POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State men's basketball lost to the Montana Grizzlies 59-58 in a close game in Reed Gym on Saturday.
The Bengals trailed 32-19 at halftime and by as many as 15 points in the second half. With Montana leading 42-27 with 10:03 to play in the game, the Bengals made a run to cut the lead nine at several different points in the game.
With Montana leading 55-44 with 4:34 left in the game, the Bengals went on a 14-3 over the next three minutes to tie the game at 58 with 1:08 to play after a layup by Daxton Carr.
During the Bengal run to tie the game, Robert Ford III scored 11 points, hitting two 3-pointers and going 5-5 from the free throw line.
The game tying basket by Carr came via a Malik Porter block. The Grizzlies earned the win by hitting one of two free throws with two seconds left.
Ford III led the team with 18 points, five assists, six rebounds and two steals. Brayden Parker had 10 points and Emmit Taylor III had nine points going 3-5 behind the three-point line. The Bengals shot 37.5 percent from the field while Montana finished the game shooting 37.8 percent.
Idaho State was out rebounded 33-31 and turned the ball over 17 times and forced 18 Montana turnovers. Porter had a team-best nine rebounds.
The Bengals are now 8-3 inside Reed Gym.
ISU heads to Eastern Washington University on Wednesday March 3 and Friday, March 5 in its last conference games of the season.
