Icy First Half Costs 'Cats
2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In a battle of wills, Idaho State turned an icy-cold Bobcat first half into a trip to the playoffs with a 67-58 win in Pocatello on Wednesday. The win vaulted ISU into the Big Sky Tournament, and cost MSU a home game Saturday.
“You’ve got to give Idaho State credit for willing themselves to a win,” said MSU coach Brad Huse. “They really battled.
The Bengals, playing their fourth game in six days, capitalized on MSU’s worst shooting game in a month to level MSU’s record at 8-8 in conference play and send the Bobcats to Portland for a Saturday night Big Sky Tournament tilt against the Vikings. MSU shot just xx% on the night, with many of the looks against ISU’s zone uncontested.
“Whether we weren’t prepared or weren’t focused or content just to be in the playoffs I don’t know,” Huse said. “I’m really discourated with how we executed in the first half.”
David Schroeder led all scorers with 20 points for ISU, while Matt Stucki added 14. Carlos Taylor and Ted Morris led the Bobcats with 13 points each. The Bengals shot 37%, 5-for-20 from three-point range, but nailed 24 of its 29 free throws. In the last two contests, MSU opponents shot 47-for-58 from the line.
Idaho State’s win, which sends the team to Missoula for a first-round tournament contest on Saturday, didn’t come easily. The Bengals led by 16 at halftime, and Matt Stucki and David Schroeder nailed back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the lead to 37-16. MSU whittled away for the remainder of the contest, eventually closing to 59-51on Erik Rush’s jumper at 2:52.
“We had really good looks, and they did, too,” Huse said. “Neither team shot worth a darn. We took some bad shots, which is uncharacteristic.”
Tuesday’s first half appeared to feature a team that endured a grueling overtime loss 22 hours earlier, but not the team that actually did. MSU suffered through its worst shooting and lowest scoring half of the season, suffering through scoring droughts of 3:50, 3:07, 4:00 and 3:17 in the period. The ‘Cats shot just 21% in the first half, and trailed 31-15 at the intermission. MSU was 0-for-14 from three-point range before intermission.
“You’ve got to give Idaho State credit for willing themselves to a win,” said MSU coach Brad Huse. “They really battled.
The Bengals, playing their fourth game in six days, capitalized on MSU’s worst shooting game in a month to level MSU’s record at 8-8 in conference play and send the Bobcats to Portland for a Saturday night Big Sky Tournament tilt against the Vikings. MSU shot just xx% on the night, with many of the looks against ISU’s zone uncontested.
“Whether we weren’t prepared or weren’t focused or content just to be in the playoffs I don’t know,” Huse said. “I’m really discourated with how we executed in the first half.”
David Schroeder led all scorers with 20 points for ISU, while Matt Stucki added 14. Carlos Taylor and Ted Morris led the Bobcats with 13 points each. The Bengals shot 37%, 5-for-20 from three-point range, but nailed 24 of its 29 free throws. In the last two contests, MSU opponents shot 47-for-58 from the line.
Idaho State’s win, which sends the team to Missoula for a first-round tournament contest on Saturday, didn’t come easily. The Bengals led by 16 at halftime, and Matt Stucki and David Schroeder nailed back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the lead to 37-16. MSU whittled away for the remainder of the contest, eventually closing to 59-51on Erik Rush’s jumper at 2:52.
“We had really good looks, and they did, too,” Huse said. “Neither team shot worth a darn. We took some bad shots, which is uncharacteristic.”
Tuesday’s first half appeared to feature a team that endured a grueling overtime loss 22 hours earlier, but not the team that actually did. MSU suffered through its worst shooting and lowest scoring half of the season, suffering through scoring droughts of 3:50, 3:07, 4:00 and 3:17 in the period. The ‘Cats shot just 21% in the first half, and trailed 31-15 at the intermission. MSU was 0-for-14 from three-point range before intermission.
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