Bobcat Title Run Ends in Heartbreaker
3/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
So close.
Montana State's NCAA Tournament dreams ended late Wednesday in an 11-second flurry of highlights that left the Bobcats stunned and Portland State celebrating a second consecutive Big Sky Tournament title. The Vikings won a 79-77 contest that featured 13 lead changes and a dozen ties.
After a first half in which the biggest lead by either team was eight, Portland State held a pair of 10-point leads in the second half, and still led by eight with 5:47 to play. At that point, Erik Rush triggered an 9-4 Bobcat run that found sixth-seeded MSU trailing 77-74 with 1:26 to play.
Branden Johnson's three-point attempt with 1:10 to play rattled out, giving PSU possession and a three-point lead. But Johnson stepped in front of a Jeremiah Dominguez pass with 39 seconds left, and 24 seconds later found the same spot he had missed from on the previous possession and sent Bobcat fans into a frenzy by calmly draining a trey.
Eschewing the time out, Portland State inbounded the ball to Dominic Waters, drove the length of the floor, found the paint, elevated, and dished to Julius Thomas for a dunk with 3.5 seconds to play.
After completing a pass to halfcourt and calling a time out with 2.1 seconds left, Portland State stripped the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass, and MSU was unable to get a shot attempt up as time expired.
"I'm so proud of these guys," Bobcat coach Brad Huse said following the game. "They competed so hard, they have done everything we asked of them, I really wanted them to be rewarded with this a win."
Montana State finishes the season 14-17 overall, and now stands 2-3 in Big Sky Championship games. Portland State advances to the NCAA Tournament as the Big Sky's automatic qualifier with a 23-9 record.
Montana State's NCAA Tournament dreams ended late Wednesday in an 11-second flurry of highlights that left the Bobcats stunned and Portland State celebrating a second consecutive Big Sky Tournament title. The Vikings won a 79-77 contest that featured 13 lead changes and a dozen ties.
After a first half in which the biggest lead by either team was eight, Portland State held a pair of 10-point leads in the second half, and still led by eight with 5:47 to play. At that point, Erik Rush triggered an 9-4 Bobcat run that found sixth-seeded MSU trailing 77-74 with 1:26 to play.
Branden Johnson's three-point attempt with 1:10 to play rattled out, giving PSU possession and a three-point lead. But Johnson stepped in front of a Jeremiah Dominguez pass with 39 seconds left, and 24 seconds later found the same spot he had missed from on the previous possession and sent Bobcat fans into a frenzy by calmly draining a trey.
Eschewing the time out, Portland State inbounded the ball to Dominic Waters, drove the length of the floor, found the paint, elevated, and dished to Julius Thomas for a dunk with 3.5 seconds to play.
After completing a pass to halfcourt and calling a time out with 2.1 seconds left, Portland State stripped the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass, and MSU was unable to get a shot attempt up as time expired.
"I'm so proud of these guys," Bobcat coach Brad Huse said following the game. "They competed so hard, they have done everything we asked of them, I really wanted them to be rewarded with this a win."
Montana State finishes the season 14-17 overall, and now stands 2-3 in Big Sky Championship games. Portland State advances to the NCAA Tournament as the Big Sky's automatic qualifier with a 23-9 record.
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