Feb. 4, 2006
Final Stats
Pocatello, ID --- Idaho State University played a second half for the ages, scoring 61 points and holding Montana to just six second half field goals, and only two in the final 14:40 as the Bengals defeated Montana 95-70 at Reed Gym, halting ISU's two-game losing skid and pushing the Bengals back into the Big Sky Conference tournament chase.
The Bengals might have been fueled by an intentional foul with 3:38 to go in the first half. Montana had just taken their largest lead of the game at 30-22 on a Matt Martin three-pointer, when Logan Kinghorn rebounded his own missed three-pointer and was fouled by Matt Dlouhy. Dlouhy was called for an intentional foul and ejected, and Kinghorn was also called for a technical and ejected after approaching the bench.
From that point on, the Bengals outscored Montana by 33, including 61-30 in the second half.
ISU was fueled by an unlikely source in Ryan Baumgartner, who scored a career-high 22 points on 7-for-7 shooting with four three-pointers, scoring 14 points in the second half. He also added six assists, five rebounds, and even picked up a blocked shot. Baumgartner, who had never scored more than six points for the Bengals prior to the weekend, scored 38 after getting 16 on Thursday.
ISU was still down at the break 40-34, but ISU opened the second half on a 9-2 run to quickly retake the lead, the last of those on a Baumgartner 10-footer from the baseline.
Tied at 46 after another Baumgartner three, Andrew Strait gave Montana their last lead of the night with a jumper at the 14:40 mark. However, Montana would miss 13 straight shots and turn the ball over five time over the next 10:04, and by the time Jordan Hasquett ended the skid with a basket, it 84-58 Bengals. Montana ended the half 2-for-24 from the field.
The Bengals also got a superb effort from Slim Millien, who scored 25 points with nine rebounds and five blocks. The Bengals also made Montana pay dearly from the line, going 28-for-32, including 16-of-17 in the second half. Idaho State also went 9-for-19 from three-point range, and they limited Montana to 4-for-22 from deep, just a .182 clip.
The Bengals, along with Millien's 25 and Baumgartner's 22, got 11 from David Schroeder and 10 from Kasey Winters. Montana was led by Andrew Strait's 16, and Jordan Hasquet had 11. Kevin Criswell, who has burned the Bengals throughout his career, was just 1-for-8 and scored only seven points.
The Bengals now hit the road for their final two conference games, starting Thursday at Northern Arizona, a team that owns the longest winning streak in the nation at 10, pending their Saturday night game.
NOTES: Slim Millien became just the third Bengal to record 100 career blocks, as his five give him 103 for his career ... Millien has 12 blocks in two games against Montana ... Idaho State racked up 10 blocks to Montana's none ... In both of Idaho State's conference wins, the team has trailed at the half.
