Feb. 12, 2009
Final Stats
Printable Idaho State/Portland State Box Score 
Pocatello, ID --- Down 10 at the half and sitting with just four points, Matt Stucki nearly willed the Bengals to victory, scoring 21 second half points, including number 1,000 in his career, as Idaho State raced past the Portland State Vikings, ranked #13 in the latest Mid Major Poll, 78-69, pushing ISU into a tie for fifth place, and leaving them a half-game out of fourth.
The game was literally a tale of two halves, but it was the second that put ISU on the road to victory, as the Bengals mustered up 55 second half points after getting just 23 in the first. It was a good things fans didn't come out late, because they might have missed that first half. The entire half took just 29 minutes to play as there was just five fouls called the entire half, and there were just six turnovers and one free throw. The Vikings were able to withstand a torrid ISU shooting start to take a 33-23 lead into the intermission.
ISU hit 7-of-9 to open the game, but ended the half just 4-for-21. PSU meanwhile hit five threes, and outrebounded ISU 21-14 in the half, with Andre Murray scorching ISU for 15 points. Stucki, who entered the game needing 13 points for 1,000, had but four to start.
The second half however, was a much different story. The Bengals opened the half on an 8-0 run, punctuated by back-to-back dunks by Lucas Steijn and Chron Tatum. The Viks responded with five quick points, but Stucki then started his second half run, hitting a three with 14:27 to tie it at 38. Lucas Steijn then gave ISU the lead for good with a pair of free throws at the 13:32 mark, and free throws would be a running theme of the second half, as the teams combined for 34 fouls in the second half after just five in the first, and 46 free throws in the second half after just one in the first.
Stucki hit a free throw at the 12:17 mark to get to 1,000, and he received a standing ovation at the media timeout. Then after a layup by Amorrow Morgan in his first game back after the passing of his father made it 48-40, Phil Nelson was called for an illegal screen, and Portland State Ken Bone argued the call, getting a pair of technical fouls and getting ejected in the process. Stucki stepped up and hit all four free throws to make it 52-40, ISU's largest lead of the game, and those points capped a 29-7 start to the half.
ISU nursed that lead before PSU chipped away, hitting several threes in a 19-6 run, including two by Dominic Waters, the final one with 3:30 left to make it a 60-59 ISU lead. However, Chron Tatum responded after an ISU timeout with a fast break layup and free throw to make it 63-59, and after a Jeremiah Dominguez miss, Donnie Carson added a pair of free throws. PSU, down six, then missed four three-pointers on the same possession, and by the time ISU got the rebound, there was just 1:21 left, and ISU got a quick Morgan layup on the other end on an inbounds pass and the lead was eight. From there, ISU had to hit free throws, and they did, going 9-for-10 in the final 57.4 of the game to seal Joe O'Brien's first win over Portland State.
"I was really disappointed with the basketball team in the first half. We played OK defense, but we didn't rebound. We didn't turn the ball over, but we didn't rebound and we took bad shots, and I told the kids doing one thing out of three well isn't going to cut it," said head coach Joe O'Brien. "In the second half they took note, I mean we scored 23 in the first half and 55 in the second ... go figure."
For Stucki, he became the 18th Bengal to 1,000 points, and he now sits at 1,012, good for 17th on the list ahead of Ev Fopma. He also is just the second Bengal to have 1,000 points, 100 three-pointers and 100 steals, joining David Schroeder on that list, to which Stucki noted, "David did that in three years."
Matt said the milestone was even better coming in a win. "It's nice but I want to finish my career out strong, and that's more on my mind. We hadn't beaten Portland since my freshman year, so this is good, and hopefully we can continue what we started tonight."
The Bengals had five players in double-figures as they scored in the 70s in back-to-back games for the second time this year. Along with Stucki's 25, Donnie Carson, Chron Tatum, and Amorrow Morgan all had 13 points, with Tatum adding 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. Lucas Steijn added 10 points. Portland State was led by Andre Murray's 24 points, and then Dominguez added 17.
The Bengals outshot Portland State .464 to .400, but PSU outrebounded ISU for the game 35-33. Idaho State now hosts Eastern Washington on Saturday afternoon at 4:07 pm in a game to be broadcast on Altitude Sports.
NOTES: Morgan was 3-for-6 from the line, and the rest of the team was 21-of-22 ... the win guaranteed the 33rd winning season in 36 in Holt Arena for the Bengals ... ISU had just seven turnovers, and allowed just eight points off turnovers after allowing 30 in the first meeting between the teams in Portland ... Portland State racked up 18 assists on 24 baskets.
