Bobcats Lose at Eastern
1/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana State couldn't overcome its coldest shooting night in the conference season, dropping a 64-50 decision at Eastern Washington on Thursday for the team's first Big Sky loss.
"We looked very ripe for the picking tonight," said MSU coach Mick Durham. "Eastern got after us pretty good early. In the previous five games we set the tone early, but tonight we didn't. We let them set the pace early, and they took advantage of that."
After taking an 8-5 lead on a Nick Dissly layup, Eastern Washington All-Big Sky forward Marc Axton hit a three-pointer to tie the game at eight and erase MSU's only lead of the night. Eastern eventually took a 13-point lead in the first half, but the 'Cats narrowed the gap to 37-28 at halftime.
"I thought when we came out in the second half we weren't very different," Durham said. "If we could have come out and played well it might have been a different story, but we had turnovers in three of the first four possessions and missed a one-on-one."
Montana State shot 39%, the second-lowest mark of the conference season, and the 3-for-14 three-point shooting was the team's worst of the season. "We didn't shoot very well," Durham said, "but Eastern Washington was the reason for that."
Durham found solace in the way his team closed the game, after falling behind by 18 points late in the second half. "The last five or six minutes we could have been buried, but the guys that were in there played well," he said. "Now we have to move on. We don't want to drag this out. It's one we have to put behind us."
Ja'ron Jefferson and Marvin Moss scored 10 points each to lead MSU. Marc Axton's 18 points led all scorers, and Eastern's bench chipped in 24 points.
The Bobcats play at Portland State on Saturday night at 8:05 pm MST.
"We looked very ripe for the picking tonight," said MSU coach Mick Durham. "Eastern got after us pretty good early. In the previous five games we set the tone early, but tonight we didn't. We let them set the pace early, and they took advantage of that."
After taking an 8-5 lead on a Nick Dissly layup, Eastern Washington All-Big Sky forward Marc Axton hit a three-pointer to tie the game at eight and erase MSU's only lead of the night. Eastern eventually took a 13-point lead in the first half, but the 'Cats narrowed the gap to 37-28 at halftime.
"I thought when we came out in the second half we weren't very different," Durham said. "If we could have come out and played well it might have been a different story, but we had turnovers in three of the first four possessions and missed a one-on-one."
Montana State shot 39%, the second-lowest mark of the conference season, and the 3-for-14 three-point shooting was the team's worst of the season. "We didn't shoot very well," Durham said, "but Eastern Washington was the reason for that."
Durham found solace in the way his team closed the game, after falling behind by 18 points late in the second half. "The last five or six minutes we could have been buried, but the guys that were in there played well," he said. "Now we have to move on. We don't want to drag this out. It's one we have to put behind us."
Ja'ron Jefferson and Marvin Moss scored 10 points each to lead MSU. Marc Axton's 18 points led all scorers, and Eastern's bench chipped in 24 points.
The Bobcats play at Portland State on Saturday night at 8:05 pm MST.
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, June 10
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
