Cats Drill Grizzlies, Keep Hold on First Place
1/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Thursday night, Pete Conway had them seeing triple.
Latovic logged his third consecutive double-double (21 points, 15 rebounds) and PeteConway nailed five three-pointers to lead Montana State to a 76-56 thrashing of Montana inthe cauldron-like atmosphere of Worthington Arena on Thursday. MSU's win gives the 'Cats a7-1 league record, and ensures that the team will be in first place in the Big Sky whensecond-place Eastern Washington comes calling for a showdown next Friday.
I thought we had control from the opening tap, said MSU coach Mick Durham, who haswon five of his last eight against the Grizzlies. We got off to a great start, and the only timethey really cut into the lead was early in the second half.
The Grizzlies scored the first basket of the game, then tied the score at six four minutes in, but
when Jason Erickson hit a three-pointer at 15:57 and Casey Reynolds and Latovic each hit
laypus the avalanche had begun. The resulting 14-2 run put the game away, for all intents and
purposes.
Every time the Grizzlies rallied, MSU had an answer. And for every temporary solution UM
mustered, the Bobcats countered. When David Bell hit a three-pointer with 3:44 to play in the
first half, a Latovic layup and two Reynolds free throws bumped the lead back to double
figures. And when Dan Trammel scored two baskets to start the second half to get the margin
to seven, Latovic hit a spinner on the baseline and Erickson nailed a three to essentially end the
game. Montana never again got closer than 10.
I think in a game like this when you can get a couple of shots down early and feed off the
crowd, it's awesome, said Conway, who time after time stuck a dagger in a Montana rally
with an open three-pointer. Added Jason Erickson: Plus, that takes them out of their zone,
and we've done a good job against man-to-man defenses.
Durham had prepared the Bobcats for three defensive looks from Montana -- the program's
patented 2-3 matchup zone, mixed with a half-court trap, and as a third option straight man.
None worked on Thursday. I thought we handled all three of their defensive looks, Durham
said. That was my biggest concern, how we'd function against their zone and their halfcourt
trap.
An well-worn ally -- offensive balance -- came to the Bobcats' aid. Hitting those shots over
the zone really helped, Durham said. Getting them into man allowed us to go inside. We
really try to get offensive balance, and we were able to do that.
The roll call of Bobcat heroes on Thursday night is long, but MSU's players and coaches
chose to start with the wave of blue that engulfed the Fieldhouse.
The crowd was great, Conway said.
I had no feeling about this game, said Latovic, a Yugoslavian. But when I walked in andheard the crowd, that was awesome.
The Bobcats will take this weekend off, and prepare to host Eastern Washington in a crucialleague contest on Friday night. The 'Cats then entertain Portland State on Saturday.
Latovic logged his third consecutive double-double (21 points, 15 rebounds) and PeteConway nailed five three-pointers to lead Montana State to a 76-56 thrashing of Montana inthe cauldron-like atmosphere of Worthington Arena on Thursday. MSU's win gives the 'Cats a7-1 league record, and ensures that the team will be in first place in the Big Sky whensecond-place Eastern Washington comes calling for a showdown next Friday.
I thought we had control from the opening tap, said MSU coach Mick Durham, who haswon five of his last eight against the Grizzlies. We got off to a great start, and the only timethey really cut into the lead was early in the second half.
The Grizzlies scored the first basket of the game, then tied the score at six four minutes in, but
when Jason Erickson hit a three-pointer at 15:57 and Casey Reynolds and Latovic each hit
laypus the avalanche had begun. The resulting 14-2 run put the game away, for all intents and
purposes.
Every time the Grizzlies rallied, MSU had an answer. And for every temporary solution UM
mustered, the Bobcats countered. When David Bell hit a three-pointer with 3:44 to play in the
first half, a Latovic layup and two Reynolds free throws bumped the lead back to double
figures. And when Dan Trammel scored two baskets to start the second half to get the margin
to seven, Latovic hit a spinner on the baseline and Erickson nailed a three to essentially end the
game. Montana never again got closer than 10.
I think in a game like this when you can get a couple of shots down early and feed off the
crowd, it's awesome, said Conway, who time after time stuck a dagger in a Montana rally
with an open three-pointer. Added Jason Erickson: Plus, that takes them out of their zone,
and we've done a good job against man-to-man defenses.
Durham had prepared the Bobcats for three defensive looks from Montana -- the program's
patented 2-3 matchup zone, mixed with a half-court trap, and as a third option straight man.
None worked on Thursday. I thought we handled all three of their defensive looks, Durham
said. That was my biggest concern, how we'd function against their zone and their halfcourt
trap.
An well-worn ally -- offensive balance -- came to the Bobcats' aid. Hitting those shots over
the zone really helped, Durham said. Getting them into man allowed us to go inside. We
really try to get offensive balance, and we were able to do that.
The roll call of Bobcat heroes on Thursday night is long, but MSU's players and coaches
chose to start with the wave of blue that engulfed the Fieldhouse.
The crowd was great, Conway said.
I had no feeling about this game, said Latovic, a Yugoslavian. But when I walked in andheard the crowd, that was awesome.
The Bobcats will take this weekend off, and prepare to host Eastern Washington in a crucialleague contest on Friday night. The 'Cats then entertain Portland State on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
