Montana State Knocks Off No. 1 Southern Utah in Overtime Thriller to Advance to Championship Game
Game Notes (PDF) | Photo Gallery
BOISE, Idaho (March 12, 2021) – No. 5 seeded Montana State found a way to win in MSU’s first semifinal game since 2009 with an 80-77 overtime victory over No. 1 seeded Southern Utah on Friday night inside Idaho Central Arena.
“What a 45 minutes of college basketball,” said Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle, “It was exciting to coach and I know it had to have been exciting to watch. Players all over both teams just making plays, making plays, making plays.”
The first half featured runs for both teams that kept things close throughout.
The Bobcats went on an 8-0 run early in the first half, followed by a 6-0 run capped off by two free throws by Jubrile Belo to stay within striking range.
MSU’s largest lead in the first half was two points with 11:46 left on the clock, but a final 8-0 run over the last two minutes for SUU gave the Thunderbirds a 42-32 advantage going into the break.
At the half, Southern Utah was led by Tevian Jones with 12 points and five rebounds and Maizen Fausett’s 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Jubrile Belo led Montana State after 20 minutes with 11 points and two blocks.
Southern Utah worked hard to maintain its lead in the second half as MSU continued to knock on the door. The Bobcats made several attempts to take the lead after halftime and SUU managed to answer each time.
The momentum really started to swing in Montana State’s favor at the 4:58 mark in the second period after an and-1 opportunity for Belo. Belo made the free throw to bring the ‘Cats to within one point at 63-62, and then a pull-up jumper from Adamu gave MSU its first lead since 14-12 in the first half with 4:16 remaining.
Free throws were crucial for SUU in the last several minutes of play. John Knight III made 1-of-2 from the line with 1:45 on the clock to put SUU up by two points.
With seven seconds left to play, MSU called a timeout and drew up a play with a chance to tie or win the game. Bishop drove to the basket and dumped the ball off to Belo, who made a hookshot in the paint to send the game to overtime at 69-69.
Fausett was SUU’s leading scorer at the end of regulation with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Adamu had emerged as the leader for the Bobcats with 23 points and eight rebounds.
A three-pointer from SUU’s Harrison Butler at 2:25 left in OT put the Thunderbirds up by two, but Montana State closed out the overtime period with five made free throws to claim the upset victory.
Adamu finished the game just shy of a double-double with 29 points and nine rebounds, while Belo posted 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight blocks to lead the Bobcats. Belo’s eight blocks sets a record for most blocks in a championship tournament game in Big Sky history, with the previous record of seven being set by Idaho’s Kelvin Smith in 1983.
Fausett’s 22 points led Southern Utah on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range.
Montana State now advances to the championship game and will face the winner between No. 2 seeded Eastern Washington and No. 6 seeded Montana. Tip-off for the championship is set for 6:00 p.m. MT on Saturday and will be aired on ESPNU.
Follow the Big Sky Conference on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @BigSkyConf – and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated. Fans can also follow Big Sky men's basketball on Twitter at @BigSkyMBB.