Â
POCATELLO, Idaho- In a game that was a back and forth contest with 14 ties and 12 lead changes, CSUN hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Idaho State 79-76 on Saturday afternoon at The Matadome in Northridge, Calif.
Ethan Telfair led the Bengal scoring with 26 points and
Brandon Boyd had 22. Telfair had five rebounds and seven assists to go with his scoring output. He was 13-14 from the free throw line. Boyd was 8-14 from the field.
Novak Topalovic had 12 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
"I thought my guys played hard, well and together," Idaho State coach
Bill Evans said. "My team played hard and really competed. We had good performances and fought really hard."
Idaho State shot 45.3 percent from the field and was 20-23 from the free throw line. The Bengals only turned the ball over 11 times.
CSUN shot 58.2 percent from the field and out rebounded the Bengals 31-27. The Matadors had 13 turnovers and was 11-18 from the foul line. CSUN shot 61.5 percent in the second half.
"We had a hard time guarding them in the post," Evans said.
The Bengals trailed 76-73 with less than 30 seconds to play when
Geno Luzcando hit a 3-pointer to tie game at 76 with eight seconds to play. Tavrion Dawson then hit his winning 3-pointer as time expired.
"The difference in the game is a 3-pointer at the end." Evans said.
No team held a lead bigger than six points in the first half. CSUN held an 11-5 advantage with 13:10 to play in the period. The Matadors led 38-37 with 1:49 remaining when ISU scored the final six points to lead 43-38 at the break.
ISU built its biggest lead of the game at 53-40 with 16:59 to play after a three-point play by Boyd. The Matadors then went on a 20-3 run to take a 60-56 lead with 8:10 left in the game
The Bengals took a 73-72 lead with 2:14 to play before CSUN was able to finish the game and earn the victory.
Idaho State plays at No. 17 Wisconsin on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. mountain time. ESPN 3 will televise the broadcast.
Â
Â
