The MSU-Northern Skylights basketball team is coming off a game at No. 6 Carroll College where they were outscored (29-5) in the 4th quarter on their way to a (66-45) defeat. Coach Chris Mouat reflected on the last 10 minutes and said it was a combination of Carroll doing well and Northern unraveling.
“I thought our defensive gameplan was outstanding,” Mouat said. “Our kids did an awesome job. We were really mixing things up and trying to keep them off-balance because they’re very good in rhythm.”
“It just got away from us mainly because of our own undoing,” Mouat continued. “Turnovers was the biggest thing. Them scoring on the other end didn’t help. It was kind of the perfect storm for 10 minutes.”
“We didn’t see it coming and things can get away from you really quickly (against Carroll),” Mouat said.
The job of a bounce-back will come on Thursday night when the team travels to Butte to take on Montana Tech, a team that they beat two weeks prior in overtime. Coach Mouat said what went well for his side and what they will have to do to continue the momentum against the Lady Orediggers.
“In the 2nd half (of the first game), we outrebounded them by 17 to win by one,” Mouat said. “Every one of those rebounds mattered.”
“(A key is) not giving them second shots,” Mouat said. “Their shooting percentages aren’t great, but they are at home. They’re going to shoot better there.”
“Win the boards; we’re going to start with that,” Mouat continued. “That has to be number one, but we also have to match their physicality. The game (at the Armory Gym) was uniquely physical I would say, so we’re going to have to be able to handle that and do a good job.”
Setting the stage, it’ll be the Skylights (8-10, 2-3 in the Frontier) against the Lady Orediggers (10-8, 1-4) with a 5pm scheduled tipoff in Butte.
