ISU Bengal

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Cody Fowers Logan Kinghorn celebrates during the last two seconds of ISU's narrow victory over Montana St.

In a game that featured four technical fouls, one ejection, seven lead changes and 2,190 screaming fans, the Idaho State Bengals, lead by Logan Kinghorn's game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, picked up a hard fought 67-65 victory over Montana Saturday night.

Despite the Grizzlies connecting on 12 3-pointers (seven in the first half) and losing Donnie Carson to an ejection for pushing an opposing player, Idaho State was able to maintain the lead that they built down the stretch in the second half and advance to the second round against Portland State in the Big Sky tournament.

The Bengals fell behind quickly, 11-2, to begin the game and trailed 32-26 at half, but came out on fire in the second half, shooting nearly 78 percent from the field, all while holding a 36-24 rebounding margin. Prior to the conference tournament match-up, Idaho State was an astounding 1-17 when trailing at halftime.

Idaho State displayed a balanced scoring attack, as Donnie Carson had 10 points and five rebounds, and Matt Stucki added 11 points. Austin Kilpatrick, who was sick all week, hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks.

"My teammates just found me open, on the baseline and coming off a screen," Kilpatrick said about his 3-point conversions. "Both times, they were just good looks and I felt comfortable with my release, let it go and they went in."

Montana's six-foot guard Matt Martin made five 3-pointers (5-for-9) and was the Grizzlies' leading scorer with 16 points. Martin was the beneficiary of a double-technical foul following a mid-court conflict with Donnie Carson. Carson was ejected from the game with 1:48 remaining, leaving his team with a six-point lead 61-55.

Down seven with 39 seconds remaining, Andrew Strait's lay-up cut the Bengal lead to 64-59. Expecting to foul following the basket, Montana was instead awarded with a Kilpatrick turnover. Martin would nail a pull-up 3-pointer with 14 seconds left making it 64-62. Stucki would then make two free throws to extend the Bengal lead to four. After a Grizzly missed three, Demetrius Monroe would make one of two free throws to close out the game. Cameron Rundles would connect on another 3-pointer at the buzzer, but all too little too late.

Grizzlies' head coach Wayne Tinkle said after the game, "We didn't defend as well as we should have the second half, we didn't rebound the whole game. They played a lot more physical than we did and I think that's where we lost the game."

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