(Editor’s note: Montana State University press release)
BOZEMAN – Jerrick Harding scored 46 points to lead Weber State to a 95-92 overtime win in Bozeman on Saturday.
Harding’s effort offset terrific Senior Day efforts by Konner Frey, who scored a Bobcat career-high 24 points with eight rebounds, and Joe Mvuezolo Jr., who netted 16 points. Harding’s 46 points was second-most in Worthington Arena history.
Montana State led for much of the game, pushing the margin to seven points on several occasions. A Keljin Blevins layup that beat the buzzer sent the Cats into the locker room with a 41-39 halftime lead.
The Bobcats rebuilt their lead to seven after halftime, and held a 57-51 lead with a shade less than 10 minutes to play. The Wildcats led 71-67 after Harding’s three-point play with 4:25 to play, and led 76-73 with 23 seconds to play. But with 16 seconds left Konner Frey converted a conventional three-point play to tie the score, and a Weber State basket that would have won the game in overtime came just after the buzzer.
Baskets by Tyler Hall and Keljin Blevins gave MSU an 80-79 lead in overtime, but Harding scored five points in a 9-2 run that sealed Weber State’s win. The Wildcats raised their record to 20-10 with the win, 13-5 in Big Sky play.
Montana State falls to 13-18 overall, 6-12 in the league. The ninth-seeded Bobcats face North Dakota, the eighth seed, to open the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Reno at 1:05 pm MT/12:05 pm PT on Tuesday at the Reno Events Center.
