Bobcats Top Grizzlies
1/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jason Erickson scored 14 points, leading Montana State to a 77-61 win over in-state rival Montana on Saturday.
As effective as Erickson was offensively, his defense was the key. The senior guard had four steals and helped hold Grizzly guard Kevin Criswell to below his season average, keying a Bobcat defensive effort that limited UM to 43% shooting from the field, which included 19% from three-point range.
"It's easy to get up for this game," said the 2002 Big Sky MVP. "We just wanted to stick to the stuff we've done in the past. We tried to get our feet moving and get some deflections, and we knew if we did that we could stay in the game."
Montana coach Pat Kennedy said his team's poor shooting aided the Bobcat's defensive effort. "They trap, and we knew that. We prepared for that. The key against the trap is to get good ball movement. When you swing the ball against the trap you get open jumpers. In the first x number of minutes we did a good job getting the ball reversed, but we were 1-for-10 on three-pointers in the first half. We were getting good shots, we just weren't making them."
MSU's game plan of trapping on the perimeter and doubling the post, borne of necessity because of the team's lack of size inside, was effective on Saturday, said Bobcat coach Mick Durham. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets exposed," Durham said of his gambling style. "Tonight it worked. We've got (Danny) Faaborg and (Calvin) Ento inside, and they can't guard guys down low one-on-one. We started doing that when Matt Towsley was injured in December, and it's worked for us."
The game looked like anything but a Bobcat runaway in the early goings. The Grizzlies led 21-16 with 8:35 to play in the first half, and at that point were shooting 51% to MSU's 28%. The Bobcats erased that deficit on a three-pointer by Erickson and a pair of Matt Towsley free throws, and finished the half on a 19-8 run.
After a half-opening basket by Montana's Derrick Mansell, Danny Faaborg hit two of the biggest shots of his Bobcat career. The Bozeman native nailed a three-pointer to extend the lead to seven, then answered a Kevin Criswell free throw with a layup to extend MSU's lead to eight. Josh Barsh answered a Steve Horne basket, then Faaborg hit another jumper to give the Bobcats their first double-digit lead, 44-34 at 15:44. The Grizzlies would never get closer than nine.
"Danny made a couple of huge shots," Durham said. "He hit that three-pointer early in the second half, and I don't even think he knew they were in a box-and-one."
Faaborg said, in spite of the game-week rhetoric, this wasn't just another game. "You say that all week leading up to the game, that it's just another game," he said. "Everybody in town is telling you good luck, the people you see on the street are patting you on the back, so we say we need to play like it's just another game. But it isn't."
Faaborg finished with 12 points, the third-highest total of his career and one point more than he had scored in his seven previous 'Cat-Griz games combined. Calvin Engo scored 13 points and grabbed six boards, while Matt Towsley had 11 points and five rebounds.
While MSU's senior class of Faaborg, Erickson, Ento and Josh Barsh performed well, Durham lauded an underclassman with playing a key role. "I thought Frank Brown may have played his best game as a Bobcat," Durham said. "He really held things together well and set the tempo for us." Brown had nine points, but more importantly had six assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
Steve Horne and Kamarr Davis had game-high scoring honors, each getting 16 points. Criswell had 11 points for the Grizzlies. John Seyfert led the team with seven boards.
Montana State raised its record to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play with the win, while the Grizzlies fall to 5-12 overall and 2-3 in the conference. MSU plays at Sac State on Thursday and NAU on Saturday next week, while the Grizzlies make the same road swing in reverse order.
As effective as Erickson was offensively, his defense was the key. The senior guard had four steals and helped hold Grizzly guard Kevin Criswell to below his season average, keying a Bobcat defensive effort that limited UM to 43% shooting from the field, which included 19% from three-point range.
"It's easy to get up for this game," said the 2002 Big Sky MVP. "We just wanted to stick to the stuff we've done in the past. We tried to get our feet moving and get some deflections, and we knew if we did that we could stay in the game."
Montana coach Pat Kennedy said his team's poor shooting aided the Bobcat's defensive effort. "They trap, and we knew that. We prepared for that. The key against the trap is to get good ball movement. When you swing the ball against the trap you get open jumpers. In the first x number of minutes we did a good job getting the ball reversed, but we were 1-for-10 on three-pointers in the first half. We were getting good shots, we just weren't making them."
MSU's game plan of trapping on the perimeter and doubling the post, borne of necessity because of the team's lack of size inside, was effective on Saturday, said Bobcat coach Mick Durham. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets exposed," Durham said of his gambling style. "Tonight it worked. We've got (Danny) Faaborg and (Calvin) Ento inside, and they can't guard guys down low one-on-one. We started doing that when Matt Towsley was injured in December, and it's worked for us."
The game looked like anything but a Bobcat runaway in the early goings. The Grizzlies led 21-16 with 8:35 to play in the first half, and at that point were shooting 51% to MSU's 28%. The Bobcats erased that deficit on a three-pointer by Erickson and a pair of Matt Towsley free throws, and finished the half on a 19-8 run.
After a half-opening basket by Montana's Derrick Mansell, Danny Faaborg hit two of the biggest shots of his Bobcat career. The Bozeman native nailed a three-pointer to extend the lead to seven, then answered a Kevin Criswell free throw with a layup to extend MSU's lead to eight. Josh Barsh answered a Steve Horne basket, then Faaborg hit another jumper to give the Bobcats their first double-digit lead, 44-34 at 15:44. The Grizzlies would never get closer than nine.
"Danny made a couple of huge shots," Durham said. "He hit that three-pointer early in the second half, and I don't even think he knew they were in a box-and-one."
Faaborg said, in spite of the game-week rhetoric, this wasn't just another game. "You say that all week leading up to the game, that it's just another game," he said. "Everybody in town is telling you good luck, the people you see on the street are patting you on the back, so we say we need to play like it's just another game. But it isn't."
Faaborg finished with 12 points, the third-highest total of his career and one point more than he had scored in his seven previous 'Cat-Griz games combined. Calvin Engo scored 13 points and grabbed six boards, while Matt Towsley had 11 points and five rebounds.
While MSU's senior class of Faaborg, Erickson, Ento and Josh Barsh performed well, Durham lauded an underclassman with playing a key role. "I thought Frank Brown may have played his best game as a Bobcat," Durham said. "He really held things together well and set the tempo for us." Brown had nine points, but more importantly had six assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
Steve Horne and Kamarr Davis had game-high scoring honors, each getting 16 points. Criswell had 11 points for the Grizzlies. John Seyfert led the team with seven boards.
Montana State raised its record to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play with the win, while the Grizzlies fall to 5-12 overall and 2-3 in the conference. MSU plays at Sac State on Thursday and NAU on Saturday next week, while the Grizzlies make the same road swing in reverse order.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
