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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Robinson at MSUB '23
Brandon Stinson
97
Winner Rocky Mountain RM 3-0
95
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 6-4, 2-0 Great No
Winner
Rocky Mountain RM
3-0
97
Final
95
Mont. St. Billings MSUB
6-4, 2-0 Great No
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Rocky Mountain RM 40 40 9 8 97
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 38 42 9 6 95

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

Rocky Men’s Basketball Earns a Rimrock Rivalry Sweep With a Double Overtime Victory Over MSU Billings

Battlin' Bears earn their fifth straight victory behind double-doubles from Maxim Stephens and Kael Robinson; Cade Tyson plays a key role on both ends of the court with a career high performance off the bench

BILLINGS, Mont.- Maxim Stephens hit the game-deciding free throws with less than two seconds left in the second overtime period to give Rocky the series win over the Yellowjackets Saturday evening. 

The Battlin' Bears were off to a hot start in the first eight minutes of play, as a Cade Tyson steal turned into a transition layup for Kael Robinson, giving Rocky a 24-12 lead with 12:13 left. The offensive momentum would continue for the Battlin' Bears, as A.J. Wilson drained a three-pointer at the six-minute mark of the first half to give Rocky their largest lead of the game with a 38-24 margin. 

The Rocky momentum seemingly halted, as the Battlin' Bears were held scoreless for nearly the remainder of the half. Kael Robinson got a jumper to fall before the halftime buzzer, maintaining a two-point Battlin' Bear lead going into halftime. 

The second half was all Yellowjackets to begin as they would rattle off an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the half. Rocky would respond quickly, as Maxim Stephens capped off a 16-8 run with a layup to swipe the lead back. Neither team would see a lead larger than two for the next seven minutes of play before Cade Tyson drained a three-pointer just before the media timeout to give Rocky a five-point lead with eight minutes remaining. 

Jesse Owens hit a jumper with 3:12 remaining in the second half to extend Rocky's lead to 78-70, but the Yellowjackets found urgency in their offensive attack, rattling off a quick 8-0 run as the game came to a 78-78 draw inside the final minute of play. As MSUB brought the ball up the court with a chance to take the lead, Cade Tyson made one of his many clutch plays, forcing a turnover before drawing a foul with 42 seconds remaining. Tyson would hit both of his free throws, but Zharon Richmond matched his two with a jumper on the other side for the Yellowjackets to tie the game back up at 80-80. The 'Jackets would force a Battlin' Bear turnover and got off a clean shot at the buzzer, but the shot did not fall and both teams would enter a first overtime period. 

Cade Tyson would continue to make his presence felt, hitting a three-pointer on Rocky's first offensive possession. Kael Robinson hit a layup to give Rocky a five-point lead, but again, the Yellowjackets found momentum when they needed it, as a pair of free throws from Zharon Richmond and a three-pointer from Daniel Moody tied the game back up at 87-87. Kael Robinson gave Rocky the lead with a contested mid-range jumper, but Zharon Richmond again tied the game with a pair of free throws as the score would hold at 89-89 headed into a second overtime. 

Fatigue seemed to settle in for both teams as the game was scoreless through the first two minutes of the second overtime period. The offense picked back up with Jesse Owens and Zharon Richmond trading a pair of free throws before Cade Tyson made a nice move to shake his defender and tossed in a floater to give Rocky a three-point lead with 1:33 remaining. Famous Lefthand struggled from the field throughout but found the bottom of the net on the following possession from three-point range to tie the game at 95-95 entering the final minute of action. 

MSU Billings had a chance under 30 seconds to take the lead, but a tremendous defensive effort from Cade Tyson gave Rocky the possession back. Tyson made a diving play to steal an entry pass and called a timeout with 22 seconds remaining, giving the Battlin' Bears the final possession. 

Just like the first matchup of the season, a Yellowjackets foul in the final two seconds allowed Rocky to win the game at the line, as Maxim Stephens grabbed a key offensive rebound and drew the foul. Stephens hit both free throws and Rocky escaped with a two-point victory in a second overtime. 

Maxim Stephens led the way with a season-high 25 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists. Kael Robinson finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, while Cade Tyson finished with a career-high 16 points, five steals, and was four-of-five from three-point range off the bench. A.J. Wilson added 17 points and Jesse Owens tallied 13 to round out five Battlin' Bears in double figures.  

The Battlin' Bears shot 43.8% (35-of-80) from the field, 39.3% (11-of-28) from three-point range, and 88.9% (16-of-18) from the free throw line. They outrebounded the Yellowjackets 49-42 and forced 15 turnovers, but overcame a season-high 19 turnovers in the victory. 

The Rocky men (6-1) earned their fifth straight win on the season and a series sweep over MSU Billings. They will return to action Friday, December 15th in Chandler, Arizona in the first of three games they will play in the 2023 Cactus Classic. 
 
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