SEATTLE – A potential game-winning shot from Robert Ford III glanced off the rim with two seconds to go in regulation, and Seattle U hit a pair of free throws moments later to deal Montana State a tight 71-68 loss Saturday afternoon at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, Washington.
The Bobcats (1-1) erased a nine-point deficit over the final five minutes and gave themselves two chances to try to take the lead in the final minute, but a Brian Goracke three and Ford’s late layup both wouldn’t go down as MSU came up just short.
“I was really proud of our response to adversity tonight against a good and experienced team on the road,” head coach Matt Logie said. “Our guys showed tremendous fight today, earning a great shot to win after being down nine with five minutes to go.”
Goracke finished with a game-high 18 points, knocking down four triples off the bench. Patrick McMahon came off the bench to score 15 points with six rebounds.
The Bobcat bench outscored the Redhawk bench 36-18, with MSU’s depth getting tested in large part due to being whistled for 25 fouls. Ford and Sam Lecholat both fouled out of the game, and starting forward Brandon Walker scored nine points but was limited to just 12 minutes thanks to four fouls.
Trailing 55-64 with 5:03 remaining in regulation, the Cats clawed back with back-to-back buckets from McMahon and a steal and score from Ford to make it 61-66 with 3:17 to play.
Tyler Patterson, a native of Snoqualmie, Wash., came up big on consecutive trips down the floor, hitting a pair of threes to bring MSU within a point at 67-68, forcing a Seattle U timeout.
The Redhawks (2-0) would hit a free throw on the ensuing possession, pushing the lead to two points, before McMahon drew a foul and went to the line himself, connecting on the first attempt but rimming out the second.
With 40 seconds left, the Bobcats created a steal and quickly called a timeout, trailing 68-69 with a chance to take the lead. Goracke’s three rimmed out, leading to an MSU foul, but Seattle U’s Alex Schumacher missed both free throw attempts, giving the visitors new life.
Ford crossed the timeline and quickly called a timeout, setting up the Cats for a go-ahead bucket with eight seconds left.
MSU got a great look out of the timeout, with Ford driving to the basket and pulling up at the right block, but his one-handed floater hit glass and fell off the rim as the clock ticked under two seconds.
Ford ended the night with eight points, six rebounds, and four steals, with stellar defense helping keep one of the top scorers in the country last year, Cameron Tyson, to 4-of-13 shooting from the field.
Patterson would finish with 11 points, while Walker added nine.
Montana State shot 33.1% from the floor in the first half and trailed 25-30 at the break, but found answers in the second twenty minutes, shooting 57.1% as they pushed the 2022 WAC champions to the brink in one of the better games of the night in college basketball.
“I thought the second half we were able to trust our concepts and spacing a bit better and ultimately got the ball to move into some great looks,” Logie said. “There’s a lot to build on for us moving forward.”
UP NEXT
Montana State will face the University of California on Thursday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on Pac-12 Network, with the live radio play-by-play of Keaton Gillogly carried on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network.
Montana State will face Cal for just the third time in program history, and the first time since 1985.
Thursday will be the first of two road games for the Bobcats at Pac-12 foes, with a return date to Seattle to face the University of Washington scheduled for December 5.
