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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Robinson vs MSU-N '24
Brandon Stinson
87
Winner Montana State-Northern (MT) MONTANA 9-7, 1-2
84
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY MO 10-6, 1-2
Winner
Montana State-Northern (MT) MONTANA
9-7, 1-2
87
Final
84
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY MO
10-6, 1-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Montana State-Northern (MT) MONTANA 42 35 10 87
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY MO 25 52 7 84

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

#15 Rocky Men’s Basketball Falls to Lights in Overtime 87-84

BILLINGS, Mont.- For the third time in the past four matchups, the Battlin' Bears and Lights went to an overtime period, with the Lights winning Saturday's contest by three points. 

The first half was all Lights, as MSU-Northern hit eight of their first 11 shots of the game to jump out to a 20-6 lead. Jesse Owens helped jumpstart the Rocky offense, scoring six points amid an 8-2 run to cut the deficit just past the 10-minute mark in the first half. The Lights continued to work efficiently on the offensive side, breaking off a 13-4 run in the final four minutes of the half to take a 42-25 lead into halftime. Rocky shot just 25% from the field in the first half and 1-9 from three in the first 20 minutes. 

It was Northern out of the gates again in the second half, scoring on their first two possessions to give them a 22-point lead, the largest of the game. The Battlin' Bears found their rhythm and began to flex their offensive power over the next four minutes of play, breaking off a 20-5 run that cut their deficit down to seven. 

Jesse Owens began to take the game over, scoring eight straight points as Rocky ignited for a 24-12 run that was capped off by a Maxim Stephens and-one that gave Rocky a three-point lead inside five minutes to go. 

Northern's Zackry Martinez put his stamp on the second half, rattling off seven straight points that featured some heavily contested looks to give Northern a two-point lead with 1:45 remaining in the half. Xavier Bailey went two for two from the foul line on the following possession and the Lights led by four inside the final minute of play. 

Chaos ensued in the final minute of play which resulted in an overtime period. After a missed layup by the Lights, Kael Robinson drove to the hoop and found Maxim Stephens for a layup to cut the Northern lead to two points. Luca Brooks tipped the following inbounds pass into the hands of Maxim Stephens, who quickly put the ball up for a game-tying layup with 20 seconds to go. 

On the following Lights possession, Zackry Martinez whittled down the game clock before driving and drawing a foul with three seconds remaining. Martinez made both and Northern had a two-point lead. After a Battlin' Bear timeout, Kael Robinson took the inbounds pass with a full head of steam, driving into the lane and drawing a foul with less than a second left. Robinson hit a pair of clutch free throws and the game would proceed to overtime. 

A.J. Wilson kicked off the overtime period with a three-point shot to give Rocky the early lead. Zackery Martinez drew a foul on MSU-Northern's first offensive possession and made two of his three free throws. Both teams would remain scoreless for the next two minutes of play before Exavier Bailey found a lane and dropped in a layup to give Northern a one-point lead. 

Kael Robinson skied for an offensive rebound on the following possession and found Maxim Stephens for a layup before Bailey got a layup on the other end to take the lead back. A costly Rocky turnover resulted in a steal and layup for Dae'Kwon Watson as the Lights held a three-point lead with 1:23 remaining. The Battlin' Bears struggled offensively in the overtime period, coming up empty on their next two possessions. They held strong on the defensive end, resulting in an opportunity to tie the game with 15 seconds remaining. 

MSU-Northern would not give Rocky the chance to get a three-pointer off, fouling Jesse Owens with nine seconds remaining to send him to the free-throw line. Owens would hit both free throws as the Battlin' Bears trailed by one. Northern successfully inbounded the ball to Jacob Randall, who was quickly fouled and would hit both of his free throws. The Battlin' Bears got one last chance to tie the game before the buzzer but would fall just short, losing in overtime 87-84. 

Jesse Owens was the leading scorer for the Battlin' Bears, scoring 25 points and adding four assists. Maxim Stephens finished with a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double that featured five offensive rebounds. Luca Brooks added a career-high 16 points in his fourth collegiate start and Kael Robinson dished eight assists and grabbed three steals. 

The Lights were led by 25 points from Zackry Martinez and 22 points from Dae'Kwon Watson. 

The Battlin' Bears (10-6) wrap up their homestand by hosting Carroll College on Thursday evening, tip-off at 7:00 pm (MT) in the Fortin Education Center. 

 
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