Bobcats Fall to Eastern
2/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Marc Axton hit a three-pointer with 40 seconds to play and Eastern Washington converted four of its five free throw attempts in the last 20 seconds as the Eagles beat Montana State 64-61 in Bozeman on Thursday.
The win extended Eastern's Big Sky-leading record to 7-1, which includes a 4-0 mark on the road. Montana State falls to 3-5 in conference play.
For MSU coach Mick Durham, the game was two contests in one. "That was a heck of a second half," said Durham, whose team trailed 36-23 at the intermission. "What happened in the first 20 minutes is really frustrating."
What happened to MSU was another long dry spell to begin the game, ineffective shooting, and very little rebounding. Eastern scored the game's first 11 points, and held MSU scoreless for the first five minutes of the game. "They physically kicked our tail in the first half," Durham said.
With Eastern in complete control, Montana State's sensational senior guard Jason Erickson took matters into his own hands. Erickson hit a three-pointer to get MSU on the board, made another one to cut the lead to 13-6. Then with the team clinging to life late in the half, Erickson hit three three-pointers in a two-minute stretch to keep the game close.
Erickson had no explanation for his team's slow start. "The first four minutes weren't bad," he said. "We were down six or eight. We didn't hit any shots, though, and we just felt our confidence going. When you're not scoring and they're getting second shots, they wear you down."
Eastern pounded the Bobcats on the boards in the first half, outrebounding MSU 16-4 in the first eight minutes of the game, and held a 20-9 advantage at the intermission. Eagle center Matt Nelson had 12 points and five rebounds in the first half. Four of his boards were on the offensive end.
"We didn't have to say much at halftime," Durham said. "We just told them to compete inside. All of a sudden we did that, and we started to get it going."
After Alvin Snow's jumper to start the second half extended Eastern's lead to 15, MSU went on a 12-2 run to draw to within five, 42-37, at 13:15. The teams played on nearly even terms for several minutes, then with 4:18 to play Danny Faaborg hit a short jumper and a three-pointer, and Erickson nailed a short jumper to give MSU an unlikely lead.
Calvin Ento, who scored eight points, hit a jump shot with 1:44 to play to give MSU a 56-53 lead, but missed the free throw on an and-one situation. After a Marc Axton jumper, Frank Brown made one of two foul shots to give MSU a 57-55 lead with 1:27 to play. Brendon Merritt hit a jumper to tie the game, then Ento hit a difficult leaner on the baseline to restore MSU's two-point lead with 49 seconds to play.
Rather than call a time out, "We pushed it and looked for the trailer," according to EWU coach Ray Giacoletti, and Axton hit his three-pointer from the top of the key to give Eastern a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
"All week we talked about getting back and finding the trailer," Erickson said. "That's what bit us."
An Erickson three-point attempt rimmed in and out on MSU's next possession. Merritt missed the front end of the one-and-one on the ensuing possession, but tracked down his own miss and followed by making two charity tosses.
Another Erickson three-point attempt rimmed in and out at the other end, and Eastern sealed the win from the line.
"Axton's big three was the key," Durham said. "That's what they've been doing. They have guys trading off making big plays. Tonight it was Axton."
With the win and a perfect 4-0 league road mark, Eastern is in position to make a serious claim to host its first Big Sky Tournament in Missoula on Saturday. The Eagles lead NAU by a game-and-a-half. NAU hosts Sacramento State Saturday, while Eastern plays at Montana and MSU hosts Portland State.
The win extended Eastern's Big Sky-leading record to 7-1, which includes a 4-0 mark on the road. Montana State falls to 3-5 in conference play.
For MSU coach Mick Durham, the game was two contests in one. "That was a heck of a second half," said Durham, whose team trailed 36-23 at the intermission. "What happened in the first 20 minutes is really frustrating."
What happened to MSU was another long dry spell to begin the game, ineffective shooting, and very little rebounding. Eastern scored the game's first 11 points, and held MSU scoreless for the first five minutes of the game. "They physically kicked our tail in the first half," Durham said.
With Eastern in complete control, Montana State's sensational senior guard Jason Erickson took matters into his own hands. Erickson hit a three-pointer to get MSU on the board, made another one to cut the lead to 13-6. Then with the team clinging to life late in the half, Erickson hit three three-pointers in a two-minute stretch to keep the game close.
Erickson had no explanation for his team's slow start. "The first four minutes weren't bad," he said. "We were down six or eight. We didn't hit any shots, though, and we just felt our confidence going. When you're not scoring and they're getting second shots, they wear you down."
Eastern pounded the Bobcats on the boards in the first half, outrebounding MSU 16-4 in the first eight minutes of the game, and held a 20-9 advantage at the intermission. Eagle center Matt Nelson had 12 points and five rebounds in the first half. Four of his boards were on the offensive end.
"We didn't have to say much at halftime," Durham said. "We just told them to compete inside. All of a sudden we did that, and we started to get it going."
After Alvin Snow's jumper to start the second half extended Eastern's lead to 15, MSU went on a 12-2 run to draw to within five, 42-37, at 13:15. The teams played on nearly even terms for several minutes, then with 4:18 to play Danny Faaborg hit a short jumper and a three-pointer, and Erickson nailed a short jumper to give MSU an unlikely lead.
Calvin Ento, who scored eight points, hit a jump shot with 1:44 to play to give MSU a 56-53 lead, but missed the free throw on an and-one situation. After a Marc Axton jumper, Frank Brown made one of two foul shots to give MSU a 57-55 lead with 1:27 to play. Brendon Merritt hit a jumper to tie the game, then Ento hit a difficult leaner on the baseline to restore MSU's two-point lead with 49 seconds to play.
Rather than call a time out, "We pushed it and looked for the trailer," according to EWU coach Ray Giacoletti, and Axton hit his three-pointer from the top of the key to give Eastern a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
"All week we talked about getting back and finding the trailer," Erickson said. "That's what bit us."
An Erickson three-point attempt rimmed in and out on MSU's next possession. Merritt missed the front end of the one-and-one on the ensuing possession, but tracked down his own miss and followed by making two charity tosses.
Another Erickson three-point attempt rimmed in and out at the other end, and Eastern sealed the win from the line.
"Axton's big three was the key," Durham said. "That's what they've been doing. They have guys trading off making big plays. Tonight it was Axton."
With the win and a perfect 4-0 league road mark, Eastern is in position to make a serious claim to host its first Big Sky Tournament in Missoula on Saturday. The Eagles lead NAU by a game-and-a-half. NAU hosts Sacramento State Saturday, while Eastern plays at Montana and MSU hosts Portland State.
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