North Dakota State Rallies Past Idaho State

POCATELLO, Idaho- Hot shooting in the final four minutes of the game allowed North Dakota State to rally past Idaho State, 67-62, on Monday night in the first day of the Global Sports Tournament at Utah State University.

The Bengals led by as many as 10 points in the first half and 47-46 with 4:37 left in the game. North Dakota State then went on a 17-6 run to lead 63-53 with 45 seconds left to earn the victory.

"There are a lot of combinations that go into a game on whether you win or lose," Idaho State coach Bill Evans said. "We didn't rebound the ball well and we were 6-22 from the three-point line. We typically shoot 41 percent from there. We turned the ball over way too much (16 turnovers) and only got to the free throw line nine times. North Dakota State is a very good team."

Ali Faruq-Bey led the Bengal offense with 14 points off the bench in 22 minutes of play. Ethan Telfair had 13 points and five assists and Geno Luzcando had 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Bengals shot 48 percent in the first half but was held to 31 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. Idaho State was out rebounded 42-36 and had 15 assists to 16 turnovers. North Dakota State shot 40.7 percent from the field and was led in scoring by Paul Miller's 17 points.

The Bengals trailed early at 11-7 but then went on a 9-2 run to take a 16-13 lead with 11:53 left in first half after a Luzcando layup. ISU built its lead to 29-19 with 5:49 to play in the period thanks to a layup by Kyle Ingram and they also led 31-21 before going into the break with a 33-27 lead.

The Bengals maintained the lead throughout most of the second half until the final five minutes. The Bison took the lead for good at 48-47 and never looked back.

"I thought we played hard enough to win," Evans said. "We just didn't make shots. The effort was good enough and I thought Geno Luzcando played really good tonight."

Idaho State continues play Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. vs. host school Utah State. The game can be heard live on 101.1 KEIR.  The Bengals then play UT Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 5:30 p.m.

"Utah State is athletic and can rebound the ball," Evans said.