Bobcats Nab Road Win
1/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana State overcame a 14-point second half deficit then staved off a late Northern Colorado surge to post a 58-57 win in Greeley on Thursday.
Casey Durham nailed a pair of free throws to seal the victory with 7.2 seconds to play, and after Sean Taibi missed a 30-footer the tip-in at the buzzer left the Bobcats 7-13 overall, 4-3 in Big Sky play.
"That game put us on a roller-coaster ride," said MSU coach Brad Huse. "We got an eight-to-10 point lead (in the first half), then just struggled to make open looks, which is frustrating. You're going to go through streaks like that, but you have to give our guys credit. They found a way to win a game on the road, and probably a game we shouldn't have won."
After falling behind by 14 in the second half, freshman Danny Piepoli hit a three-pointer at 10:57 to get the Bobcats back in the game, then Nick Dissly scored a layup. Durham's jumper preceded two UNC free throws and a Carlos Taylor three-pointer which drew MSU within four at 6:29. Durham hit a three-pointer with six-and-a-half minutes to play, then cut the Bear lead to two on a layup with 5:48 to play, keying a 10-1 run that gave the Bobcats control of the game.
"We went small with Nick and Carson as our posts and the young kids on the wings," Huse said, "and it worked. The energy those guys brought us and the ability to spread their defense and penetrate was good. I credit our energy, especially Casey out front. He has a big heart, and I think people appreciate that. It started with him. Nick stepped up the last 6-7 minutes. It was just a matter of finding a way to get a win, which this team couldn't do back in December."
Northern Colorado's inside-outside tandem of Sean Taibi and Kirk Archibeque averaged nearly 30 points a game entering the game, but MSU held them to nine points on Thursday. "We did a good job defensively on those guys, the zone was a big part of it," Huse said.
MSU faces Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm in Flagstaff's Walkup Skydome.
Casey Durham nailed a pair of free throws to seal the victory with 7.2 seconds to play, and after Sean Taibi missed a 30-footer the tip-in at the buzzer left the Bobcats 7-13 overall, 4-3 in Big Sky play.
"That game put us on a roller-coaster ride," said MSU coach Brad Huse. "We got an eight-to-10 point lead (in the first half), then just struggled to make open looks, which is frustrating. You're going to go through streaks like that, but you have to give our guys credit. They found a way to win a game on the road, and probably a game we shouldn't have won."
After falling behind by 14 in the second half, freshman Danny Piepoli hit a three-pointer at 10:57 to get the Bobcats back in the game, then Nick Dissly scored a layup. Durham's jumper preceded two UNC free throws and a Carlos Taylor three-pointer which drew MSU within four at 6:29. Durham hit a three-pointer with six-and-a-half minutes to play, then cut the Bear lead to two on a layup with 5:48 to play, keying a 10-1 run that gave the Bobcats control of the game.
"We went small with Nick and Carson as our posts and the young kids on the wings," Huse said, "and it worked. The energy those guys brought us and the ability to spread their defense and penetrate was good. I credit our energy, especially Casey out front. He has a big heart, and I think people appreciate that. It started with him. Nick stepped up the last 6-7 minutes. It was just a matter of finding a way to get a win, which this team couldn't do back in December."
Northern Colorado's inside-outside tandem of Sean Taibi and Kirk Archibeque averaged nearly 30 points a game entering the game, but MSU held them to nine points on Thursday. "We did a good job defensively on those guys, the zone was a big part of it," Huse said.
MSU faces Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm in Flagstaff's Walkup Skydome.
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, June 10
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
