CHENEY, Wash. — Montana State men's basketball braced through a cold shooting performance Saturday, suffering a 68-63 defeat at the hands of Eastern Washington at Reese Court in the 100th meeting all-time between the two programs.
The Bobcats (5-10, 0-2 Big Sky) generated plenty of good looks but struggled to find the bottom of the net, finishing the day shooting 37% from the floor and 27% from beyond the arc.
Tyler Patterson scored a season-high 16 points, becoming a big factor in the second half as the Cats traded blows with the Eagles.
Patterson, starting his school-record 131st game in a Bobcat uniform, missed his first five shots of the day before turning things around and making five of his last seven attempts. The Snoqualmie, Wash., native's five total field goals included a trio of scores in the paint--not the normal source of production for a sharpshooter who has made the fourth-most 3-pointers in school history.
Brandon Walker was the only other Bobcat in double-figures, scoring 12 points with five rebounds. Jabe Mullins and Max Agbonkpolo each contributed nine points, while Brian Goracke and Patrick McMahon both chipped in six points apiece.
Montana State's defense was disruptive throughout the afternoon, making possessions uncomfortable for Eastern Washington (5-10, 1-1), who shot 1-of-14 from beyond the arc (7.1%).
After connecting on just six of their first 18 shots, Montana State appeared to find their footing with a flurry of points just before halftime, scoring eight of the final ten points in the half to take a 32-31 advantage into the break.
The Bobcats stretched the lead to seven, their largest of the game, after Patterson was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and hit all three free throws to make it 46-39 with 15 minutes to play.
However, the Eagles immediately rattled off an 8-0 run to take the lead back, preceding a seesaw of lead changes.
The Bobcats got a layup from Max Agbonkpolo to go up 50-49 with 10:50 to play, but would not see the lead again the remainder of the game.
With 3:46 left, an offensive rebound from Patrick McMahon led to a kickout 3-pointer for Tyler Patterson from the corner, tying the game at 58-58.
Coming out of the timeout, the Eagles rattled off another run—this time with seven straight points, to take the lead for good.
