Lights battle tough teams in Arizona, going 1-2

The Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team had been off to a solid start this season. But this past weekend at the Cactus Classic in Arizona, the Lights ran into a roadblock as they went 1-2 over the weekend. They defeated Embry-Riddle, 72-42, but suffered a 75-53 loss to Ottawa University, Arizona and 78-69 loss to Arizona Christian University.

The Lights started the weekend Friday with their game against Ottawa University-Arizona. OUAZ started the game strong with an 8-0 run to start the game. Jesse Keltner and Mascio McCadney responded with a pair of buckets to cut their deficit to 11-5 just under four minutes into the game.

But the Lights could not shift momentum as OUAZ pulled away to build a 39-13 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half. The Lights were able to end the half on a 15-2 run but they still trailed 41-28 at the break.

OUAZ looked to put the Lights away with a 13-4 run to open the second half. From that point on, the Lights were unable to cut the deficit to under 20 points as OUAZ went on to win the game, 75-53.

McCadney led the Lights with 12 points as he shot 5-for-11 from the field. David Harris also shot 5-for-11 for 11 points in the game. As a team, the Lights shot 38.6 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the 3-point line.

While the Lights bounced back Saturday against Embry-Riddle, they again fell behind early. On the opening possession of the game, Chase Verdugo made a 3-pointer to give Embry-Riddle the lead. A layup from Trevor Weir then extended the lead to 5-0.

A bucket from Immanuel Anderson and a 3-pointer from McCadney tied the game but Embry-Riddle responded with a pair of baskets to take a 9-5 lead just under five minutes into the game. Over the next few minutes, Embry-Riddle held onto a slim lead. Halfway through the first half, Embry-Riddle led 18-13 but that is when the Lights finally took over.

Keltner got the run started with a dunk and later a free throw. C.J. Nelson then tied the game with a layup. A minute later, Nelson scored to give MSU-N a 20-18 lead with just over seven minutes left in the half. Over the next few minutes, the Lights held onto momentum to build a 30-18 lead with just over four minutes left in the half.

Embry-Riddle finally scored again but MSU-N went into halftime with a 37-22 lead. The Lights started the second half strong to build a 46-27 lead. Embry-Riddle did not yet let the game get away but was also unable to cut the deficit to less than 14 points.

With less than seven minutes left in the game, the Lights pushed their lead above 20 points to finally begin pulling away. McCadney led the Lights with 20 points as he shot 6-for-13 from deep. Harris scored 12 points as he went 3-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. As a team, the Lights shot 36.6 percent from the field. But MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse believed their defensive efforts led to the bounce-back win.

“We had a great defensive performance tonight. Embry has shown the ability to make shots in a variety of ways this year. Especially in their wins. I was extremely proud of our bounce-back effort tonight. We were very sharp with our execution, and did a great job of finding each other for great looks … did not shoot the ball all that well but made up for it with exceptional defense and hustle on the offensive glass … which we eventually converted into points for the most part … giving ourselves enough cushion to gain a comfortable lead and win.”

The Lights looked to carry their defensive performance into Monday’s game against nationally ranked Arizona Christian. It was competitive early on as the teams battled to an 8-8 tie. Tanner Climent-Call then went on a 5-0 run to give the Lights a 13-8 lead with 12 and a half minutes left in the half.

Arizona Christian responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead and the Lights responded with a 6-0 run to retake the lead. But the Lights could not hold onto momentum as Arizona Christian ended the half on a 19-2 run to take a 35-23 lead into halftime.

MSU-N and Arizona Christan exchanged buckets to start the second half. Five minutes into the half, the Lights cut their deficit to 43-34. But Arizona Christian responded with a 14-4 run to push the lead out even further and control the game the rest of the way.

The Lights were able to cut their deficit to eight points in the final minute but it was too late. While the Lights lost the game, Harris had a strong performance scoring 31 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field and 9-for-9 shooting from the free-throw line.

After the weekend, the Lights are now 10-4 on the season. They will take a break for the holidays before they next play Dec. 29 when they host Saint Mary’s University at Armory Gymnasium.