Brandon Stinson

Men's Basketball 2/7/2024 4:04:00 PM Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

GAME NOTES: Rocky Men’s Basketball Hosts Montana Western Thursday Evening

BILLINGS, Mont.- With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Battlin' Bears return home looking to avenge a previous overtime loss to the Bulldogs.

Matchup

Rocky Mountain College (11-11) vs Montana Western (11-11)
Thursday, Feb. 8th | 7:00pm (MT) | Fortin Education Center |Faculty Appreciation Night

Battlin' Bear Recap

The Rocky men return home looking to shake a three-game losing skid and grab their fifth home victory of the season.

Luca Brooks was the leader offensively over the weekend, putting together the two top-scoring games of his collegiate career, scoring 22 points against MSU-Northern and 19 points against Carroll College. Over the past two games, Brooks shot an impressive 11-18 from three-point range. Brooks tallied back-to-back games with five or more three-pointers made. Elliott Brooks is the only other Battlin' Bear to make five or more threes in a single game this season, hitting six in a win over Valley City State.

After back-to-back losses in which the Rocky men recorded 16 turnovers, the Battlin' Bears recorded a season-low three turnovers against Carroll College.

The Rocky men are just 1-4 this season in games where they make 10 or fewer free throws.

The Battlin' Bears have been proficient in forcing turnovers, as six players average one or more steals per game this season. Only 17 players total in the Frontier Conference average one or more steals per game this season.

Preview

The Rocky men dropped their last matchup with Montana Western 109-104 in overtime in the first matchup between these two teams this season. The Battlin' Bears won the last matchup in the Fortin Education Center 82-69 a season ago. Maxim Stephens finished that game with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Kael Robinson added 19 points of his own.

The Bulldogs enter Thursday with an 11-11 overall record and a 4-5 record in conference play. Since their last matchup with the Battlin' Bears, Montana Western is 2-2 with wins over MSU-Northern and University of Providence. Junior guard Jalyn Stepney has emerged as a top scorer in the Frontier Conference, averaging 17.3 points per game this season which ranks third in the Frontier Conference. The Bulldogs have multiple players who can score as four players score 11 or more points per game in conference play. Their offensive versatility was on display in their overtime win over the Battlin' Bears when seven different players scored in double figures.

Thursday's matchup will be the second of three matchups between these two teams in the regular season, with the final match being in Billings on February 24th to conclude the regular season schedule.

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