Jan. 21, 2006
Final Stats
Portland, OR --- Idaho State's seven-game losing streak was marred by last second hiccup by ISU and last second shots by opponents. On Saturday night, Idaho State changed all that, and perhaps their destiny as well. David Schroeder's steal and layup with 4.0 left on the clock gave Idaho State a thrilling 68-66 win, ending three rough streaks and giving Idaho State their first conference win of the year.
The Bengals led 64-63 with just over a minute to go, and they were looking to add to that lead when Slim Millien, who scored 12 points on the night, turned the ball over, and Portland State's Tyrell Mara hit a long three for a 66-64 PSU lead. The Bengals came when Tim Henry hit a tough layup to tie the game with 40.1 left.
Portland State came down looking to get off perhaps the last shot, but Schroeder stepped up infront of a Josh Neely pass intended for Jake Schroeder, and went coast to coast, beating a late Viking defender for the winning score. Neely's desperation shot to win was off the mark at the buzzer.
"Jake was trying to get open, and I was just guarding him, but I knew that pass was coming," said David Schroeder of the winning steal. "I was glad to get down there for the shot...the floor's a little dead so it was tough."
The win for Idaho State (8-9, 1-5) Big Sky) puts to rest ISU's seven-game losing streak, their eight-game Division I losing streak, and their 12-game Big Sky road losing streak, the second-longest in ISU history. Portland State (8-10, 1-4 Big Sky) remains a half-game ahead of the Big Sky for the all important #6 position for the Big Sky Tournament, but PSU travels to the Montana's next weekend, while ISU gets their rivalry game on Saturday at Weber State. ISU steps out of conference to host South Dakota State on Wednesday night at Reed Gym.
It was only fitting that David Schroeder made the wining shot, as he was the spark for ISU in the second half, hitting four three-pointers as he scored 20 points on the night.
"Down the stretch, both teams made plays...we made a couple of plays offensively, and then they came down and hit a three, then we had to made a play just to tie it," said head coach Doug Oliver, who picked up his first win since announcing that he would step down at the end of the season. "That was fun basketball. It's wasn't always pretty, but it's a win."
Of ISU's last seven losses, the Bengals lost four in the final 10 seconds, prompting Oliver to note,
"The basketball gods owed us one, so we got one back. I was really proud of the kids tonight"
The Bengals, who trailed 30-26 at the break, shot just 33.3 in the opening half (10-of-30), but bounced back with a 12-for-23 second half (.522). Idaho State, along with Schoeder's 20 and Millien's 12, got 12 points from Tim Henry, and a nine-point, 10 rebound effort from Kasey Winters. The big stat was ISU's three-point shooting, going 10-for-20 on the night, and going 12-for-14 in the second half.
PSU got 15 points from Anthony Washington, 13 from Jake Schroeder, 11 from Ryan Sommer and 10 from Tyler Hollist. Idaho State held down Juma Kamara to just three points, coming off os career-high 23 against Weber State on Thursday. PSU outrebounded ISU 44-39, including 23 offensive boards.
NOTES: Idaho State blocked eight more shots, including four by Millien and three by Winters ... Idaho State's David Schroeder became just the 10th Bengal to ever hit 100 career three-pointers with his four triples in the second half ... ISU started last season 0-5 in the league before picking up a win over Portland State, identical to this season ... ISU's 12-game conference road losing streak was the longest since losing a school record 13 that stretched from the 1988 conference season through the 1990 season ... the win was ISU's third road win of the season, tying for the second-most in the Oliver era. Idaho State went 5-6 in the 2000-01 season.
