Hall's last second shot lifts Cats in overtime - ABC FOX Montana Local News, Weather, Sports KTMF | KWYB

For the third straight home game, the Cats needed overtime to decide their game, and, for the third straight time, the Cats came out on top. Tyler Hall led the Cats with 24 points on 8 made shots, none bigger than his game winner with just seconds left in the overtime period. Five Cats scored in double figures, with Harald Frey (18), Devonte Klines (17), Quinton Everett (14), and Benson Osayande (10) all scoring 10 or more. 

The Cats jumped out to an early lead, but Portland State shook off the slow start and the teams battled back and forth for much of the game. The Cats led by four with less than 10 seconds to play, but the Vikings tracked down a loose ball and Bryce Canda buried a three pointer to make it a one point game with six seconds on the clock. Frey took the inbound pass for the Cats, but was whistled for an offensive foul with four second to play. One the ensuing possession, De'Sean Parsons drew a foul with 0.2 seconds on the clock, giving the Vikings a chance to win at the free throw line. Parsons would make his first, but his second went off the mark and the teams would head to overtime.

Devonte Klines would open the scoring the overtime period with a layup for the Cats. After Portland State tied things up at 84, the Bobcats knocked down four straight at the charity stripe. The Vikings would even things back up at 88 and then again at 90. With the game tied and time winding down, the Cats turned to Hall, who drove the lane and pulled up, getting the friendly bounce and giving the Cats their fourth straight win at home.

The Cats improve their record to 13-14 overall and 8-6 in Big Sky play. Next up for the Cats is a showdown with Sacramento State on Saturday at Worthington Arena, with tip off scheduled for 2 pm.

Courtesy of Montana State Sports Information:

There was no shortage of reasons that Montana State coach Brian Fish put the ball in Tyler Hall’s hands with the game on the line.

“He’s the fifth-leading scorer in the country,” Fish said. “He’s six-foot-five, so he can shoot over people. That’s a play we’ve worked on, and we’ve built up trust in his teammates that it can work, and I liked the rebound position we were in because we’ve worked on attacking the miss.”

The best reason, though, wasn’t a reason at all. It was Hall’s short jumper in the lane softly rattling home with five seconds left in overtime to give Montana State a 92-90 win over Sacramento State. De’Sean Parsons missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Hall’s game-winner capped another big night for the Bobcat sophomore, who earlier in the game had broken his own MSU single-season three-point field goal record (he now has 97). He led the Cats with 24 points, grabbing three boards, dishing out two assists, snagging two steals, and blocking a shot.

“A lot of stuff,” said freshman guard Harald Frey when asked what was going through his mind when Hall let go his game-winner. “It was a big shot.”

While Hall may have nudged his way into the headline with the game-winner, MSU wouldn’t have won without plenty of exceptional performances. “We’re a 12-man team,” Fish said. “It isn’t just Tyler.”

Frey chipped in 18 points and dished out a game-high four assists. He also had three steals. Devonte Klines scored 17 points and grabbed five blards, while Quinton Everett poured in 14 key points. Benson Osayande added 10.

The game was a back-and-forth affair throughout, but MSU built a 12-point lead with 9:25 to play and still led by 11, 77-66, with 3:44 remaining in regulation. But the Cats turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions, and the Vikings caught fire. De’Sean Parsons hit a pair of free throws, the converted a basket, then made two more free throws. After Brandon Hollins made a pair of charity tosses Parsons converted a tip-in to draw PSU within 79-76.

With the Bobcats leading 81-78 with 27.4 seconds left, Frey made one of two free throws. Bryce Canda trimmed that lead to one with a long-range three-pointer, then with five seconds left Frey was called for an offensive foul. One the ensuing possession Parsons was fouled with 0.2 seconds on the clock, and he made the first before missing the second to send the game to overtime.

Extra time mirrored regulation. MSU got out to a lead, Portland State answered, and each team had a chance at the end. First, Hall made his basket. Then Parsons missed. The Bobcats had the win, their third straight home victory in overtime.

Both teams should have expected an extra period or two on Thursday. It was PSU’s fourth overtime in six games, all losses, and the school-record fifth overtime game of the season and ninth overtime period. The Bobcats played their fourth overtime game and won their third, both matching school records.

The Bobcats raised their record to 13-14 overall, 8-6 in Big Sky play, with the victory. Portland State falls to 12-12, 5-8, and the Vikings visit Montana on Saturday. The Bobcats host Sacramento State at 2 pm in Worthington Arena.