POCATELLO, Idaho — Gus Etchison delivered a career performance Thursday night, scoring 29 points to lead Idaho State past Montana 73–69 inside Reed Gym.
Etchison's 29 points were tied for the most in a game by a Bengal this season, and they came at a critical time. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak and marked Idaho State's first victory in over a month, since defeating Idaho on Jan. 15. The Bengals improved to 11-17 overall and 4-11 in Big Sky play.
."Proud of our guys," head coach
Ryan Looney said. "Obviously we've had a tough few weeks, but I thought we had a great week of practice and preparation, and that showed tonight against a really good opponent."
When Idaho State needed a response, Etchison answered.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Montana came out scorching, hitting 10 of its first 12 shots and building a 22–14 lead at the 11:58 mark of the first half. Idaho State responded by turning to a lineup that changed the energy of the game.
"We thought midway through the first half we found a group of five that was playing extremely hard," Looney said. "That changed our fate defensively. We just made the decision to roll with that group as much as we possibly could."
That unit, fueled by bench energy, chipped away at the deficit before Etchison punctuated the half in dramatic fashion.
With the score tied at 37 and seconds remaining, Etchison drove downhill and soared for an emphatic dunk at the buzzer to give Idaho State a 39–37 halftime lead..
"We called timeout and told him no matter what, you've got to put your head down and get downhill," Looney said. "Worst case, get fouled and shoot two free throws. I didn't imagine he was going to get that close to the rim."
Louis Bond called the play "magical."
"That was uplifting," Bond said. "Going into halftime with that gave us a different type of spark."
Montana answered in the second half, using a 14-3 run capped by a Grant Kepley and-1 at 13:41 to build a 54–46 lead. Etchison again took over.
He drilled a three at the 10:44 mark to cut the deficit to one. Less than a minute later, he hit another triple to swing the lead back to Idaho State.
"I looked up and saw four on the shot clock," Etchison said. "I just had to shoot it. Luckily it went in."
With 4:42 remaining, Etchison connected again from beyond the arc to push the lead to seven, capping a decisive surge.
Montana closed within two in the final minute, but Bond calmly converted two free throws with 15 seconds left to seal the 73–69 victory.
"I have confidence in my free throws," Bond said. "It's just like any other shot."
PLAYER STATS
Lachlan Brewer finished with 11 points and three rebounds, while Martin Kheil added seven points and two assits. Connor Hollenbeck contributed four points and two rebounds, Jamison Guerra scored two with two rebounds, and Evan Otten added two points and two blocks.
The Idaho State bench would deliver for Ryan Looney & Co. tonight, led by Gus Etchison who had a career performance with 29 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. He also added a season-high five rebounds and two steals. Louis Bond contributed eight points, a career high five rebounds, and a career high three steals, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, including the final two that put the game on ice. Caleb Van De Griend totaled six points on 2-4 shooting and three rebounds. Blake Daberkow posted four points, six rebounds, and a career high four blocks, impacting the game defensively. Cheikh Sow grabbed six rebounds and provided critical interior defense during key stretches.
The Bengals' reserves totaled 47 points, nearly two-thirds of the team's scoring output, and the most bench points scored in any game for the Bengals this season.
TEAM STATS
Idaho State shot 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field, 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from three, and 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the free-throw line.Idaho State ended the game with 33 rebounds, eight assists, either steals, seven blocks, and 12 turnovers committed.
After Montana shot 52 percent in the first half, Idaho State tightened its defensive coverage in the second half.
"We adjusted our ball screen coverage," Looney said. "And that group of five played extremely hard."
Montana would end the contest shooting 45.8 percent (22-48) from the field, 42.9 percent (9-21) from deep, and 72.7 percent (16-22) at the charity stripe. The Griz would end the ball game with 29 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, one block, and committed 14 turnovers.
BENGAL BITES
• Idaho State earns its first win in over a month, last defeating Idaho on Jan. 15.
• Gus Etchison's 29 points are tied for the most by a Bengal in a game this season.
• The Bengals' bench scored 47 points, the most in any game this season
• Blake Daberkow posted a career-high four blocks.
• Louis Bond went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, including two clutch makes in the final 15 seconds.
