It wasn’t really a knockout punch. But the Idaho State Bengals staggered the Montana Grizzlies with aggressive first-half play, took a 14 point lead, and then got a clutch rebound and putback from Donnie Carson that ensured a 56-54 ISU win in Big Sky Conference action Thursday.
Carson rebounded a missed Bengal shot and scored a point-blank layup under intense pressure to give the Bengals a 55-54 lead with three seconds remaining. Logan Kinghorn made the freethrow that was awarded to Carson (who was injured on the play), and Montana’s Jordan Hasquet’s 30-foot last second shot was barely long as time expired.
PHOTO: Jordan Hasquet is fouled by Logan Kinghorn as Matt Stucki defends. Hasquet scored 16 points and had 6 rebounds.
The Grizzlies, trailing by 23-9 with 5:34
remaining in the first half, battled to within a six-point 28-21 deficit at halftime. From there the Grizzlies fought the Bengals on even terms in the second half before Matt Martin’s trey
gave the Griz a 47-45 lead with 6:35
remaining.
But Montana couldn’t put the Bengals away, and after Jordan Hasquet broke a 53-all tie by making one of two free throws with 38 seconds remaining, the Bengals ran the clock down for a final shot, which Carson delivered after grabbing the Bengals’ 10th offensive rebound of the night.
PHOTO: Andrew Strait drives past Lucas Steijn. Strait had 15 points and 6 rebounds.
“They hurt us on offensive rebounds,” said Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle. “They got 10 and we got nine, but the one extra one they got was obviously a big part of why we lost.”
Carson’s shot was one of 11
second-chance shots the Bengals scored, compared to seven by the Grizzlies. Coming into the game, ISU was second-worst in the conference in offensive rebounds, and second-chance shots.
PHOTO: Matt Martin drives for a layup against Demetrius Monroe. Martin had three treys and scored 11 points.
But the Bengals beat the Grizzlies soundly in several key statistical categories. Though no player had more than six rebounds, the Bengals out-boarded Montana by 32-23, had one more offensive rebound than Montana, and racked up 10 assists to Montana’s nine.
“We should have done a much better job on the offensive glass,” said Tinkle. “We should have converted some free throws, and if we do we win that game going away. That’s what we told our guys. That’s what it came down to.”
It was in field goal shooting -- where the Bengals’ 41% stood as the third-worst in the league -- that the difference was measured. Idaho State made 22-of-42 shots for a blistering 52.4% while holding the Grizzlies to 39.5%, up from a first-half low of 33%.
Lucas Steijn hurt the Grizzlies with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. While Montana guard-defense held Matt Stucki (7 points) and point guard Amorrow Morgan (5 points) below their averages, Austin Kilpatrick made three long first-half treys to help keep the Grizzlies at Bay.
It was Idaho State’s first half efficiency that put Montana in a hole. The Bengals made Montana work for every bucket they made to get back within reach.
It was that first 10 minutes of play that Tinkle indicated was most harmful to his team’s chances on its home court.
"To have a home court advantage, you need to make it an advantage by coming out with urgency and playing physical,” said Tinkle. “We didn’t do that in the first half. They set better screens than us, they fought through screens better than us, they went to the glass better than us.”
Guard Matt Martin -- who scored 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, 3-for-6 from three point range -- gave Montana its biggest spark of the game. The senior made two treys early in the second half, which loosened-up the Bengals’ tight zone defense and opened up the key for Strait and Hasquet.
Montana front court players Strait and Hasquet turned-in solid games. Strait scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and had a block. Hasquet made 3-for-8 shots from the field, also grabbed six boards, and made 9-for-12 shots from the free throw line.
But one of Hasquet’s three free throw misses came at the 38-second mark, when a conversion would have given Montana a two-point lead.
Then, with three-seconds remaining, Montana got a good pass to Hasquet, who drove to within 35 feet, and launched a jumper that was true, but hit the back rim.
Tinkle said he’d “do anything,” in an attempt to get his team mentally ready for Montana’s 2p.m. Sunday match against Weber State.
“This is Division 1 basketball,” said Tinkle. “We shouldn’t have to trick our guys to come out focused and ready to play. We haven’t come out flat very often, but the one thing that we were concerned about is the fact that we were at home for the first time.”
