MSU-Northern Skylights basketball is on a two-game winning streak after having a most recent triumph against Embry-Riddle in Great Falls over the weekend. The Skylights used a second-half comeback for the second straight contest to get the victory. Head coach Chris Mouat was happy with the way his team finished, but said the start of games continues to make it more difficult to have any consistency.
“Honestly, we’ve got it figured out so we get off to better starts. We’ve got to get an answer on whether it’s who we’re starting or what we’re doing to start a game,” Mouat said. “We knew (Embry-Riddle was) going to be ready to go. They play a very unique zone, which did take a little bit to figure out.”
“We just have to get off to a better start. I’m very proud of our kids for chipping away, especially in that second half and come back and take the thing in the end, ” Mouat continued. “It was a good win, but we’re making it pretty hard for ourselves and that’s what we’ve got to get cleaned up, playing the way we can for 40 minutes.”
Northern will ride the wave into Dickinson, ND for two matchups against future Frontier Conference opponents this week. First up is a Valley City State team that beat them last year in Havre at the buzzer. Coach Mouat is choosing to look at this latest fixture as a chance to get better and knows what his kids are up against.
“At the end of the day, our group of 12 players is really looking at it as our next opportunity,” Mouat said. “We’re going against a good team with some really seasoned players.”
“They’ve got a great group of guards and they’re really tough (playing) just a couple hours from home for them,” Mouat continued.
The Skylights will turn around and play again the next day against the hosts Dickinson State, a team they defeated almost two weeks ago at the Armory Gym. Coach Mouat said Scott Gymnasium will be packed and that the team needs to correct the bad starts from early in the season, including the one against the Blue Hawks earlier this month.
“At Dickinson (State) can be a tough place to play if you let it be,” Mouat said. “We’re going to have to go out and play well from the get-go or it can be trouble.”
“They can really shoot it there and they’ve got the size to go compete,” Mouat continued. “It’s just their home court. They’re going to defend it like crazy.”
The game with Valley City begins at 1pm on Friday, while the Saturday game with Dickinson State is scheduled for 3pm. The full conversation with coach Mouat is available in the sports podcast section.
