Bobcats Fall Late to Grizzlies
1/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jordan Hasquet scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Montana to a 73-65 win over Montana State in Missoula on Saturday.
In a game that went to the wire, Montana’s ability to convert on its many free throw attempts proved the difference in a 73-65 Grizzly win in Missoula on Saturday. UM hit 20 of its 28 free throws, including 11 of 14 in the last four-and-a-half minutes, to pave the way for its win. MSU converted just two-of-five from the line in the same stretch.
“If we execute plays at the end, make free throws, we’d have been right there,” Taylor, a junior guard playing in his first Cat-Griz game, said. “We need to take care of that.”
MSU employed an effective 2-3 zone that kept Montana off balance offensively for much of the night. The Grizzlies shot 42% for the game, but finished strong and hit half its second-half shots. “Obviously our game plan was to try to control tempo and keep the game tight,” Huse said. “I thought we had a nice pace to the game.”
A pair of newcomers played well for the Bobcats, with Taylor leading the way with 15 points and Mecklen Davis adding 10. But Casey Durham was the heart of the team’s effort, scoring 14 points with four assists. The game changed considerably in the second half when Durham exited twice with leg cramps.
“It was critical,” Huse said. “Ideally, we come down the stretch with the ball in his hands and we can use Carlos in other ways. Casey played his heart out. I feel bad for him. You know when he goes down he’s hurt.”
Montana led 29-25 at halftime, and stretched out its early in the second half, largely on the strength of terrific freshman Cameron Rundles. Rundles hit a trey to give Montana a 37-33 lead, and after a Hasquet basket hit another to stretch UM’s lead to 42-35 then followed that by making three of four free throws.
Carson Durr, playing in his last regular season game in Dahlberg Arena, triggerd a Bobcat run with 12:55 to play, nailing a triple then a jumper. Casey Durham sandwiched the 10:00 mark with back-to-back three-pointers, and moments later Mecklen Davis hit a second-chance basket giving MSU a 54-53 lead at 7:58. Branden Johnson’s threepointer at 7:10 gave MSU a 57-55 advantage.
That would be MSU’s last lead of the game. Andrew Strait converted a one-and-one, then an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 57, then Matt Dlouhy nailed a three-pointer to give UM a 60-57 lead. Montana State’s next possession ended in a disputed illegal screen call, and from that point Montana capitalized on its torrent of free throws to seal the win.
Both teams showed the effects a long layoff in the early goings, but Grizzly forward Jordan Hasquet got things rolling with a putback with about eight minutes to play in the half. That bucket gave tied the game at 12, and began a run in which Hasquet scored 10 straight points for UM.
Hasquet’s four minute run of carrying the Grizzly offense – and keeping UM in the game – jarred things loose for the rest of the squad. Matt Martin’s three-pointer gave UM a 25-20 lead at 3:17, the back-to-back buckets by Andrew Strait opened up a five-point Grizzly advantage. A late charity toss by Carlos Taylor sent MSU into the intermission down 29-25.
In a game that went to the wire, Montana’s ability to convert on its many free throw attempts proved the difference in a 73-65 Grizzly win in Missoula on Saturday. UM hit 20 of its 28 free throws, including 11 of 14 in the last four-and-a-half minutes, to pave the way for its win. MSU converted just two-of-five from the line in the same stretch.
“If we execute plays at the end, make free throws, we’d have been right there,” Taylor, a junior guard playing in his first Cat-Griz game, said. “We need to take care of that.”
MSU employed an effective 2-3 zone that kept Montana off balance offensively for much of the night. The Grizzlies shot 42% for the game, but finished strong and hit half its second-half shots. “Obviously our game plan was to try to control tempo and keep the game tight,” Huse said. “I thought we had a nice pace to the game.”
A pair of newcomers played well for the Bobcats, with Taylor leading the way with 15 points and Mecklen Davis adding 10. But Casey Durham was the heart of the team’s effort, scoring 14 points with four assists. The game changed considerably in the second half when Durham exited twice with leg cramps.
“It was critical,” Huse said. “Ideally, we come down the stretch with the ball in his hands and we can use Carlos in other ways. Casey played his heart out. I feel bad for him. You know when he goes down he’s hurt.”
Montana led 29-25 at halftime, and stretched out its early in the second half, largely on the strength of terrific freshman Cameron Rundles. Rundles hit a trey to give Montana a 37-33 lead, and after a Hasquet basket hit another to stretch UM’s lead to 42-35 then followed that by making three of four free throws.
Carson Durr, playing in his last regular season game in Dahlberg Arena, triggerd a Bobcat run with 12:55 to play, nailing a triple then a jumper. Casey Durham sandwiched the 10:00 mark with back-to-back three-pointers, and moments later Mecklen Davis hit a second-chance basket giving MSU a 54-53 lead at 7:58. Branden Johnson’s threepointer at 7:10 gave MSU a 57-55 advantage.
That would be MSU’s last lead of the game. Andrew Strait converted a one-and-one, then an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 57, then Matt Dlouhy nailed a three-pointer to give UM a 60-57 lead. Montana State’s next possession ended in a disputed illegal screen call, and from that point Montana capitalized on its torrent of free throws to seal the win.
Both teams showed the effects a long layoff in the early goings, but Grizzly forward Jordan Hasquet got things rolling with a putback with about eight minutes to play in the half. That bucket gave tied the game at 12, and began a run in which Hasquet scored 10 straight points for UM.
Hasquet’s four minute run of carrying the Grizzly offense – and keeping UM in the game – jarred things loose for the rest of the squad. Matt Martin’s three-pointer gave UM a 25-20 lead at 3:17, the back-to-back buckets by Andrew Strait opened up a five-point Grizzly advantage. A late charity toss by Carlos Taylor sent MSU into the intermission down 29-25.
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