Lights ready to bounce back against Orediggers

Road setbacks aren't uncommon in Frontier Conference basketball. But if a team wants to be a real Frontier contender, it must counter those road setbacks by holding serve at home.

And that's exactly what the Montana State University-Northern Lights will try and do Saturday night when they host the Montana Tech Orediggers inside the Armory Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

The Lights (3-4, 13-6), have lost three straight games in league play, all on the road. Their last win came Jan. 4 when they beat the Orediggers (0-6, 8-9) in Butte. Since that time, Northern has lost a handful of heartbreaking games, all three of which they either had a lead or were close to it in the second half, including Wednesday night when they fell to the University of Providence Argos.

But the Lights won't be discouraged by the close losses, according to head coach Shawn Huse. Instead, they'll get right back up and be ready to battle the Orediggers Saturday night.

"The guys are definitely hurting. I feel bad for them as this is a good group ... but they need to get their heads up quickly," Huse said after the loss to Providence. "We will get it going again. This team has too much character to not bounce back from this."

Getting it going for the Lights means, shooting the ball well. Northern leads the NAIA in 3-pointers made per game, 3-point percentage (43.0) and 3-pointers made (236). The Lights are also second in the country in assists per game and assist to turnover ratio, and fifth in the nation in scoring offense, with 1,751 points so far this season. So, it's obvious, when the shots are falling the Lights get rolling, and shooters like Gabe Porter, Adam Huse, Devin Bray and Caulin Bakalarski, when they're going, it opens things up even more for dominant center Ryan Reeves, who averages 16 points and eight rebounds per game, as well as fellow inside players like Justin Dunsmore and Charles Porter.

Of course, the Lights also look to hang their hat on defense. And they've been pretty good there, too, even amid their recent skid. The Frontier is a high-scoring league this season, so the fact that Northern is still fourth in the league in scoring defense, while averaging over 90 points per game offensively, is something the Lights can be proud of and continue to build on going forward.

And moving forward is exactly what the Lights plan on doing, starting with Tech. The Lights won in Butte 71-63, and while the Orediggers have yet to break into the win column in Frontier play, Huse says they're a team that can't, and won't, be overlooked.

"Tech is a sound basketball team that executes very well and has good shooters at all positions," Huse said. "We really had to work to come out on top in Butte, and I expect them to be a tough team again up here. Defensively they get after people and make you work for what you get. We will need a very good all-around effort if we expect success again this time."

Tech may not have it show up in the win column, but Huse is correct in that Tech is solid and talented. John Chapman leads the Diggers in scoring at 13 points per night, and he comes off the bench. Star guard Chris O'Neill is a deadly shooter, while Jake Miles and Trent Molesworth are a strong inside-out combo that combines for 20 more points per night. The Orediggers are also outstanding defensively, allowing just 67 points per game, which is third in the Frontier.

So there's no question the Lights will have their hands full Saturday night. But they will also be back in the Armory, where they haven't lost a game since their Dec. 3 overtime thriller against Carroll College. And the Armory is just what Northern needs to get them right back in the Frontier race, which is certainly wide open right now.

"We look forward to playing at home," Huse said. "Our great fans always give us a lift. So we're very excited to be back in our gym."

The Lights will be in the Armory for three straight games. Northern hosts Tech Saturday night at 8 p.m., and stays home to play Lewis-Clark State next Friday and UM-Western next Saturday.

Lights vs Montana Tech Saturday at 8 p.m.

In Armory Gymnasium

Radio: 92.5 KPQX

Streaming: msun.edu/athletics

Twitter: HavreDaily

Lights Projected Starters

G Gabe Porter 6-1, JR 15 ppg

G Devin Bray 5-11 SO 9 ppg

F Charles Porter 6-2 SR 10 ppg

F Justin Dunsmore 6-6 JR 10 ppg

C Ryan Reeves 6-10 SR 16 ppg