by LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Montana State men’s basketball team got hot from beyond the arc early and junior guard RaeQuan Battle (Tulalip Tribe) had a career-high 24 points to help the Bobcats win 70-57 at Long Beach State on Sunday evening.
The Bobcats (1-1) started the game 6-for-17 (35.3%) from three in the first half, which offset miscues late in the first half to keep Long Beach State (1-2) at arm’s length. For the second-straight game, the Bobcats had a balanced offensive attack, as all 10 players who saw the court scored. Additionally, Montana State got hot from beyond the arc: Six players made threes to help MSU out-shoot LBSU 33% to 14% from distance.
“I loved the way our guys handled adversity,” Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. “Long Beach State pressed, flew around and pushed the pace. I’m super proud of our effort and how the guys were playing together and playing for each other.”
Montana State out-rebounded The Beach by a 40-29 margin, tripled the hosts with 15 assists to LBSU’s five and were more effective from the charity stripe. With LBSU in the double-bonus for the majority of the second half, the Bobcats took advantage by making 22-of-27 free-throw attempts.
“We started the game five-for-five from three and we had great looks,” Sprinkle said. “Our shooters are going to get great looks and open up games a lot.”
Boosted by making its first four threes, Montana State jumped out to a 16-6 lead before the first timeout. In particular, RaeQuan Battle went 3-for-3 from distance in the first four minutes, which helped him lead the game with 24 points. After both teams had dry spells, Montana State built a double-digit lead with a trio of Nick Gazelas free throws to make the score 19-8.
The Beach would respond with a 4-0 run of their own, yet Robert Ford III helped MSU go on a 5-0 run: first with a corner three off an inbounds play, then by picking off a bad pass and finding Darius Brown II for a transition layup.
Montana State kept its foot on the gas pedal. Battle threw down a dunk off an inbounds play, then Patterson made his second three of the half to lead 32-17. The Bobcats’ early baskets paid off, as the team weathered a six-minute scoring drought late in the half while The Beach went on a 7-0 run to make it a 32-24 ballgame at the half.
In the second half, Brown helped snap Montana State’s scoring drought by seaming a pass over the top of LBSU’s defense for an easy Battle layup. From there, the Bobcats found their rhythm on offense with a hook shot from Jubrile Belo, another Battle layup and a three from Brown to put MSU up 43-32 with 15:31 to play.
“His motor was at another level,” Sprinkle said. “He’s so athletic and talented that when he plays like that, he’s so hard to guard. I’m so proud of him for taking the right shots at the right time, which is the next progression for him in order to be a tremendous player. I’m more proud of how he defended by holding Jadon Jones to zero points tonight.”
LBSU threw a three-quarter-court press at Montana State after the under-12 timeout, yet the Bobcats settled in and continued keeping The Beach at arm’s length. Caleb Fuller helped spark the Bobcats off the bench with four quick points, however, LBSU would go on a mini 5-0 run to make it a 47-41 game midway through the half.
A positive sign for the Bobcats in the second half was the team’s ability to draw fouls. Battle drew back-to-back fouls from LBSU and sank all four free-throws to give him his first career 20-point game with 9:35 to go.
Snapping a six-minute field goal drought, the Bobcats got back on the board with a cleanup dunk from Battle, a jumper from Robert Ford III and then another basket from Battle, who was the hot hand throughout the second half. Montana State would lead 59-48 with 4:58 to go, yet The Beach would claw within eight points with a couple of defensive stops with less than four minutes to play.
Although Long Beach State tried mounting a comeback, a put-back from Patrick McMahon helped MSU keep a 61-51 lead with 2:34 to play. Free throws from Ford and six late points from Brown helped the Bobcats close the book on a 70-57 win.
