Season Wrap Up: Title Game Appearance Highlights Another Year of Improvement - Bobcats Athletics

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• Final Notes

Montana State played in its first Big Sky Championship game since 2009, and made just its fourth appearance in the title game in the previous 25 years, when the Bobcats faced Eastern Washington in Idaho Central Arena on March 13. Eastern Washington got off to a hot start and led by 14 at halftime. The Bobcats cut the deficit to single digits and out-scored EWU by four in the second half, but ran out of time as they fell to the Eagles, 65-55.
 
The Bobcats defeated Idaho State (71-63) on March 11 and Southern Utah (80-77) on March 12 en route to the championship game. It was MSU's sixth ever showing in the Big Sky title game. The Bobcats have now played in the league's championship contest in 1986, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2009 and 2021. Their lone Big Sky championships came in 1986 and 1996.
 
MSU's Amin Adamu and Jubrile Belo were both named to the Big Sky's All-Tournament Team for their performances over the course of three games. It was the first time the Bobcats had two players honored in the same Big Sky Tournament since 2009.
 
Adamu recorded 29 points to lead MSU in the overtime victory over Southern Utah. His point total was good for the program's third highest scoring output ever in the league tournament. He finished the year scoring a team-high 14.7 points per contest.
 
Belo scored a combined 31 points on 18 of 29 (62%) from the field and had 23 rebounds during the Big Sky Tournament. He blocked eight shots in MSU's win against the T-Birds which broke the all-time program record that was previously seven. He ended the year with a career 61.5% shooting percentage which currently ranks him fifth all-time among Bobcat players.
 
Abdul Mohamed ended the year strong for MSU nearly recording three double-doubles. He led the Bobcats with 15 points in the championship game, but also registered an 11-point, 14-rebound effort versus Southern Utah. His 14 boards were the most by a Bobcat ever in postseason play.
 
Xavier Bishop paced the 'Cats in their quarterfinal victory versus the Bengals. He had 22 points and three assists in the contest. He made all 11 of his free throw attempts in the game, tying a single-game program record for free throw percentage.
 
Danny Sprinkle became just the third Bobcat head coach to record winning records in his opening two seasons leading the program during MSU's Big Sky era. He joined the likes of Bruce Haroldson (1978-80) and Roger Craft (1962-64) with his winning percentage (.537) trailing Haroldson (.558) and Craft (.591). Sprinkle became MSU's first coach to lead MSU to the Big Sky Championship game during his first two years.
 
MSU has now won 10 Big Sky Tournament games since Sprinkle first joined the Bobcats as a freshman in 1996. Seven of those MSU wins over the past quarter century have come with Sprinkle as a member of the program (96-99, 06-08, 19-21).
 
The Bobcats finished the year 13-10 overall and 8-6 in Big Sky Conference play. MSU's overall mark features the program's best winning percentage (.565) since the 2001-02 squad that went 20-10 and won the league's regular season title. 
 

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https://msubobcats.com/news/2021/3/18/mens-basketball-season-wrap-up-title-game-appearance-highlights-another-year-of-improvement.aspx

2021-03-18 20:24:42Z
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