Nov. 7, 2008
Final Stats
Pocatello, ID --- Amorrow Morgan and Kal Bay both came off the bench to score 18 and 15 points apiece, as they helped Idaho State come back from a three-point halftime deficit to defeat a very game Rocky Mountain squad 70-56 in the final exhibition game for the Bengals before their season opener on Friday, November 14 at Reed Gym.
The game capped off a terrific day of events in Reed Gym, and it finished off a three event sweep after volleyball came from behind for a 3-2 win over Sacramento State, and the women's basketball team defeated Concordia (CA) 71-42.
However, after a fairly lethargic first half, the Bengals trailed 28-25, and even that could have been a lot worse. Matt Stucki took a perfect feed to finish off a two-on-one fast break with a thundering dunk to make it 19-16 at the 8:10 mark, but Rocky Mountain went on a 12-0 run aided by seven Bengal turnovers and six straight missed free throws. However, ISU ended that run with a pair of Donnie Carson free throws with 1:52 left, and then he finished the half with two more after a Demetrius Monroe layup to cut the margin at the break to 28-25.
Rocky Mountain took their biggest lead in the second half quickly on a basket to make it 30-25, but ISU eventually roared back. First, Bay hit a long three, and then Morgan hit a free throw and made a pretty jumper in the lane to tie it at 33 apiece. After the teams traded baskets, Morgan gave ISU the lead for good with another jumper off the dribble. Up 41-37, Bay stole a ball near ISU's free throw line and raced in for an uncontested layup, and his third three-pointer of the night (on just three attempts) moments later gave ISU an 11-point lead. From there, the lead wavered between 10 and 18 points for the rest of the night.
The Bengals played so well in the second half that it might have been a straight blowup if not for Chase Sukut, the younger brother of former Bengal Chadd Sukut, who finished with 13 points, making his final four shots, several of the circus variety.
Morgan did not start due to an illness during the week that limited him in practice, and Bay is recovering from a stomach muscle issue which forced him to wear a protective vest, but both looked in midseason form. Morgan was 7-of-8 from the field for his 18 points, and Bay was 5-of-8, 3-of-3 from the three, and he added a team-high four assists.
The Bengals, who defeated Rocky Mountain 84-69 in the exhibition season last year, clamped down defensively again, allowing the Battlin' Bears to shoot just .393, and outrebounding them 39-24. In addition, the Bengals blocked 11 shots, with Devidias Busma racking up six.
The Bengals finished the exhibition season 2-0, and now move into the regular season with their season opener on Friday, November 14 against Eastern Oregon at Reed Gym. That game tips off at 7:05 pm.
NOTES: Busma recorded 11 blocked shots in the two exhibition games, but he did foul out on Friday night ... Tom Taylor missed the game with the after-effects of a sprained ankle suffered against Montana Tech ... Amorrow Morgan hit his first six shots ... ISU was at one time 2-for-8 from the line in the game, but they finished 17-for-20.
