Cat/Griz Round 1 Comes to Bozeman
By Danny Waldo
It will be hard to top the ‘Miracle in Missoula’ that played out on the football field inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium this past November in Missoula, but the MSU men’s and women’s basketball teams will look to keep the Blue and Gold momentum going when they welcome their rivals from the west to Bozeman on February 2nd for the first installment of the Brawl of the Wild on the hardwood.
MSU will be hosting the first doubleheader of the season inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, with the women’s game set to tip-off at 2:00 p.m., followed by the men in the nightcap, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live across the state.
Women
For the women, it has been all Montana State as of late in this heated rivalry. The Lady ‘Cats have won four out of the last six contests, while claiming a pair of regular-season crowns, in addition to a Big Sky Conference tournament title in 2017. But UM isn’t quite ready to concede supremacy in the state of Montana since the changing of the guard from longtime head coach Robin Selvig to his former player and top assistant Shannon Schweyen. Schweyen has dealt with her fair share of adversity in her three seasons at the helm of her alma mater, but the Grizzlies are starting to show the fight that was a hallmark of Schweyen’s predecessor.
UM was just 7-23 in Schweyen’s first year in charge, but they improved to 14-17 in Year Two, and defeated Tricia Binford’s squad in Missoula rather handily, 87-63, as MSU nosedived to conclude the 2017-18 season. MSU would go just 4-6 over the final 10 games of the season before being bounced from the conference tournament in Round 1, 78-74, by the University of Idaho Vandals.
So, the women’s rivalry picks up with the 24-point defeat as the backdrop for this always hotly contested matchup of two perennial powers in the Big Sky. MSU will be looking to right the ship, not only from last season’s defeat, but also from the recent struggles they have faced in conference play in 2019. The Lady ‘Cats stormed out to a 3-1 league mark, but have since struggled, crashing back down to earth, including their most recent setback to Idaho State, 63-41. That loss has put MSU at 5-4 in conference play, and currently in 6th place right behind UM at No. 5.
Montana State has been led thus far in the season by the strong play of transfers Martha Kuderer and Claire Lundberg, while also receiving strong contributions from Oliana Squires and Tori Martell. Lundberg leads the team in scoring, dropping in 17.6 points per game, while Squires is second on the team in scoring at 10.6 ppg. Kuderer is the No. 3 scorer at 9.8 ppg, while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per contest, good enough for second on the team behind Blaire Braxton, who hauls in 5.8 rpg.
The Lady ‘Cats will look to provide a balanced scoring attack on offense, while trying to maintain UM’s leading scorer, Jace Henderson, who’s putting in 11.9 ppg, including 31 recently in a win over the University of Idaho.
A win in the rivalry will not only ensure bragging rights for Round 1, but also keep the victors within arm’s reach of league-leading Northern Colorado. UNC visits Bozeman on February 4th in a pivotal showdown that will go a long way towards determining the regular-season champion in the Big Sky.
Men
For the men, the picture hasn’t been so pretty for head coach Brian Fish and Co. The Bobcats have been dominated by the Grizzlies for the better part of the past decade; although MSU finally snapped a 13-game losing streak two years ago in Bozeman. But last season returned to the recent outcomes of the past, with UM winning big both at home and on the road, and they’ll be looking to continue their dominance when they hit the court at 7:00 p.m. on February 2nd.
The trouble for MSU has been containing a wildly efficient Montana offensive attack that sees multiple players score in double-figures, led by senior big man Jamar Akoh, who scores 16.3 ppg. Fellow senior Ahmaad Rorie contributes 16.0, while backcourt mate Michael Oguine drops in 13.5 ppg. Junior Sayeed Pridgett is the fourth member of the double-digit club, as he scores 12.4 ppg for head coach Travis DeCuire.
Montana State counters with senior guard Tyler Hall, who recently became the all-time leading scorer in Big Sky Conference history, as well as the all-time leading three-point shooter. Hall now has scored over 2,200 points in his illustrious career in Bozeman, but to beat the Griz he is going to need some help. Head coach Brian Fish hopes that help comes in the form of junior guard Harald Frey. Frey, who recently scored a career-high 31 points in the Bobcats’ victory over Idaho State, is second on the team in scoring at 15.4 ppg, while senior swingman, Keljin Blevins is the No. 3 scorer at 11.3 ppg.
If Montana State is going to pull the upset on the No. 2 team in the conference, they are going to need to shoot at a higher percentage than they did the last time these two teams met last February in Missoula. In that contest, a 90-63 Grizzly triumph, Montana State shot just 30% for the game, including less than 25% in the first half. UM effectively took Tyler Hall out of the game, and no one else was able to stand up in his absence.
Like their female counterparts, the Bobcat men got off to a 3-1 start in league play, but have since dropped to 5-4, sitting behind league leaders Norther Colorado, Weber State and Montana. Montana State has a pivotal road game at league-leading Northern Colorado on February 4th that will go a long way towards determining if MSU will be able to hang around and contend for the regular-season champion, or be lumped into the middle of the pack heading into the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise, Idaho this March.
There are tickets still available for both the men’s and women’s games. You can get yours by visiting the MSU ticket offices inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, or by calling (406)994 – CATS. For a complete schedule of all Montana State Bobcat men’s and women’s basketball games, log on to www.msubobcats.com.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Montana State Bobcat athletics. He is an avid supporter of the Bobcats, and relishes in the sweet feeling of victory every time his beloved ‘Cats beat the Griz.
