Bobcats Fall to Sac State
1/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
When James Payne banked in a three-pointer with 5:43 to play in Sacramento State’s 77-71 win over the Bobcats on Thursday, there was little reason to believe he started an avalanche.
Payne’s falling down, end-of-the-shot-clock three-ball, though, ended an 11-0 Bobcat run and started a game-ending stretch on which the Hornets scored on 13 of 15 possessions. And it ended MSU’s first real opportunity to win in Hornet Gym in five years.
“They scored seven straight times,” Durham said of Sac State’s game-clinching run, “and they did it in a variety of ways. You can’t leave Guyton open, and they’d penetrate and find Thompkins. They can score in a variety of ways, and they showed that tonight.”
After trailing throughout the game, Jason Erickson started an 11-0 run with 15:43 to play with a short jumper, then hit a three-pointer and a layup. In all, Brown 12 points in a five-minute stretch to give MSU its first lead of the game, and the ‘Cats were ahead 57-48. Baskets by Joe Dawson and Jameel Pugh, a three-pointer by AJ Guyton, and Payne’s crucial three-pointer pulled the Hornets back into the game.
Sacramento State’s defense was crucial in the decisive stretch, and throughout the night. “It speeds you up a little bit,” Durham said.
Durham also indicted his team’s inconsistency. “We just didn’t put together a complete game,” he said. “We didn’t play well offensively in the first 10 minutes of the first half, and we didn’t play well defensively for about 10 minutes of the second half. We need to put together a complete game.
Montana State’s offense was ineffective in the first half. The ‘Cats shot 40% from the floor and hit only one three-pointer, turning the ball over 12 times. MSU was outrebounded 23-to-15 in the first half, and, in fact, Sac State had only three fewer offensive boards (12) than MSU’s total as a team (15).
The first half could have been disastrous for the Bobcats but for some timely defense. With the Hornets up nine and in possession on a four-on-one break Marcus Clift tipped away a Joseth Dawson behind-the-back pass and converted it into a Nick Dissly fast break dunk with 12:32 to play in the half. That ignited a 6-0 MSU run that kept the game close at a crucial juncture.
Erickson took over the game in the second half, dueling Sac State’s Cedric Thompkins. MSU’s former All-America finished with 24 points after shooting just twice in the first half. “I only took two shots in the first half, and I knew I had to try to get into some kind of flow in the second half. I didn’t make my first couple in the second half, but I knew it was now or never.”
Thompkins, a powerful forward who battered MSU in the first meeting between the teams last year, was a difference-maker on Thursday. He finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Payne’s falling down, end-of-the-shot-clock three-ball, though, ended an 11-0 Bobcat run and started a game-ending stretch on which the Hornets scored on 13 of 15 possessions. And it ended MSU’s first real opportunity to win in Hornet Gym in five years.
“They scored seven straight times,” Durham said of Sac State’s game-clinching run, “and they did it in a variety of ways. You can’t leave Guyton open, and they’d penetrate and find Thompkins. They can score in a variety of ways, and they showed that tonight.”
After trailing throughout the game, Jason Erickson started an 11-0 run with 15:43 to play with a short jumper, then hit a three-pointer and a layup. In all, Brown 12 points in a five-minute stretch to give MSU its first lead of the game, and the ‘Cats were ahead 57-48. Baskets by Joe Dawson and Jameel Pugh, a three-pointer by AJ Guyton, and Payne’s crucial three-pointer pulled the Hornets back into the game.
Sacramento State’s defense was crucial in the decisive stretch, and throughout the night. “It speeds you up a little bit,” Durham said.
Durham also indicted his team’s inconsistency. “We just didn’t put together a complete game,” he said. “We didn’t play well offensively in the first 10 minutes of the first half, and we didn’t play well defensively for about 10 minutes of the second half. We need to put together a complete game.
Montana State’s offense was ineffective in the first half. The ‘Cats shot 40% from the floor and hit only one three-pointer, turning the ball over 12 times. MSU was outrebounded 23-to-15 in the first half, and, in fact, Sac State had only three fewer offensive boards (12) than MSU’s total as a team (15).
The first half could have been disastrous for the Bobcats but for some timely defense. With the Hornets up nine and in possession on a four-on-one break Marcus Clift tipped away a Joseth Dawson behind-the-back pass and converted it into a Nick Dissly fast break dunk with 12:32 to play in the half. That ignited a 6-0 MSU run that kept the game close at a crucial juncture.
Erickson took over the game in the second half, dueling Sac State’s Cedric Thompkins. MSU’s former All-America finished with 24 points after shooting just twice in the first half. “I only took two shots in the first half, and I knew I had to try to get into some kind of flow in the second half. I didn’t make my first couple in the second half, but I knew it was now or never.”
Thompkins, a powerful forward who battered MSU in the first meeting between the teams last year, was a difference-maker on Thursday. He finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
