Bobcats Upend Vikings
2/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In a microcosm of Montana State's season, the Bobcats struggled from the outset, stabilized, and staged a furious rally to earn a 79-71 win in Worthington Arena on Saturday.
Trailing 58-47 with 11:50 to play, Mecklen Davis started and finished a 16-3 run that gave the 'Cats a lead they would hold throughout. Carson Durr finished with nine points on three three-pointers, but two of those were among the biggest shots in the game. The senior from Roberts scored his first points of the night on a triple with 10:48 to play to drag the Viking lead into single-digits at 60-53, and his second brought MSU within one at 60-59.
"Those were big shots," said MSU coach Brad Huse. The Bobcats tied the game on a pair of Mecklen Davis free throws, and went ahead for good when Davis sank a pair of charity tosses after a technical foul by PSU coach Ken Bone.
While the Bobcats got back into the game with offensive fireworks, they won it with defense. MSU held Portland State to just 11 points in the game's final 10 minutes, and after halftime PSU shot just 25%. "That theme has become familiar," Brad Huse said. "Give our guys credit, they just kept battling. They're not going to quit."
MSU's effort paid off, as the Bobcats changed defense often and used several different combinations of defenders on Portland State's array of talented inside players. "Our big guys battled as hard as they could, and I certainly wouldn't say we won the battle, but we contested it. Their inside players are very, very good."
Juma Kamara led the Vikings with 16 points, and MSU held PSU centers Scott Morrison and Anthony Washington to 17 points combined. Kamara and Hafford keyed the Portland State run that gave the Vikings their double-figure second half leads, combining for eight points in a quick two-minute spurt that put PSU in charge early in the second half.
Still, Huse was not surprised with the team's effort to dig out of a hole. "That's all it takes," Huse said of MSU's run that turned the tide in the Bobcats' favor midway through the second half. "Our guys believe."
The win raises Montana State's record to 6-4 and tied for second place in the Big Sky with Montana and Idaho State, also at 5-4. Portland State stands 6-6 in conference play after splitting the Montana trip. MSU hosts Sacramento State on Thursday before Saturday's crucial Cat-Griz clash in Bozeman.
Trailing 58-47 with 11:50 to play, Mecklen Davis started and finished a 16-3 run that gave the 'Cats a lead they would hold throughout. Carson Durr finished with nine points on three three-pointers, but two of those were among the biggest shots in the game. The senior from Roberts scored his first points of the night on a triple with 10:48 to play to drag the Viking lead into single-digits at 60-53, and his second brought MSU within one at 60-59.
"Those were big shots," said MSU coach Brad Huse. The Bobcats tied the game on a pair of Mecklen Davis free throws, and went ahead for good when Davis sank a pair of charity tosses after a technical foul by PSU coach Ken Bone.
While the Bobcats got back into the game with offensive fireworks, they won it with defense. MSU held Portland State to just 11 points in the game's final 10 minutes, and after halftime PSU shot just 25%. "That theme has become familiar," Brad Huse said. "Give our guys credit, they just kept battling. They're not going to quit."
MSU's effort paid off, as the Bobcats changed defense often and used several different combinations of defenders on Portland State's array of talented inside players. "Our big guys battled as hard as they could, and I certainly wouldn't say we won the battle, but we contested it. Their inside players are very, very good."
Juma Kamara led the Vikings with 16 points, and MSU held PSU centers Scott Morrison and Anthony Washington to 17 points combined. Kamara and Hafford keyed the Portland State run that gave the Vikings their double-figure second half leads, combining for eight points in a quick two-minute spurt that put PSU in charge early in the second half.
Still, Huse was not surprised with the team's effort to dig out of a hole. "That's all it takes," Huse said of MSU's run that turned the tide in the Bobcats' favor midway through the second half. "Our guys believe."
The win raises Montana State's record to 6-4 and tied for second place in the Big Sky with Montana and Idaho State, also at 5-4. Portland State stands 6-6 in conference play after splitting the Montana trip. MSU hosts Sacramento State on Thursday before Saturday's crucial Cat-Griz clash in Bozeman.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
