we are growing as a team but I have no idea where we are at. We are just trying to get a little better.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
