So close in Brick Breeden

When the season's over for the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team, their record won't show a loss to the Montana State Bobcats. But, neither the Lights nor the Bobcats are going to forget what happened Wednesday night inside the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

In an exhibition game for both the Lights (1-0) and Cats, Northern went toe-to-toe with MSU in a 78-73 loss in Bozeman. Yes, that's right, the Lights hung with the Bobcats, who are picked to finish fourth in the NCAA Division I Big Sky Conference this season — the same Bobcats who have one of the premier guards in all of NCAA basketball, in junior Tyler Hall.

"I am extremely proud of the guys," MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. "We put ourselves in great position to win tonight and just came up short down the stretch.

Indeed, the Lights didn't just hang with MSU in what was the Bobcats' first game of the season, and on their home floor, the Lights really were in a position to win.

Thanks to early 3-pointers from Bozeman native Adam Huse and Devin Bray, Northern started the game on fire, and wound up leading 39-38 at halftime. The Lights also had slim leads for much of the first 10 minutes of the second half, but eventually, the Cats' depth and size began to wear the Lights down and MSU found itself finally leading more comfortably, up by nine points with under 10 minutes left.

And yet, the Lights weren't done. They had a run left in them and they closed to within two 65-63, with just under five minutes left, and while the Cats pushed ahead again, mostly from the free-throw line, the game was still just a two-possession game with a minute left, at 76-70.

Ultimately, the team from the NCAA won out over the squad from the NAIA, and two key areas played a big role in the final outcome. Because of the physicality of the Cats, the Lights were hampered with foul trouble for much of the second half, including senior Ryan Reeves, who was having a big night. And for that reason, the Cats were able to seal the game from the charity stripe, as they shot 41 free throws and made an outstanding 32 of them. Northern, even with Reeves being a dominant force in the paint, was also out-muscled on the boards. MSU won the rebounding battle 41-30. In such a tightly contested game, those two areas were big factors in why MSU-N wasn't able to pull the upset.

"The extra size, length and athleticism won out in the end," coach Huse said. "The Bobcats are in the infancy stages of this season, they will continue to get their new guys into the flow and have a good year. We are grateful to them for the opportunity and the experiences we will draw from this for our season."

Still, the Lights played as well as any Frontier Conference team has played Montana or Montana State in recent years. Northern got 13 points and nine boards from Reeves, while Adam Huse scored 13, Bray had 12, and newcomers Gabe Porter and Caulin Bakalarski each chipped in with 10. The Lights shot a solid 42 percent from the field and made 9-of-24 threes. Northern also played strong defense, even in foul trouble. They held Hall, who is the Big Sky's Preseason MVP, and was in the Top 5 in scoring in the NCAA last season, to 15 points, but on 3-of-12 shooting. Star point guard Harald Frey was also held to just one bucket and five points. In the paint, Keljin Blevins was a force for the Cats, 13 points and six boards, while Sam Neumann chipped in with 12 points and transfer Konnor Frey grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

And while the game won't count for the Bobcats, who officially open the season next week against Omaha in Great Falls, third-year head coach Brian Fish was impressed with Lights, but even less impressed with his own team.

“The best team didn’t win tonight,” Fish said in his postgame press conference. “We should have lost.”

Northern will return to regular season play Friday night when the Lights travel to Pablo to take on Salish Kootenai College., where the Lights will be heavy favorites. But, they'll also be brimming with confidence after they put a scare into what could be one of the Big Sky's best teams this winter.

"I was extremely proud of how hard our kids fought and played," Huse said.

Montana State 78, Lights 73

MSU-N — Huse 4-9 2-2 13, Bray 3-7 4-6 12, Dunsmore 1-6 1-2 4, C. Porter 2-3 2-2 6, Reeves 6-11 1-2 13, G Porter 2-6 4-4 10, Bakalarski 4-8 1-4 10, Harper 1-2 2-2 4, Fry 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 23-55 18-26 73.

MSU — Green 2-3 4-4 8, Blevens 3-8 7-7 13, Hall 3-12 8-10 15, Neumann 4-5 4-5 12, H. Frey 1-6 2-2 5, Bonton 3-6 1-2 7, Osayande 2-2 0-0 4, Frey 2-6 5-6 9, Nikkarnin 1-3 0-0 2, Schultz 1-1 1-5 3. Totals: 22-52 32-41 78.

Halftime: Northern 39-38; 3-pointers: MSU 2-11 (Hall 1, H. Frey 1), MSU-N 9-24 (Huse 3, Bray 2, Dunsmore 1, G. Porter 2, Bakalarski 1); Rebounds: MSU 41 (Frey 11), MSU-N 30 (Reeves 9); Fouls: MSU 27, MSU-N 31; Fouled out: Reeves, Harper, Jones, Green.

Skylights hit the road

For the first time this season, the Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball team will learn what it’s like to play outside of the Armory Gymnasium.

Friday night, Northern plays its first road game of the season when the No. 21 Skylights (1-1) travel to Pablo to take on Salish Kootenai College. And while that game probably won’t present too many challenges for MSU-N, Northern’s second road game will.

Monday, the Skylights are off to Dickinson, North Dakota, for a rematch with the Dickinson State Blue Hawks. Last Friday, MSU-N clobbered DSU 74-48 in the Armory, with Shiloh McCormick scoring 24 points, and the Skylights making six first-half 3-pointers. Northern’s defense also held the Blue Hawks to just 29 percent shooting for the game.

However, Northern head coach Chris Mouat expects a much tougher task in Dickinson.

“They were short-handed, had some kids out,” Mouat said after MSU-N beat the Blue Hawks, who are coached by former MSU-N assistant Liz Lewis. “I know coach Lewis will have them ready to go when we get to Dickinson. I expect it will be a very difficult game, and we’re going to need to make sure we improve, get better every day before that game.”

The next two road games are the start of a long month on the road for the Skylights, who will also play Northwest University on Great Falls next Saturday, before playing their only November home game, when they take on San Diego Christian Nov. 12. After that, it’s back to the road for two exhibition games against NCAA DII teams at the Dixie State Tournament, followed by a trip to Jackson, Tennessee to battle NAIA powers Campbellsville of Kentucky and Martin Methodist Nov. 24-25.

The Skylights take on Salish Kootenai at 5 p.m. Friday night in Pablo, and DSU at 5 p.m. Monday in Dickinson, North Dakota.