Jan. 17, 2004
Box Score
Bozeman, MT -- Doug D'Amore had a historic night, going a perfect 8-for-8 from three-point range as part of a career-high 28-point night as the Bengals picked up a huge road win, defeating Montana State in Bozeman 75-64.
D'Amore's night ranks in the pantheon of all-time great shooting games. Only two times in NCAA Division I history had a player ever shot 9-for-9 from beyond the arc, and it hadn't happened since Evansville's Markus Wilson did it on November 18, 1998. The previous best night by a Bengal was D'Marr Suggs' 5-for-5 night at Montana in 2001.
Boosted by a hot start by D'Amore, the Bengals jumped out to a 24-8 lead after eight minutes as D'Amore hit four three-pointers. For the last 12 minutes however, the Bengals hit just two more baskets, one a D'Amore three as Montana State outscored the Bengals 29-10 over the last 12 minutes to take a 37-34 lead at halftime.
"I really don't know what to say. I shot below average in warmups so I kind of made up for it during the game," said D'Amore. "I felt the rhythm after the first two or three, I just didn't want to rush things."
Added D'Amore, "You want to know my secret? I put new contacts in this morning."
Despite losing a 16-point lead, head coach Doug Oliver stayed positive with the team at halftime. "The other coaches reminded me we were on the road and we were down just one possession, and that we were right there in the game."
"We had cut the game to 20 minutes, and needed to play just a little bit better," he added.
That they did as the Bengals shot .520 from the second half, and allowed Montana State to shoot just .273 from the line. The Bobcats didn't help themselves by shooting .300 from the free throw line, just 3-for-10. The Bengals were 14-for-20, a .700 clip. Idaho State mixed it up defensively throughout the second half, which Oliver felt was a key to the game.
"We went box-and-1 on Erickson and it disrupted him, so they changed and we did something we hadn't practiced, going to a diamond-and-1, and the kids adjusted on the fly very well.," said Oliver.
Along with D'Amore, who added a team-best nine rebounds, the Bengals got double-figure efforts from Scott Henry, who scored 13, Jeff Gardner, who rebounded from a zero point night to score 11, and Jesse Smith, who scored in double-figures for the fourth time in five games with a 10-point night. Idaho State also outrebounded their first Division I opponent of the season, edging the Bobcats 35-32.
