Bobcats Win Thrilling Title Tilt
12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Carlos Taylor led all players with 30 points, helping Montana State erase a 14-point second half deficit and grab a 95-89 win in the GranTree Inn Classic championship game on Saturday.
"You can't survive a game like this without a guy that can make plays," Bobcat coach Brad Huse said. "He'd be the first to tell you that at halftime we weren't getting what we needed from our leaders. But he showed a lot of character in the second half."
Taylor's 30 points were a career high for the senior guard, and was the second-highest single game scoring total in tournament history. He scored 23 points after intermission.
Led by the inside-outside duo of Rico Tucker and Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine built a 10-point lead at halftime. Montana State didn't score in the last 4:35 of the first half, as Pepperdine sandwiched the intermission with a 13-0 run.
Trailing 51-37 with 19 minutes to play, Branden Johnson got a pair of free throws and tip-in to launch a back-and-forth second half. Pepperdine led by nine with 10:17 left, but a 7-0 Bobcat run trimmed the margin to two. Pepperdine expanded the lead to nine, and led by eight with 4:26 to play, 83-75. A pair of free throws by Mecklen Davis began 16-5 run that gave MSU its first lead since the early minutes of the game.
Pepperdine used spurts built on its attacking style, pressing and trapping on defense and attacking the basket on offense. "That's where they're most comfortable," Huse said, "and that's where we're not comfortable. But the bottom line is you have to find something inside you to get it done. A lot of strategy is taken out of a game like that, and you just have to go make plays."
Trailing 88-87 with just under two minutes to play, Adrian Zamora got a steal in the lane and Taylor sank a pair of free throws. After Mychel Thompson made one of two free throws, James Hennessy converted two charity tosses to give MSU a four-point lead. Phil Friesen closed the game with two more free throws for the 95-89 margin.
Montana State raises its record to 4-3, while the Waves fall to 4-5. MSU plays at Nevada next Saturday.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Carlos Taylor, Montana State (MVP)
Mecklen Davis, Montana State
Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine
Rico Tucker, Pepperdine
Brian Burrell, Texas-Pan American
Alex Owumi, Alcorn State
"You can't survive a game like this without a guy that can make plays," Bobcat coach Brad Huse said. "He'd be the first to tell you that at halftime we weren't getting what we needed from our leaders. But he showed a lot of character in the second half."
Taylor's 30 points were a career high for the senior guard, and was the second-highest single game scoring total in tournament history. He scored 23 points after intermission.
Led by the inside-outside duo of Rico Tucker and Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine built a 10-point lead at halftime. Montana State didn't score in the last 4:35 of the first half, as Pepperdine sandwiched the intermission with a 13-0 run.
Trailing 51-37 with 19 minutes to play, Branden Johnson got a pair of free throws and tip-in to launch a back-and-forth second half. Pepperdine led by nine with 10:17 left, but a 7-0 Bobcat run trimmed the margin to two. Pepperdine expanded the lead to nine, and led by eight with 4:26 to play, 83-75. A pair of free throws by Mecklen Davis began 16-5 run that gave MSU its first lead since the early minutes of the game.
Pepperdine used spurts built on its attacking style, pressing and trapping on defense and attacking the basket on offense. "That's where they're most comfortable," Huse said, "and that's where we're not comfortable. But the bottom line is you have to find something inside you to get it done. A lot of strategy is taken out of a game like that, and you just have to go make plays."
Trailing 88-87 with just under two minutes to play, Adrian Zamora got a steal in the lane and Taylor sank a pair of free throws. After Mychel Thompson made one of two free throws, James Hennessy converted two charity tosses to give MSU a four-point lead. Phil Friesen closed the game with two more free throws for the 95-89 margin.
Montana State raises its record to 4-3, while the Waves fall to 4-5. MSU plays at Nevada next Saturday.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Carlos Taylor, Montana State (MVP)
Mecklen Davis, Montana State
Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine
Rico Tucker, Pepperdine
Brian Burrell, Texas-Pan American
Alex Owumi, Alcorn State
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
