MSU's Battle named Big Sky tourney MVP

Montana State guard RaeQuan Battle was the easy pick for Most Valuable Player of the Big Sky Conference tournament, which the Bobcats won for a second straight season on Wednesday.

Battle, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored 63 points in MSU’s three tournament games. He shot 22 of 51 from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. His dunk off a lob pass was the difference in MSU’s 60-58, double-overtime win over Weber State; he scored 21 points in the Bobcats’ 85-78 title-game win over Northern Arizona.

Jalen Cone of Northern Arizona was another unanimous pick to the six-person All-Tournament team.

Also honored along with MSU’s Jubrile Belo — Belo was last year’s tournament MVP — were Carson Towt of Northern Arizona, Dillon Jones of Weber State and Aanen Moody of Montana.

Belo piled up 34 points and 19 rebounds in three games for the Bobcats.

Moody scored a career-high 28 points in Montana’s first-round win over Idaho State, before the Griz fell to NAU in the semifinals.