Dec. 2, 2007
Final Stats
Pocatello, ID --- Demetrius Monroe, playing a career-high 32 minutes, hit a backdoor layup after a perfect pass from Matt Stucki with 4.4 seconds left to give Idaho State a 71-69 win in overtime over the Idaho Vandals, giving the Bengals a much needed road win, and their first overtime win under Joe O'Brien.
Monroe's layup capped a frantic final minute. Down 67-66, Matt Stucki, who scored a career-high 26 points, canned a three-pointer with just under a minute to go to give ISU a 69-67 lead. However, Trevor Morris answered with a basket with 35.9 left to tie the game back up at 69-69. The Bengals took a couple of timeouts to work the clock down, and Stucki, who took a pass and hit Monroe on the backside for the basket and the lead. Idaho never got a shot off as the ball was stripped away in ISU territory, giving the Bengals the win.
The win was the first overtime game win of the season, and it ended an 0-6 overtime streak that stretched to the beginning of last season. It also is the first true non-conference road win of the O'Brien era, as ISU was 0-13 over the past two years. Idaho has now lost five straight overtime games.
The heroics by Monroe certainly weren't expected, as his 32 minutes was a career-high. Chron Tatum started as the four, but Monroe was solid all night, scoring a career-high 12 points and grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds as well. Monroe's heroics would never have been if it weren't for Amorrow Morgan, who stepped up to the free throw line with ISU down 60-58, and calmly sank both with 3.5 seconds left to send it to overtime.
"I felt I was open, so I went to an open spot, and Stucki hit me, and it went in," said Monroe after the game. "It feels good, our first Division I win, our first road win, our first overtime win...it feels real good". His coach Joe O'Brien also echoed that sentiment.
"No matter how we won it, one overtime, double overtime, on the road, whatever, this team needed a win, and it wasn't always pretty, but we defended well, and we hit shots when we had to."
Idaho State led 28-19 at the half, and once ISU took the lead 50 seconds into the game, ISU led for all but 15 seconds, and everything looked safe when it was 58-52 with 1:31 left, but Clyde Johnson hit a three five seconds after that to make it 58-55, and then ISU turned the ball over, leading to a Jordan Brooks layup with 1:02 left to cut it to 58-57. ISU turned it over again, and Michael Crowell made ISU pay with a long three for a 60-58 Idaho lead with 13.6 left. However, Morgan drove the lane and drew a block call with 3.5 left, hitting both free throws, setting up the overtime battle.
The win was ISU's fourth in a row in the series. Stucki's career-high night was huge for ISU, and the Bengals needed all 26 of his points, which came on 11-for-16 shooting, with three three-pointers. Along with Monroe's 12 points and 10 boards, Austin Kilpatrick added 11 points. Michael Crowell had 20 for the Vandals, Trevor Morris had 14, and Clyde Johnson and Darin Nagle each had 13.
ISU shot .460 from the field, and ISU was solid from three, hitting 5-of-11, a .455 clip. ISU was also solid from the line at .714, going 20-of-28, and ISU outrebounded the Vandals 44-31. Idaho shot just .385 from the field.
The Bengals now get to come home and go for another mythical state title as the Bengals host the Boise State Broncos (5-2) on Wednesday night at 7:05 pm in Holt Arena.
NOTES: The win was ISU's first road overtime win since defeating Portland 96-90 on November 17, 2001 ... Stucki's previous best was 23 against Rocky Mountain last year ... ISU overcame 21 turnovers, and ISU was outscored on points off turnovers 26-2.
