Bishop leads Montana State against Southern Utah after 27-point game

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (18-9, 12-5 Big Sky) at Montana State Bobcats (21-7, 13-4 Big Sky)

Bozeman, Montana; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST

LINE: Montana State -3.5; over/under is 146.5

BOTTOM LINE: Montana State plays the Southern Utah Thunderbirds after Xavier Bishop scored 27 points in Montana State's 80-74 loss to the Montana Grizzlies.

The Bobcats have gone 11-1 in home games. Montana State has a 5-3 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Thunderbirds are 12-5 in Big Sky play. Southern Utah ranks third in the Big Sky with 8.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Maizen Fausett averaging 3.0.

The teams square off for the second time in conference play this season. Montana State won the last matchup 76-71 on Feb. 19. Bishop scored 19 points points to help lead the Bobcats to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Patterson averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Bobcats, scoring 7.8 points while shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc. Bishop is shooting 41.7% and averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games for Montana State.

Tevian Jones averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Thunderbirds, scoring 15.2 points while shooting 31.4% from beyond the arc. John Knight III is averaging 12.9 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals over the past 10 games for Southern Utah.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bobcats: 8-2, averaging 74.7 points, 32.8 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 4.8 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.3 points per game.

Thunderbirds: 7-3, averaging 79.9 points, 32.2 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 6.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.2 points.

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