Big Sky First Round Recap

Idaho State 74, Montana 73
Montana forward Ryan Pederson’s desperation 3-pointer clanked off the rim, giving Idaho State a narrow 74-73 victory in the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Tournament. The No. 3-seeded Bengals win avenges two regular season losses to the No. 6-seeded Grizzlies and sets up a semifinal match-up with No. 2-seed Northern Arizona in Cheney, Washington on Tuesday.

Idaho State point guard Marquise Poole recorded nineteen points and two assists as the Bengals committed only seven turnovers. Poole, led the conference in both scoring (18.8) and assists (6.1) this season, converted 7-of-11 field goals and all five free throws. Shooting guard Jeff Gardner had thirteen points and eight assists. Bengal forward Scott Henry recorded a double-double with 24 points and ten rebounds on 11-of-14 shooting. The Bengals shot 59 percent as a team.

Point guard Roy Booker led the Grizzlies with seventeen points, while shooting guard Kevin Criswell and forward Kamarr Davis scored eleven and twelve points, respectively. Davis also grabbed ten rebounds.

Weber State 68, Sacramento State 62
Weber State power forward Slobodan Ocokoljic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to knock off Sacramento State 68-62. In No. 4-seeded Sac State’s first ever tournament game played at home, they shot 32 percent from the field including 6-of-26 from 3-point range. The No. 5-seeded Wildcats advance to face No. 1 seed Eastern Washington in the semifinals on Tuesday on the Eagles’ home court.

Wildcat center Lance Allred recorded a double-double with ten points and eleven rebounds, while shooting guard John Hamilton scored twelve points.

The Hornets, down five midway through the second half, had a chance to take over the game forcing turnovers on three-straight Wildcat possessions, but failed to convert on several open looks at the basket. The Hornets had fourteen steals and forced 19 turnovers from the Bengals. The Hornets also attempted nineteen more shots, but made three fewer field goals.