by MONTREAL – The Montana State men’s basketball team clawed all the way back from a seven-point deficit and had a one-point lead with less than a minute to go, yet the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders escaped with a 72-71 win in the final game of the Northern Classic, held in Montreal, Canada on Sunday afternoon.
The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (5-2) led by seven points with 3:13 to go, yet the Montana State Bobcats (3-5) stormed back with a three-point play from Patrick McMahon and nine points from RaeQuan Battle. After taking a 71-69 lead, three points from Blue Raiders’ Elias King put MSU behind 72-71 with 13 seconds to go. Jubrile Belo had a chance at a game-winning layup on the final possession, yet his attempt through heavy contact was no good as time expired.
Battle led the way with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting while adding a team-high four steals. Belo added 16 points and four rebounds for his third double-figure outing in the Northern Classic, while Darius Brown II had two points bu
