Boise State Spoils Bobcat Comeback Attempt

Wednesday, December 23

Boise, ID

7:00 pm

Montana State University

Boise State

Erik Rush scored 14 points against Boise State on Wednesday.

Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson

12/23/2009 9:53:09 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Bill Lamberty

A long first half dry spell and missed opportunities late cost Montana State Wednesday night, as Boise State handed the Bobcats 58-56 loss in Boise.

"For 30 minutes we really, really played great basketball," said MSU coach Brad Huse. "That 10-minute stretch at the end of the first half we took bad shots, we took quick shots, and it's frustrating. The defense let us down a little, and (Boise State) got it going."

Montana State jumped out to a 25-17 lead when Will Bynum converted a layup eight-and-a-half minutes into a game which saw wild momentum swings. A Zack Moritz jumper 90 seconds later helped BSU launch a 28-2 run that spilled into the second half and saw BSU build a 45-27 cushion.

When Erik Rush ended that long Bobcat dry spell with a dunk, the Bobcats began to turn the tide. Bobby Howard's layup at 16:07 trimmed the Boise State lead to 14, Danny Piepoli's triple brought MSU to within 11, and a Howard three-point play cut the MSU deficit to eight.

After a Moritz layup temporarily extended BSU's lead to 10 Piepoli hit another three-pointer to begin a 10-0 Bobcat that eventually tied the game. Trailing by four with three minutes to play, Rush scored what turned out to be the game's last points on layup with 2:45 to play.

Marquis Navarre missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity at the 1:38 mark, and after the Bobcats regained possession on a stop with 35 seconds left Navarre turned the ball over in the last 10 seconds. MSU had one more chance at a possession when BSU's Robert Arnold missed a free throw with six seconds left, but he gathered his own offensive rebound and Boise State ran out of the clock.

"The same things that got us going in the first 10 minutes (helped MSU get back in it in the second half)," Huse said. "After they scored the first four points of the second half we settled in and played great basketball."

MSU shot 46% in the second half to finish shooting 40.7% to Boise State's 39.7%. The Broncos out-rebounded MSU 41-to-30, converting their 14 offensive rebounds into 14 second chance points.

Montana State falls to 7-5 with the loss, while Boise State riased its record to 8-4 with its 10th straight win over a Big Sky opponent in Taco Bell Arena. MSU returns to action on December 31 when league play resumes with a game at Weber State.