BUTTE, Mont. -- Second-seeded Bellevue University could not recover from a sizable first-half deficit as seventh-seeded Montana State University–Northern used balanced scoring and strong free-throw shooting to post an 83-74 upset in Friday's Frontier Conference Tournament quarterfinal at the Butte Civic Center.
Bellevue, which entered the tournament at 22-6, dropped to 22-7 overall. MSU–Northern improved to 17-12 and advanced to Sunday's semifinal round.
Jaden Phillips led four Bruins in double figures with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including two 3-pointers and a 4-of-4 effort at the line. RJ Smith added 15 points and nine rebounds, Ahamad Bynum scored 14 points, and Mathok Mathok chipped in 11.
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Montana State–Northern was paced by Luke Holecek's 20 points. Austin Ramos added 17 points and five rebounds, and Tracen Jilot supplied 15 points as the Lights shot 52.0 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from beyond the arc, while their bench outscored Bellevue's reserves 42-15.
How it happened
Bellevue took an early 5-4 lead on a 3-pointer by JJ Montgomery, but MSU–Northern quickly seized control. Trailing 9-7 after a three-point play from Phillips at the 11:29 mark, the Lights responded with a 32-15 stretch that featured five 3-pointers from Ramos, Holecek, Jeffrey Tjelde, Claysen Delp and Jilot. Jilot's 3-pointer with 1:40 left in the half pushed Northern's advantage to 39-24, its largest of the night.
Bynum kept the Bruins within striking distance by scoring nine of his 14 points in the final 1:32 of the opening period. He hit a jumper, drove for a layup, buried a 3-pointer and knocked down two free throws in the closing seconds to trim the deficit to 42-33 at the break.
Northern extended the margin back to double figures early in the second half, moving in front 46-35 after a layup by Leon Sayers at the 17:58 mark. Bynum answered with a 3-pointer and Montgomery added another from long range to pull Bellevue within 49-41, but the Lights steadied themselves at the line, converting four straight free throws on the next two possessions to restore a 52-41 cushion.
The Bruins mounted several pushes down the stretch. Mathok supplied six straight points during one span, including a layup that cut the deficit to 53-48 with 13:03 remaining. Later, Smith scored inside to bring Bellevue within 70-67 with 2:45 to play, the closest the Bruins had been since the opening minutes.
MSU–Northern answered on the next trip with a layup by Delp, then began to close the game at the stripe. The Lights went 11-of-12 at the foul line over the final 1:33, getting free throws from Jilot, Holecek, Delp and Ramos to fend off a late 3-pointer by Phillips and secure the 83-74 decision.
Inside the numbers
MSU–Northern shot 52.0 percent from the field (26-of-50), 44.0 percent from 3-point range (11-of-25) and 74.1 percent at the free-throw line (20-of-27).
Bellevue finished at 43.8 percent overall (28-of-64), 40.0 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-15) and 80.0 percent at the stripe (12-of-15).
The Lights held a 42-15 advantage in bench scoring, while points in the paint favored the Bruins by a 30-22 margin.
Rebounds were even at 31-31. Bellevue led briefly at 5-4 and never drew even after the 11:29 mark of the first half.
Top performers
Bellevue University
Jaden Phillips: 22 points, 8-of-17 FG, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers, 4-of-4 FT, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
RJ Smith: 15 points, 7-of-13 FG, 9 rebounds, 1 block
Ahamad Bynum: 14 points, 5-of-11 FG, 2-of-5 on 3-pointers, 2-of-2 FT, 5 rebounds
Mathok Mathok: 11 points, 4-of-7 FG, 3-of-5 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
JJ Montgomery: 6 points, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers, 1 steal
Montana State University–Northern
Luke Holecek: 20 points, 6-of-10 FG, 2-of-5 on 3-pointers, 6-of-6 FT, 3 rebounds
Austin Ramos: 17 points, 5-of-12 FG, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers, 5-of-6 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Tracen Jilot: 15 points, 5-of-9 FG, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Claysen Delp: 9 points, 2-of-5 FG, 1-of-4 on 3-pointers, 4-of-6 FT, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
With the loss, the Bruins will await word on a possible at-large bid when the NAIA National Championship Selection Show takes place on March 5 at 6 p.m. on the NAIA's YouTube Channel.
