POCATELLO, Idaho — Gus Etchison delivered one of the most electric performances in Idaho State history Saturday afternoon, erupting for a career-high 36 points to lead the Bengals past Montana State 91–76 inside Reed Gym.
Etchison's 36 points are tied for the 34th-highest single-game scoring performance in Idaho State men's basketball history and marked the most by a Bengal in a game since Ethan Telfair dropped 37 against North Dakota on Jan. 9th, 2015. The win completed a home sweep of the Montana schools for the second straight season and marked Idaho State's largest victory over Montana State since a 101–78 win in 2018. The Bengals improved to 12-17 overall and 5-11 in Big Sky play with their second straight victory.
"Slump... we've forgotten about it," head coach Ryan Looney said. "Happy for our guys. I thought we had a great week of practice, probably as good as we've had all year. Everyone was spirited and motivated, and the results showed on game day."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Montana State opened on a quick 5–0 run, but Idaho State never wavered. Lachlan Brewer scored inside to steady the Bengals, and Jamison Guerra followed with a layup as the energy began to shift.
When Etchison entered midway through the first half, the pace of the game changed completely.
"It was just fun," Etchison said. "Coach kind of let me get in my groove a little bit. Luckily shots were falling and I felt like this was a game that I could take my guy off the dribble to the basket."
Etchison attacked relentlessly off ball screens, finishing through contact and knocking down perimeter shots, guiding the Bengals to a 23-0 run in the first seven minutes of him playing, giving the Bengals a 27-8 advantage at the 9:06 mark in the first half.
"Playing harder than what we were the previous three or four weeks," Looney said of the defensive effort. "And some of that had to do with the combination of players we had on the floor together."
By halftime, Idaho State had built a commanding 50–30 lead while shooting 65.5 percent from the field, both the highest marks in any half this season for the Bengals. Etchison poured in 22 first-half points, controlling tempo and forcing the Bobcats into difficult matchups.
In the second half, Montana State began sending help toward Etchison.
"After scoring the ball pretty well, I noticed in the second half they were kind of helping off a lot," Etchison said. "With a team like us, that's hard to do because we have so many shooters. It just makes my job easy. Two people come at me and everyone else on the court is a knockdown shooter."
Etchison not only continued scoring but also distributed, finishing with a career high eight assists. Idaho State maintained separation with timely baskets from Connor Hollenbeck and Brewer, and interior finishes from Caleb Van De Griend.
"We thought the ball screen with the 5-man would be our advantage," Looney said. "I thought Gus really took advantage of it, not just scoring, but he had eight assists too. That's elite point guard play."
Montana State trimmed the deficit to 15 midway through the half, but Idaho State answered every push. Late dunks from Louis Bond and Blake Daberkow ignited the Reed Gym crowd and sealed the 15-point victory.
PLAYER STATS
Lachlan Brewer finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks, connecting on three three-pointers. Connor Hollenbeck added 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists while going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Martin Kheil contributed five points and three rebounds, and Jamison Guerra chipped in four points.
The Idaho State bench once again proved decisive for Ryan Looney & Co., led by Etchison's career night. Etchison exploded for 36 points on 15-of-25 shooting and 3-of-8 from three, adding eight assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
Caleb Van De Griend delivered a near double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, continuing his efficient interior play.
"When Gus is going off like that, it allows me to get to my spots," Van De Griend said. "All the help has to go to him, so I know I'm going to have put-backs or easy opportunities."
Van De Griend also praised his teammate's explosiveness.
"He's an amazing player," Van De Griend said. "When he gets going, he gets going. Every time he shoots it, I'm not mad because it's probably going in."
Louis Bond added seven points and brought energy defensively, while Blake Daberkow chipped in four points and two assists. Cheikh Sow added two points and five rebounds.
The Bengals' reserves totaled 58 points, the most bench points in a game this season.
TEAM STATS
Idaho State shot 57.6 percent (34-of-59) from the field, their highest of the season, 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from three, and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the free-throw line. The Bengals finished with 35 rebounds and were plus-16 on the glass.
"You've got to win the possession battle, which we did," Looney said. "And if you look at the rebounding, we were plus-16."
The Bengals would also end the contest with six blocks, three steals, 14 assists, and committed 13 turnovers.
Montana State shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) overall, the lowest shooting percentage Idaho State has held an opposing team to since holding Idaho to 41.5% on Jan. 15th. The Bobcats also shot 42.1% from three (7-23) and 77.8% (21-27) from the charity stripe. MSU would end the game with 19 rebounds, nine assists, one block, 10 steals, and eight turnovers committed.
BENGAL BITES
• Idaho State has their first multi game winning streak since defeating NAU & Idaho on Jan. 10th & 15th.
• The win completed a home sweep of the Montana schools for the second straight season, the first time since the 2007-09 seasons.
• The 15-point victory is the Bengals' largest over Montana State since 2018.
• Gus Etchison's 36 points are tied for the 34th-highest single-game scoring performance in program history and tied for the most by a Bengal this season & the most since 2015.
• Idaho State shot 65.5 percent and scored 50 points in the first half, both marking the highest in any half this season.
• The Bengals were plus-16 on the glass and scored 58 bench points, the most this season.
"This is the best time to get hot," Etchison said. "I feel like we can beat anybody."
