BOZEMAN — After getting off a an airplane from the other side of the world, Harald Frey could see the passion right away.
The talented point guard from Oslo, Norway, was instantly struck by the love Southwest Montana has for the Montana State Bobcats.
“It hit me on my official visit just how much Bozeman is about the Bobcats, how big a college town this is and how much people support their Bobcats,” Frey said. “I came off the plane and saw Bobcat stuff everywhere. It was amazing.”
That passion sold the southpaw floor general. Bozeman quickly fell in love with Frey as well. The slick, paced point guard earned Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors last season.
Former Montana State forward Quinton Everett (24) & guard Harald Frey (5) celebrate after beating Montana in 2017/by Brooks Nuanez
A part of that first year in America meant experiencing the fiercest rivalry in the Treasure State first hand. Frey hit three 3-pointers and scored 22 points in MSU’s 90-84 loss to rival Montana in Missoula. Then came MSU’s signature moment of Frey’s freshman season.
Frey would be the first to admit he did not play his best in the rematch — he hit 2-of-6 shots, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc and scored just six points — but he didn’t need to do much with Tyler Hall lighting up the Grizzlies. Montana State’s star sophomore hit 11-of-13 shots, including six 3-pointers, in scoring 37 points to lift MSU to a 78-69 win. The victory snapped MSU’s 13-game losing streak to their rivals.
“It was a super fun game,” Frey remembered “I didn’t play particularly well myself but we played great as a team. The atmosphere here was crazy. I’ve never been a part of anything like it. The fan support was crazy and I hope we get that same thing again.”
A sellout crowd of 6,772 cheered the Bobcats on to victory that day, marking the first sellout in more than a decade at Brick Breedin Fieldhouse. Frey, Hall and the Bobcats hope the epic atmosphere is replicated on Saturday with the first-place Griz coming to Bozeman for a crucial Big Sky Conference tilt.
“They are really good, well coached, playing really well,” MSU fourth-year head coach Brian Fish said. “They have four road wins. I’m very impressed with what I see on film.”
Montana and Montana State both surged to 4-0 starts in Big Sky play. The Bobcats and the Grizzlies swept Southern Utah and Northern Arizona on the road before posting home sweeps of North Dakota and Northern Colorado. Last weekend, the two teams’ paths took different turns.
Montana State guard Tyler Hall (3) guarded by Montana guard Michael Oguine (0)/by Brooks Nuanez
The Griz continued to look like the team to beat in the league, overcoming their first halftime deficit to post a 78-66 win at Sacramento State, the first by fourth-year head coach Travis DeCuire or any UM player at The Nest. Less than 48 hours later, Montana held on for a 92-89 win over upstart Portland State behind a career high 39-point performance from junior guard Michael Oguine.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats struggled. Thursday, MSU could not find any flow or rhythm against Portland State’s relentless high-pressure style in a 93-74 loss. Two nights later, Sac State forward Justin Strings scored 31 points and the Hornets won the second half by 18 points in an 87-68 victory at The Nest to give the Bobcats (11-8) just their second two-game losing streak this season.
“Different styles, different things,” Fish said. “It’s not different when you win four, you lose two, you gotta keep moving forward. We have to move forward. It’s not surprising that we have a weekend or do something like that. We just have to make sure today in practice we get better.”
MSU shot 33 percent in the first half, lost the battle of the glass overall, gave up 17 3-point field goals and turned the ball over 21 times in the lopsided loss to the Vikings. MSU shot 39.3 percent after halftime, gave up 50 points in the paint, lost the rebounding battle by 10 and had zero answers for Strings as Sac State pulled away for its second Big Sky win.
“Every season has it’s ups and downs but we have to try to stay more consistent with it,” said Frey, who is averaging 14.6 points per game and is shooting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line. “This was a reality check that we still have work to do.
“We got away from what we’ve been successful with. We know we are a talented offensive team but when we win ball games, we are able to defend and rebound. We gave up 50 points in the paint against Sac and we got beat badly on the boards. That’s not a winning recipe for us.”
MSU guard Harald Frey (5) defended by Montana forward Fabijian Krslovic (20) in 2017/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State will look to find that winning recipe again by chasing its first pair of consecutive wins against its rival this decade. Hall and Frey will surely play key factors for the Bobcats as they always do. Montana will combat the Montana State duo with a talented group of guards headlined by Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie. Frey, for one, is embracing the opportunity.
“I love this challenge,” Frey said. “This is what we work for all year round, playing big games and this is just as big a game as you will find, a rivalry game. We are trying to go out and compete hard and win the day.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
