Dec. 10, 2005
Final Stats
Davis, CA --- Idaho State University got a 20-point effort from Slim Millien as the Bengals shot .553 from the field in earning their sixth straight victory with a 75-69 decision over UC Davis. The win is also the second straight road win for the Bengals, after their 78-71 win over Idaho on Wednesday.
Idaho State (6-1), who never trailed in the game, had their best shooting night of the season, which offset a 34-32 rebounding advantage by UC Davis (1-6). However, the Bengals hit just one three-pointer in the second half, and five in the game as the Aggies never let ISU feel comfortable with the lead.
ISu never trailed after Logan Kinghorn's jumper 17 seconds into the game on the opening possession, and ISU led by four at the break. The Bengals eventually stretched the lead to 11 at 71-60 on a Millien dunk with 2:23, and it looked like the game was in the bag, but Davis roared back with eight straight points, the last three coming on a three-point play by Thomas Juillerat with 50 seconds left.
After an ISU miss, Davis had a chance to cut it to one, but Rommel Marentez missed a layup with 17 seconds left, and Kyle Stevens and Akbar Abdul-Ahad hit a pair of free throws each to seal the win.
The win marked the second consecutive road win for the Bengals, the first time they have won two straight road games since February 16 and 17, 2001, when the Bengals defeated Montana 79-75 in overtime, and then Montana State 72-70 in overtime. Last season, Idaho State was just 1-11 on the road.
The win is also the sixth straight for Idaho State, the longest winning streak in the Doug Oliver era, and the longest since the Bengals won six in a row in the 1994-95 season, and it equals the second-longest winning streak since the 1976-77 season.
Millien's 20-point game was his third such game of the season, and his five rebounds tied with Kyle Stevens. Tim Henry added 13, and David Schroeder and Akbar Abdul-Ahad each had 10. For Davis, Phil Rasmussen had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Vince Oliver led the Aggie with 15, Thomas Juillerat had 13, Kyle Brucculeri had 12, and Rommel Marentez chipped in 10.
The Bengals get a week without a game for finals week, and then the team will put their six-game winning streak on the line as they head to frosty Fargo, North Dakota to take on North Dakota State in a rematch of their game a week ago in which the Bengals rebounded from a 23-point deficit for a 91-87 overtime win.
