Dec. 11, 2008
Final Stats
Green Bay, WI --- It started so well for Idaho State, but the finish is one they would much rather forget. Down just three at 51-48 in the second half, ISU went stone cold, going scoreless for almost nine minutes, fueling a 15-0 run that didn't end until a minute was left as the Green Bay Phoenix surged past the Bengals 68-53.
Idaho State was blistering at the start, opening an 18-7 lead on the Phoenix, but after a timeout, it was a different ballgame, as Green Bay battled back to tie it at 25 with an 18--7 run of their own. The lead changed hands a few times towards the end of the half, with Kal Bay hitting his 12th point with 10 seconds left for a one point lead, but Rahmon Fletcher beat the buzzer at the other end to give Green Bay a 35-34 lead at the half.
ISU responded to start the second with a third Bay three, the last of his 15 points, and a pair of free throws from Lucas Steijn to make it 41-39, but the Phoenix went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back threes by Cotton, who was 6-of-9 from three-point land on the night.
The Bengals had another kick in them, and scored nine of the next 11 points, and after Matt Stucki rose up in the lane with 9:58 to go, it was 51-48 Green Bay. Terry Evans answered with a basket, and then Stucki missed a three, got his own rebound, and flipped it to Bay, who missed a three as well. After a stop, ISU suffered another miss, and Devidias Busma looked to have a blocked shot, but he was whistled for a foul, and that put the nation's top free throw shooting team to the line, and that wasn't good for ISU as Green Bay hit 11-of-12 for the night.
That Evans jumper his two free throws kicked started ISU's free fall, as Green Bay went on a 15-0 run that gave them a 66-48 lead. That run was compounded by ISU's struggles from the line, as Stucki, Amorrow Morgan, and Lucas Steijn all missed the front ends of one-and-ones during the run. Demetrius Monroe, who scored 14 with a team-high eight rebounds finally ended the run with a layup with 54.1, but the game was long over by then.
Idaho State now gets nine days to regroup before facing perhaps their biggest test of the season, hosting Utah State on Saturday night December 20th at Holt Arena.
NOTES: Monroe tied his season-high for the fourth time this year ... ISU's seven threes were a season-high ... the Bengals shot 59% in the first half and 28% in the second ... Along with Monroe's 14 and Bay's 15, Stucki was the other double-figure scorer with 10 ... ISU was outrebounded by 33-28 ... every Bengal that played had a turnover except for Phyllip Taylor.
