Durham's Winner Topples Boise State
11/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Casey Durham hit a game-winning jumper with three seconds to play as Montana State upended Boise State 86-84 in Worthington Arena on Friday.
The game-winner by Durham, a fifth-year senior, capped an emotional win in which a true freshman did much of the damage. Bobby Howard scored 27 points, draining all varieties of shots, to lead all scorers. Durham finished with 16, while Carlos Taylor added 14. Matt Bauscher led the Broncos with 20 points.
Still, Howard's fireworks and Durham's heroics carried the night. "I thought it was huge when he got that three-point play right out of the chutes," Huse said of Howard. "That was big. It relaxed him."
Carlos Taylor hit a three-pointer on the game's first possession, but the Broncos scored the next 12 points to take command. The Broncos stretched their lead to 11, 20-9, with 11:32 remaining in the first half. MSU chipped away at the Bronco lead, erasing it on a dunk by Carlos Taylor, a three-pointer by Howard, and a layup by Durham with 4:17 in the half. That came in the middle of a 34-11 run to close the first half and give the Cats a 49-36 lead at the intermission.
"We played a strong first half," Huse said, but Boise State got back in the game with a 14-2 run in the second half. Boise State tied the score at 58 with 12:30 to play, but failed to fully capitalize because of spotty free throw shooting. The Broncos shot just 58.5% from the line on the night on 14-for-25 shooting, while MSU was 15-for-21 (71.4%).
Boise State scored easily in transition for much of the night, but the Bobcats regained control of the tempo with a "soft trap and zone," Huse said. "I don't know that it slowed them down, but it slowed the tempo down a little. That helped us. (Boise's transition game) ate us up. That was a major concern of ours going in."
Boise State took a 74-73 lead with 5:04 to play on a three-pointer by Bauscher, but Howard answered with a trey of his own. MSU held a three-point lead after Mecklen Davis' layup with 33 seconds to play. Anthony Thomas answered with a layup with 16 seconds left, and was fouled. He converted the free throw to tie the game and set up Durham's heroics.
"They guarded (the play MSU called) and we didn't get the ball where we needed it," Durham said. "Casey made a play, and that's what you want from your senior. I'm proud of Casey."
Montana State faces another Western Athletic Conference squad next time out, traveling to Fresno State on Wednesday.
The game-winner by Durham, a fifth-year senior, capped an emotional win in which a true freshman did much of the damage. Bobby Howard scored 27 points, draining all varieties of shots, to lead all scorers. Durham finished with 16, while Carlos Taylor added 14. Matt Bauscher led the Broncos with 20 points.
Still, Howard's fireworks and Durham's heroics carried the night. "I thought it was huge when he got that three-point play right out of the chutes," Huse said of Howard. "That was big. It relaxed him."
Carlos Taylor hit a three-pointer on the game's first possession, but the Broncos scored the next 12 points to take command. The Broncos stretched their lead to 11, 20-9, with 11:32 remaining in the first half. MSU chipped away at the Bronco lead, erasing it on a dunk by Carlos Taylor, a three-pointer by Howard, and a layup by Durham with 4:17 in the half. That came in the middle of a 34-11 run to close the first half and give the Cats a 49-36 lead at the intermission.
"We played a strong first half," Huse said, but Boise State got back in the game with a 14-2 run in the second half. Boise State tied the score at 58 with 12:30 to play, but failed to fully capitalize because of spotty free throw shooting. The Broncos shot just 58.5% from the line on the night on 14-for-25 shooting, while MSU was 15-for-21 (71.4%).
Boise State scored easily in transition for much of the night, but the Bobcats regained control of the tempo with a "soft trap and zone," Huse said. "I don't know that it slowed them down, but it slowed the tempo down a little. That helped us. (Boise's transition game) ate us up. That was a major concern of ours going in."
Boise State took a 74-73 lead with 5:04 to play on a three-pointer by Bauscher, but Howard answered with a trey of his own. MSU held a three-point lead after Mecklen Davis' layup with 33 seconds to play. Anthony Thomas answered with a layup with 16 seconds left, and was fouled. He converted the free throw to tie the game and set up Durham's heroics.
"They guarded (the play MSU called) and we didn't get the ball where we needed it," Durham said. "Casey made a play, and that's what you want from your senior. I'm proud of Casey."
Montana State faces another Western Athletic Conference squad next time out, traveling to Fresno State on Wednesday.
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