Feb. 24, 2008
Final Stats
Pocatello, ID --- The University of Montana outscored Idaho State 14-5 in overtime to steal a win away from the Bengals 72-63, but no one who was there, or watching television, will remember that part of it. Instead, the game will be remembered for the end of regulation, where a Chris Webber-like timeout by Jordan Hasquet was granted, and then disallowed, putting the game into overtime instead of putting the Bengals to the free throw line with 0.4 left. The tough part is it was all on tape, and it was all reviewable.
First, the overtime, when the Grizzlies kept their conference tournament hopes alive by salvaging a split with the Bengals. The Griz banged home the first five points of the overtime period before ISU answered with an Austin Kilpatrick three with 1:52 left. After the teams traded points, Montana led 65-63 with 1:05 left, but Cameron Rundles, mired in a horrendous shooting slump, drained a three at the shot clock buzzer for a 68-63 lead with 30.6 left. Jordan Hasquet then blocked Matt Stucki's fastbreak three attempt, and the Griz would hold on to win, hitting four free throws at the end.
It was Hasquet that was around all the controversy. He created the whole mess by drilling a three-pointer with 16.1 left to tie the game at 58. After a timeout, ISU brought the ball up, and Matt Stucki's fade-away three was well short, and Hasquet grabbed the rebound with two ticks left. Hasquet then called for a timeout with 1.2 seconds left, and lead official Eric Curry signaled for the timeout with 0.4 left on the clock, and the clock then expired.
Curry pointed to Hasquet to grant the timeout, and Hasquet dropped his head, knowing his team did not have any timeouts. That should have put the Bengals on the free throw line with 0.4 left, except there was one problem ... the timeout was rescinded. Curry spoke with a pool reporter to explain the decision. "As the time was running down, the player called timeout. It is not when he calls timeout, it's the point of recognition. I recognized he called timeout, I blew my whistle, and it was instantaneous with the horn. In my judgment it's instantaneous. A play like that is not reviewable."
However, according to the 2008 NCAA Rule Book, that play is in fact reviewable. According to Rule 2, Section 13, Article 2, c-2, (page 57) officials can review a play to "determine whether a timing mistake has occurred in either starting or stopping the game clock.", and point c-3 say that officials can review a play to "Determine the correct time to be placed back on the game clock when the referee blows the whistle, signals for the game clock to be stopped, and in his/her judgment time has elapsed before the game clock stopped."
The review would have showed what a national television audience saw, which was the timeout being granted, and ISU would have gotten two free throws with 0.4 left. Interestingly, Montana would have kept the ball and had a chance to inbound for the win.
The ending marred what was a fantastic game worthy of being broadcast nationally on the Altitude Game of the Week, and it continued one of the tightest series in recent Big Sky memory, as the game marked the third time that the two teams played to overtime, and the other game was won by ISU on a shot with 3.2 left.
Idaho State looked to have the game in hand when Donnie Carson drained all three free throws for a 56-50 lead with 3:59 left in the game, but Montana chipped their way back in it. Down five at 58-53, Andrew Strait, who finished with 22, hit a basket to make it 58-55 with 1:29 left. Both teams missed an opportunity, and Demetrius Monroe had a chance to ice the game with 30.6 left, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Hasquet's three followed after an offensive rebound, setting up the final moments, and the ensuing controversy.
The outcome also ruined senior day for ISU, as the Bengals had a pair of seniors, Logan Kinghorn and Cory O'Brien, playing in their final home games. The Bengals, who would have clinched a berth in the conference tournament and kept alive their hopes of a #2 seed with a win. Instead, the Bengals are tied for fourth with Montana and Montana State, and ISU probably needs to win one of their two remaining games at Sacramento State on Thursday or at Northern Arizona on Saturday to get into the tournaments, although ISU will need some help to get a home game, something that would have been much closer to happening with a win against Montana.
Amorrow Morgan led ISU with 14 points, Carson had 13, and Monroe had 11. For the Griz, Andrew Strait had 22, Hasquet had 13, and Ryan Staudacher had 10. Strait and Hasquet both had double-doubles as well.
NOTES: Idaho State and Montana have split the regular season series the last two years, each winning on the other floor both times ... Idaho State finished the conference season 5-3 at home, and 7-5 in Holt overall, although ISU could host a conference tournament game with at least one win and some help ... ISU hasn't swept a team all season.
