Bobcats Nab Win in Hornets Nest
1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Marvin Moss nailed two free throws with 20 seconds remaining and MSU held off a barrage of three-pointers to grab a stunning 78-75 win over league-leading Sacramento State in Hornet Gym on Thursday.
“I told him, ‘You worked your rear end off (on free throws) this week, go out and knock them down,’” MSU coach Mick Durham said of his message to Moss. The senior forward focused on “getting myself together, keeping my elbow in” and forced Sacramento State to shoot three-pointers in the waning seconds.
The late heroics looked like a long shot for much of the second half, as MSU built a big lead. Moss hit two free throws at 15:42, starting a 16-3 run that gave MSU control of the game. Ted Morris’ short hook gave MSU its biggest lead, 14 points, with 7:35 to play. That was MSU’s last field goal for five minutes, as the Hornets launched an 18-2 run to pull ahead with just under three minutes left.
Four different Hornets hit three-pointers in the stretch that erased MSU’s second-half lead, and Sac State played nearly flawless offensive basketball in the second half, turning the ball over only once. After Sac State’s dramatic comeback, the teams played even over two-and-a-half minutes. Dissly’s breakaway gave MSU a three-point lead, and after a Hornet basket Marvin Moss nailed two free throws.
“I knew the rally was coming,” Durham said of Sac State’s comeback. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to, but it’s something you just have to withstand. Dissly hit a big jumper and Jefferson hit a big jumper to keep the game tied, and it’s not easy to hit those shots when you’re behind.”
Both teams survived first-half runs by the other. Casey Durham’s three-pointer gave MSU a 21-19 lead with 7:10 to play in the half, but the Hornets answered with an 11-2 run to give Sac State a 30-23 lead. That spurt included a bizarre play in which Sacramento State coach Jerome Jenkins appeared to accidentally bump Bobcat ballhandler Nick Dissly near the Sacramento bench, leading to an MSU turnover and a Hornet transition basket. MSU closed to within 32-29 at the intermission on the strength of a 6-2 run.
Sacramento State’s swarming defense held MSU to 37.5% shooting in the first half, although MSU responded on the boards with a 21-19 edge. MSU attempted only two first-half free throws to Sac State’s six in spite of committing three fewer fouls. MSU committed 10 turnovers in the physical first half, four by Ja’Ron Jefferson, to nine by the homestanding Hornets.
MSU shot 52% on the night, but hit for a torrid 75% in the second half. MSU out-rebounded the Hornets 39-to-34, and held Sac State to 36.5% from the field. DaShawn Freeman and Alex Bausley combined to shoot 4-for-20. Bausley scored 14 points, and Clark Woods had 20.
MSU raises its record to 10-8 overall and jumped back into the Big Sky fray with a 3-1 ledger. The Bobcats face Big Sky frontrunner Northern Arizona on Saturday at 6 pm MST in Flagstaff.
“I told him, ‘You worked your rear end off (on free throws) this week, go out and knock them down,’” MSU coach Mick Durham said of his message to Moss. The senior forward focused on “getting myself together, keeping my elbow in” and forced Sacramento State to shoot three-pointers in the waning seconds.
The late heroics looked like a long shot for much of the second half, as MSU built a big lead. Moss hit two free throws at 15:42, starting a 16-3 run that gave MSU control of the game. Ted Morris’ short hook gave MSU its biggest lead, 14 points, with 7:35 to play. That was MSU’s last field goal for five minutes, as the Hornets launched an 18-2 run to pull ahead with just under three minutes left.
Four different Hornets hit three-pointers in the stretch that erased MSU’s second-half lead, and Sac State played nearly flawless offensive basketball in the second half, turning the ball over only once. After Sac State’s dramatic comeback, the teams played even over two-and-a-half minutes. Dissly’s breakaway gave MSU a three-point lead, and after a Hornet basket Marvin Moss nailed two free throws.
“I knew the rally was coming,” Durham said of Sac State’s comeback. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to, but it’s something you just have to withstand. Dissly hit a big jumper and Jefferson hit a big jumper to keep the game tied, and it’s not easy to hit those shots when you’re behind.”
Both teams survived first-half runs by the other. Casey Durham’s three-pointer gave MSU a 21-19 lead with 7:10 to play in the half, but the Hornets answered with an 11-2 run to give Sac State a 30-23 lead. That spurt included a bizarre play in which Sacramento State coach Jerome Jenkins appeared to accidentally bump Bobcat ballhandler Nick Dissly near the Sacramento bench, leading to an MSU turnover and a Hornet transition basket. MSU closed to within 32-29 at the intermission on the strength of a 6-2 run.
Sacramento State’s swarming defense held MSU to 37.5% shooting in the first half, although MSU responded on the boards with a 21-19 edge. MSU attempted only two first-half free throws to Sac State’s six in spite of committing three fewer fouls. MSU committed 10 turnovers in the physical first half, four by Ja’Ron Jefferson, to nine by the homestanding Hornets.
MSU shot 52% on the night, but hit for a torrid 75% in the second half. MSU out-rebounded the Hornets 39-to-34, and held Sac State to 36.5% from the field. DaShawn Freeman and Alex Bausley combined to shoot 4-for-20. Bausley scored 14 points, and Clark Woods had 20.
MSU raises its record to 10-8 overall and jumped back into the Big Sky fray with a 3-1 ledger. The Bobcats face Big Sky frontrunner Northern Arizona on Saturday at 6 pm MST in Flagstaff.
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