Bobcats Top NAU, Stay in Tourney Hunt
2/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
On a night when offensive balance was the key, it was Nick Dissly's off-balance jumper that made the difference.
Dissly, a freshman forward who had been mired in a 4-for-16 shooting slump in the last three games, hit an improbable 23-foot three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 1:01 left to play in the game to seal Montana State's 67-62 win over Northern Arizona on Wednesday in Bozeman.
"It seems like just when you're about to give up on (the Bobcats)," said MSU coach Mick Durham, "they do something like this... It helps when you make shots."
Dissly was a player making many of those shots. He finished 6-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 from the three-point arc, and tallied 18 points. Dissly's outside shooting was the perfect complement for Calvin Ento's inside wizardry. MSU's senior center finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, four steals, two blocks and an assist.
Four Bobcats finished in double-figure scoring for the first time in eight games. Frank Brown dished out six assists for the 'Cats, and Jason Erickson added three.
"We got good production from everyone tonight," Durham said. "Dissly broke loose a little, and that was great to see. We need him. Calvin was phenomenal. He is playing like someone who doesn't want his career to end."
For a long while in the second half, it appeared that Ento, Erickson and MSU's other two seniors would have their backs against the wall on Sunday. After MSU jumped out to a 16-10 lead with 8:36 to play in the first half, NAU went on an 11-0 run and led 26-to-23 at halftime.
NAU stretched the lead to 10 on back-to-back baskets by Joakim Kjellbom with 16:44 to play, but a Danny Faaborg three-pointer got the 'Cats back in the game. MSU's 9-2 run closed the gap to four, and a basket by Ento and a three-pointer by Erickson got the game tied at 43-43 with 10:32 to play.
The Bobcats went on an 11-3 run to grab an eight-point lead, but NAU answered with free throws and a three-pointer by Kodiak Yazzie to pull to within two. Then, with 1:53 to play, Ento scored to stretch the lead to four, and after an NAU free throw Dissly hit his crucial three-pointer.
"That play was lucky," Durham said of Dissly's shot, "but to Nick's credit he knew how much time was left on the shot clock."
Erickson said he's not giving Dissly's three back. "That was unbelievable," he said. "It's one of those things, after 25-plus games when that's happened against us, Denver hitting the buzzer-beater and Wyoming hitting a big shot at the end of the shot clock, you think those aren't going to go your way. It's nice for us to get one of those."
Although offensive plays were on everyone's mind following MSU's win, defense may have been the difference. The Bobcats forced 17 NAU turnovers, while turning it over a season-low eight times.
Montana State hosts Northern Arizona on Sunday at 2 pm. A Bobcat win would guarantee the team's place in the Big Sky Tournament.
Dissly, a freshman forward who had been mired in a 4-for-16 shooting slump in the last three games, hit an improbable 23-foot three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 1:01 left to play in the game to seal Montana State's 67-62 win over Northern Arizona on Wednesday in Bozeman.
"It seems like just when you're about to give up on (the Bobcats)," said MSU coach Mick Durham, "they do something like this... It helps when you make shots."
Dissly was a player making many of those shots. He finished 6-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 from the three-point arc, and tallied 18 points. Dissly's outside shooting was the perfect complement for Calvin Ento's inside wizardry. MSU's senior center finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, four steals, two blocks and an assist.
Four Bobcats finished in double-figure scoring for the first time in eight games. Frank Brown dished out six assists for the 'Cats, and Jason Erickson added three.
"We got good production from everyone tonight," Durham said. "Dissly broke loose a little, and that was great to see. We need him. Calvin was phenomenal. He is playing like someone who doesn't want his career to end."
For a long while in the second half, it appeared that Ento, Erickson and MSU's other two seniors would have their backs against the wall on Sunday. After MSU jumped out to a 16-10 lead with 8:36 to play in the first half, NAU went on an 11-0 run and led 26-to-23 at halftime.
NAU stretched the lead to 10 on back-to-back baskets by Joakim Kjellbom with 16:44 to play, but a Danny Faaborg three-pointer got the 'Cats back in the game. MSU's 9-2 run closed the gap to four, and a basket by Ento and a three-pointer by Erickson got the game tied at 43-43 with 10:32 to play.
The Bobcats went on an 11-3 run to grab an eight-point lead, but NAU answered with free throws and a three-pointer by Kodiak Yazzie to pull to within two. Then, with 1:53 to play, Ento scored to stretch the lead to four, and after an NAU free throw Dissly hit his crucial three-pointer.
"That play was lucky," Durham said of Dissly's shot, "but to Nick's credit he knew how much time was left on the shot clock."
Erickson said he's not giving Dissly's three back. "That was unbelievable," he said. "It's one of those things, after 25-plus games when that's happened against us, Denver hitting the buzzer-beater and Wyoming hitting a big shot at the end of the shot clock, you think those aren't going to go your way. It's nice for us to get one of those."
Although offensive plays were on everyone's mind following MSU's win, defense may have been the difference. The Bobcats forced 17 NAU turnovers, while turning it over a season-low eight times.
Montana State hosts Northern Arizona on Sunday at 2 pm. A Bobcat win would guarantee the team's place in the Big Sky Tournament.
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