Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

ISU coach suspended

First-year Idaho State men’s basketball coach Joe O’Brien was suspended for one game by the Big Sky Conference, following comments he made about the officiating during the Bengals’ 67-65 loss to Portland State on Saturday.

“I don’t think you call a foul with 25 seconds left in the game and put a player on the free-throw line,” O’Brien said after the game. “I don’t think you do that unless it’s a foul, a hard foul, an obvious foul. I think there were too many soft fouls.”

Shortly after ISU took a 65-64 lead in the second half, ISU’s David Schroeder was called for a foul that put PSU on the line. That ultimately provided the difference.

O’Brien did not shake Portland State head coach Ken Bone’s hand following the game, but said that he forgot to do so.

O’Brien will sit Thursday’s home game against Northern Arizona, but he can return to action for the Bengals’ game Saturday at home against Sacramento State. O’Brien can coach the team up until Thursday, including the game-day shoot-around. Though O’Brien cannot have any contact with the team during the game, and is not permitted to sit in the stands.

ESPN BracketBusters pairings announced

Four Big Sky teams found out their respective match-ups for the fifth annual ESPN BracketBusters Saturday weekend.

With teams being determined prior to the start of this season, two Big Sky teams will host the games which were created to give mid-majors a chance to play on national television in hopes to improve their NCAA tournament resume. Two more Big Sky teams will travel.

Montana will host Pacific and Northern Arizona will host San Jose State in home games for Big Sky teams.

Both Montana and Pacific lost to Boston College in last season’s NCAA tournament. Pacific lost to the Eagles in overtime in the first round, while Montana lost in the second round. This season Pacific is 7-12, as of Jan. 29, and is 3-3 in the Big West Conference.

San Jose State is struggling at 2-18, and NAU is the reigning Big Sky Conference regular season champion.

Portland State will travel to play Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly is 7-1 at home thus far this season, while Portland State sports a 14-9 overall record. The Vikings average 77.4 points per game, 36th-best in the nation.

Eastern Washington will travel to play UC-Santa Barbara. It will be a match-up of two of the nation’s best scoring guards. EWU features Rodney Stuckey, the reigning Big Sky player of the year, who averages 24 points per game. UCSB is lead by junior Alex Harris, who averages 21 points per game.

All four games will be played on Saturday, Feb. 17 with game times being announced later.

Player of the week: David Patten, Weber State, and Andrew Strait, Montana

Eastern Washington Eagles (11-11 overall, 5-5 conference)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 25: Eastern Washington 100, Sacramento State 85
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 27: Weber State 93, Eastern Washington 84
This week’s games
Feb. 1 at Montana State
Feb. 3 at Montana
Against the Hornets, Rodney Stuckey scored at least 30 points for the 12th time in his collegiate career, as he scored 31. EWU rallied from a 15-point deficit at halftime to win. Paul Butorac scored 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Against the Wildcats, Stuckey picked up a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists, adding six rebounds and four steals in the losing effort. Butorac scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Idaho State Bengals (10-11, 5-3)
Last week’s results
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 25: Weber State 71, Idaho State 58
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 27: Portland State 67, Idaho State 65
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Northern Arizona
Feb. 3 vs. Sacramento State
The Bengals lost their first home game of the season against the Wildcats. David Schroeder scored a team-high 20 points. The Bengals shot just 30.8 percent for the game, including 23.3 in the first half. Against the Vikings, ISU struggled to shoot from the floor for the second game in a row, shooting 22.2 percent in the first half. ISU trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half. Matt Stucki missed a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining that would have given ISU the lead at the time. Schroeder scored a team-high 21 points.

Montana Grizzlies (11-10, 5-3)
Last week’s results
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 25: Montana 74, Northern Arizona 71
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 27: Montana 68, Northern Colorado 51
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Portland State
Feb. 3 vs. Eastern Washington
Against the Lumberjacks, Andrew Strait was perfect from the field, going 11-for-11, to finish with 23 points. Jordan Hasquet added 12 points and six rebounds in a rematch of last season’s Big Sky tournament championship game, which was won by Montana in Flagstaff. Against the Bears, Hasquet scored 17 points with 11 rebounds, and Matt Dlouhy scored 16 points.

Montana State Bobcats (7-14, 4-4)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 25: Montana State 58, Northern Colorado 57
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 27: Northern Arizona 86, Montana State 76
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Eastern Washington
Feb. 3 vs. Portland State
Against the Bears, MSU won its third-straight game, rallying from a 14-point deficit. Nick Dissly and Casey Durham each scored 15 points to lead the way. The Bobcats shot just 33.3 percent from the field, but were 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. Against the Lumberjacks, MSU struggled again from the field, shooting 35.5 percent. Dissly scored 24 points. Branden Johnson and Carlos Taylor each scored 11 points.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (11-10, 6-4)
Last week’s results
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 25: Montana 74, Northern Arizona 71
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 27: Northern Arizona 86, Montana State 76
NAU shot 54.2 percent from the field against the Grizzlies, but made just two 3-pointers. The Lumberjacks went into the game averaging a league-best 7.9 3-pointers made per game, a number that also ranks NAU among the nation’s best. Tyrone Bazy scored a team-high 18 points. Against the Bobcats, Bazy scored 18 points off the bench, and Stephen Sir added 14 points, also off the bench.

Northern Colorado Bears (3-19, 1-9)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 25: Montana State 58, Northern Colorado 57
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 27: Montana 68, Northern Colorado 51
This week’s games
Jan. 31 at Sacramento State
Feb. 1 at Weber State
Against the Bobcats, Northern Colorado lost a conference game by a single point for the third time this season. UNC shot just 39.6 percent for the game, including 3-20 from 3-point range. Kirk Archibeque and Sean Taibi combined to scored just nine points; the two combine to average 30. Tommie Clark scored 12 points off the bench against the Grizzlies, and Chris Kaba added 10, also off the bench. UNC’s starters combined for just 23 points.

Portland State Vikings (14-9, 5-5)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 26: Sacramento State 97, Portland State 93
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 27: Portland State 67, Idaho State 65
This week’s games
Feb. 1 at Montana
Feb. 3 at Montana State
Dupree Lucas scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Hornets, while Scott Morrison had 13 points and four blocks. Against the Bengals, the Vikings led by 18 in the second half, then withstood a late rally. Paul Hafford hit six 3-pointers to finish with 21 points.

Sacramento State Hornets (8-13, 3-5)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 25: Eastern Washington 100, Sacramento State 85
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 26: Sacramento State 97, Portland State 93
This week’s games
Jan. 31 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 3 at Idaho State
Against the Eagles, the Hornets led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Alex Bausley scored 23 points with six steals, five assists and five rebounds, and Loren Leath added 16 points off the bench. The loss was Sacramento State’s fifth in a row. Against the Vikings, Leath scored 23 points, and Kris Groce scored a collegiate-high 20 points with seven assists. Bausley added 17 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Weber State Wildcats (14-9, 7-3)
Last week’s results
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 25: Weber State 71, Idaho State 58
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 27: Weber State 93, Eastern Washington 84
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 3 vs. Northern Arizona
Weber State shot 54 percent from the field to hand ISU its first loss of the season at home. David Patten hit 10-of-15 shots from the field en route to a 23-point effort. Weber then State shot 67.3 percent from the field against the Bengals. Patten scored 21 points with five rebounds, while Arturas Valeika added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Players of the week: Carlos Taylor, Montana State and Dupree Lucas, Portland State

Eastern Washington Eagles (10-10 overall, 4-4 conference)
Last week’s results
At Cheney, Wash., Jan. 18: Northern Arizona 90, Eastern Washington 81
At Cheney, Wash., Jan. 20: Eastern Washington 91, Northern Colorado 79
This week’s games
Jan. 25 at Sacramento State
Jan. 27 at Weber State

Against the Lumberjacks, EWU made just 2-of-14 3-pointers, and was 8-for-22 from the free throw line. Rodney Stuckey scored 24 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Against the Bears, Stuckey, who is just a sophomore, moved into ninth place on the school’s all-time scoring list following a 31-point game. Stuckey also had seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. Paul Butorac and Matt Penoncello each scored 17 points.

Idaho State Bengals (10-9, 5-1)
Last week’s results
At Missoula, Mont., Jan. 18: Idaho State 79, Montana 69
At Bozeman, Mont., Jan. 20: Montana State 58, Idaho State 57
This week’s games
Jan. 25 vs. Weber State
Jan. 27 vs. Portland State

Against the Grizzlies, ISU won in Missoula for just the third time in the past 29 tries. Akbar Abdul-Ahad scored a collegiate-high 26 points, hitting six 3-pointers. David Schroeder added 22 points. Against the Bobcats, ISU suffered its first loss of the conference season in a game they never led. Logan Kinghorn and Schroeder each scored 16 points.

Montana Grizzlies (9-10, 3-3)
Last week’s results
At Missoula, Mont., Jan. 18: Idaho State 79, Montana 69
At Missoula, Mont., Jan. 20: Montana 90, Weber State 86 (OT)
This week’s games
Jan. 25 at Northern Arizona
Jan. 27 at Northern Colorado

Against the Bengals, Matt Dlouhy scored a collegiate-high 27 points with eight rebounds in a losing effort. Montana was 16-for-37 from 3-point range, and Andrew Strait scored just four points. Against the Wildcats, Matt Martin scored a collegiate-high 28 points, hitting 7-of-10 3-pointers. Strait bounced back by scoring 22 points.

Montana State Bobcats (6-13, 3-3)
Last week’s results
At Bozeman, Mont., Jan. 18: Montana State 63, Weber State 48
At Bozeman, Mont., Jan. 20: Montana State 58, Idaho State 57
This week’s games
Jan. 25 at Northern Colorado
Jan. 27 at Northern Arizona

Against the Wildcats, MSU outscored Weber State 43-20 in the second half. The Bobcats trailed 28-20 at the half. Prior to that, MSU was 0-11 when trailing at halftime. Carlos Taylor scored 21 points off the bench. Against the Bengals, Taylor scored 19 points with three rebounds and two assists, also off the bench.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (10-9, 5-3)
Last week’s results
At Cheney, Wash., Jan. 18: Northern Arizona 90, Eastern Washington 81
At Portland, Ore.., Jan. 20: Portland State 83, Northern Arizona 78
This week’s games
Jan. 25 vs. Montana
Jan. 27 vs. Montana State

NAU’s Steven Sir scored 25 points against the Eagles, hitting 7-of-10 3-pointers. NAU shot 54.1 percent from the field in the game. Josh Wilson had a collegiate-high 14 assists. Ryan McCurdy added 18 points, and Tyrone Bazy scored 19 points with five assists off the bench. Against the Vikings, Ruben Boykin Jr. recorded his 10th double-double of the season, scoring 17 points with 13 rebounds. He added seven assists as well. Sir scored 21 points.

Northern Colorado Bears (3-17, 1-7)
Last week’s results
At Portland, Ore., Jan. 18: Portland State 86, Northern Colorado 71
At Cheney, Wash., Jan. 20: Eastern Washington 91, Northern Colorado 79
This week’s games
Jan. 25 vs. Montana State
Jan. 27 vs. Montana

Against the Vikings, the Bears continued their road struggles, dropping to 0-10 on the road this season. Kirk Archibeque scored a team-high 14 points, and Sean Taibi scored 12. UNC was out-rebounded 47-26. Against the Eagles, Archibeque scored 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds. Taibi scored 21 points off the bench, and Dwayne Birden added 15 points off the bench as well.

Portland State Vikings (13-8, 4-4)
Last week’s results
At Portland, Ore.., Jan. 20: Portland State 83, Northern Arizona 78
At Portland, Ore., Jan. 18: Portland State 86, Northern Colorado 71
This week’s games
Jan. 26 at Sacramento State

Dupree Lucas scored a collegiate-high 33 points with four assists and three steals against the Lumberjacks. Lucas made 12-of-21 shots from the field, and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Juma Kamara scored 19 points with 10 rebounds off the bench. Against the Bears, Kamara scored a game-high 25 points. PSU shot 64.3 percent from the field in the first half.

Sacramento State Hornets (7-12, 2-4)
Last week’s results
At San Luis Obispo, Calif., Jan. 16: Cal Poly 74, Sacramento State 65
This week’s games
Jan. 26 vs. Portland State

Against Cal Poly, the Hornets shot just 31.1 percent from the field. Haron Hargrave led four players in double figures with 14 points. Davon Roberts, Angel Alamo and Alex Bausley each scored 13.

Weber State Wildcats (12-9, 5-3)
Last week’s results
At Bozeman, Mont., Jan. 18: Montana State 63, Weber State 48
At Missoula, Mont., Jan. 20: Montana 90, Weber State 86 (OT)
This week’s games
Jan. 25 at Idaho State
Jan. 27 vs. Eastern Washington

WSU made just 3-of-17 shots in the second half against the Bobcats, and blew a 28-20 halftime lead. David Patten and Tyler Billings each scored 13 points. Against the Grizzlies, J.P. Silveira scored 23 points, with six rebounds and five assists. Patten added 19 points.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Memorial set for former Montana State player
Former Montana State center Al Beye was killed in an auto accident on Dec. 15 while visiting his brother in Dillon, Mont.

A memorial has been set to honor Beye, who was named the Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season, and was selected to the all-conference team. The memorial will take place Sunday, Jan. 21 in MSU’s Worthington Arena.

Beye, a 6-foot-11 native of Senegal, finished his playing career with the Bobcats last season as the school’s single-season blocked shot record-holder.

While being known around the Big Sky Conference as a ferocious defender, Beye was an active member in the Bozeman, Mont., community. Beye visited many area classrooms to read to students of all ages. He also helped with various community projects.

According to reports, Beye died nearly instantly in a single car crash while he and his brother were heading to a Christmas party. Alcohol or bad roads were not figured to be factors in the crash.

Players of the Week: Steven Sir, Northern Arizona, and Arturas Valeika, Weber State

Eastern Washington Eagles (9-9 overall, 3-3 conference)
Last week’s results
At Pocatello, Idaho, Jan. 11: Idaho State 78, Eastern Washington 65
At Portland, Ore., Jan. 13: Eastern Washington 88, Portland State 70
This week’s games
Jan. 18 vs. Northern Arizona
Jan. 20 vs. Northern Colorado

Against the Bengals, the Eagles scored a season-low 65 points. Rodney Stuckey scored 17 points with five assists and three steals. The Eagles shot just 38.5 percent from the field for the game. Marcus Hinton scored 13 points off the bench for EWU. Against the Vikings, Stuckey scored 24 points with eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals. He also went 11-for-12 from the free throw line. Paul Butorac scored 21 points as well.

Idaho State Bengals (9-8, 4-0)
Last week’s results
At Pocatello, Idaho, Jan. 11: Idaho State 78, Eastern Washington 65
At Pocatello, Idaho, Jan. 13: Idaho State 70, Northern Colorado 60
This week’s games
Jan. 18 at Montana (TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainment and ESPN FullCourt)
Jan. 20 at Montana State

Against the Eagles, Pocatello native Matt Stucki scored a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench. David Schroeder scored 17 points and surpassed the 1,000-career point mark for his career. He is the 17th player in ISU history to accomplish that feat. Akbar Abdul-Ahad also scored 16 for ISU. Against the Bears, true freshman Austin Kilpatrick scored 16 points. ISU held the Bears to 35.3 percent shooting for the game.

Montana Grizzlies (8-9, 2-2)
Last week’s results
At Missoula, Mont., Jan. 13: Montana 73, Montana State 65
This week’s games
Jan. 18 vs. Idaho State (TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainment and ESPN FullCourt)
Jan. 20 vs. Weber State

Against the Bobcats, the Grizzlies beat the cross-state arch-rivals for the fourth straight game. The game was witnessed by a season-high 5,723 at Dahlberg Arena. Sophomore Jordan Hasquet scored 22 points with eight rebounds in a game that saw the two teams combine for just 54 first-half points.

Montana State Bobcats (4-13, 1-3)
Last week’s results
At Missoula, Mont., Jan. 13: Montana 73, Montana State 65
This week’s games
Jan. 18 vs. Weber State
Jan. 20 vs. Idaho State

Against the Grizzlies, Carlos Taylor scored a team-high 15 points off the bench and Casey Durham scored 14.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (9-8, 4-2)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 11: Northern Colorado 88, Northern Arizona 86
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 13: Northern Arizona 94, Sacramento State 71
This week’s games
Jan. 18 at Eastern Washington
Jan. 20 at Portland State

With the loss against the Bears, the Lumberjacks, the reigning regular season conference champions, dropped to 1-6 on the road this season. Steven Sir scored a collegiate-high 30 points, hitting 10-of-12 shots, including 8-for-10 from 3-point range. Ruben Boykin, Jr., had 22 points and nine rebounds. In the win over the Hornets, NAU shot 77 percent from the field in the second half and 66.7 percent for the game. Sir scored 25 points, hitting 8-of-12, and 7-of-9 3-pointers.

Northern Colorado Bears (3-15, 1-5)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 11: Northern Colorado 88, Northern Arizona 86
At Pocatello, Idaho, Jan. 13: Idaho State 70, Northern Colorado 60
This week’s games
Jan. 18 at Portland State
Jan. 20 at Eastern Washington

Against the Lumberjacks, the Bears picked up their first Big Sky Conference victory with a thrilling victory over NAU. Jefferson Mason hit the game-winning shot with a few seconds remaining after a missed shot. Sean Taibi scored 26 points with six rebounds and three assists for the Bears. Against the Bengals, Taibi scored 15 points with seven rebounds, and the Bears remained winless on the road this season.

Portland State Vikings (11-8, 2-4)
Last week’s results
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 10: Weber State 75, Portland State 65
At Portland, Ore., Jan. 13: Eastern Washington 88, Portland State 70
This week’s games
Jan. 18 vs. Northern Colorado
Jan. 20 vs. Northern Arizona

Against the Wildcats, the Vikings continued to struggle in Ogden, where they have won only once since joining the Big Sky in 1996. Dupree Lucas scored a game-high 21 points for the Vikings, who shot 40.7 percent for the game. Scott Morrison had a balanced game scoring nine points with six blocks, seven rebounds and three steals. The six blocks were the most by a Big Sky player in a game this season. Against the Eagles, Lucas scored 16 points, and Paul Hafford added 11 off the bench.

Sacramento State Hornets (7-11, 2-4)
Last week’s results
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 11: Weber State 88, Sacramento State 68
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 13: Northern Arizona 94, Sacramento State 71
This week’s games
Jan. 16 at Cal Poly

Against the Wildcats, Haron Hargrave scored 23 points, including going 11-for-11 from the free throw line. The Hornets shot just 35.8 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 38-24. Against the Lumberjacks, Hargrave scored 19 points, and Angel Alamo scored 18 points and pulled down nine boards. The Hornets struggled again from the field, shooting just 36.8 percent, and were outscored 52-39 in the second half.

Weber State Wildcats (12-7, 5-1)
Last week’s results
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 10: Weber State 75, Portland State 65
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 11: Weber State 88, Sacramento State 68
This week’s games
Jan. 18 at Montana State
Jan. 20 at Montana

Against the Vikings, Arturas Valeika scored 15 points with 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Tyler Billings scored 14 points off the bench, and Dan Henry scored 13 as well. WSU shot 21-for-27 from the free throw line. Against the Hornets, Valeika registered his second double-double of the week with 20 points and 11 rebounds. David Patten scored 21 points with seven rebounds. The Wildcats shot 73.9 percent from the field in the second half.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the week: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington Eagles (3-3 overall)
Last week’s results
At Cheney, Wash., Nov. 21: Eastern Washington 106, Evergreen State 65
At Seattle, Nov. 24: Washington 90, Eastern Washington 83
At Cheney, Wash., Nov. 27: Eastern Washington 110, Cal State Fullerton 100
This week’s games
Nov. 29 vs. Eastern Oregon
Dev. 3 at Cal State Northridge

Against Evergreen State, Rodney Stuckey led the Eagles in scoring for the 31st straight game with 26 points. EWU had a 20-0 first half run, and shot 61 percent from the field. Against Washington, Stuckey scored 31 points and Omar Krayem scored 18 in front of 10,000-plus in Seattle against the Huskies. Against Cal State Fullerton, Stuckey scored 27 points with nine assists and five steals. Paul Butorac had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Idaho State Bengals (1-4)
Last week’s results
At Pullman, Wash., Nov. 21: Washington State 66, Idaho State 60
At College Station, Texas, Nov. 25: Texas A&M 77, Idaho State 44
This week’s games
Nov. 29 vs. Carroll College (Mont.)
Dec. 2 at Utah State

Against Washington State, David Schroeder had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Akbar Abdul-Ahad and Matt Stucki each added 11 points. ISU led 28-27 at halftime. Against Texas A&M, ISU shot just 28.8 percent from the field, compared to 62.2 percent for the Aggies. Schroeder had a team-high 14 points. Abdul-Ahad and Stucki each had 11 points as well.

Montana Grizzlies (2-4)
Last week’s results
At Orlando, Fla., Nov. 23, Old Spice Classic: West Virginia 73, Montana 56
At Orlando, Fla., Nov. 24, Old Spice Classic: Virginia Tech 77, Montana 56
At Orlando, Fla., Nov. 26, Old Spice Classic: Montana 72, Minnesota 65
This week’s games
Dec. 3 vs. Boise State

Against West Virginia, Andrew Strait scored 14 points with eight rebounds in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN2 on Thanksgiving Day. Jordan Hasquet also scored in double figures for the Grizzlies with 12. Against Virginia Tech, the Griz lost their fourth straight game. Hasquet had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Matt Dlouhy had 12 points, and Matt Martin scored 11 off the bench. Against Minnesota, Strait scored a team-high 17 points to beat the Gophers. Bryan Ellis scored 10 points and dished out 10 assists.

Montana State Bobcats (2-4)
Last week’s results
At Bozeman, Mont., Nov. 22: Montana State 84, Montana-Western 59
At Bozeman, Mont., Nov. 26: Oregon State 72, Montana State 63
This week’s games
Nov. 29 at Fresno State
Dec. 2 vs. Wyoming (at Billings, Mont.)

Against Montana-Western, freshman Branden Johnson scored 16 points off the bench to lead the Bobcats. Nick Dissly added 14 points as well for MSU. The Bobcats outscored Montana-Western 52-28 in the second half. Against Oregon State, Dissly scored a team-high 22 points with seven rebounds, three steals and three assists. Ted Morris picked up his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (3-3)
Last week’s results
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Nov. 25: Northern Arizona 104, Mississippi Valley State 77
At San Francisco, Nov. 27: San Francisco 82, Northern Arizona 73
This week’s games
Dec. 2 vs. UNLV (at St. George, Utah)

Against Mississippi Valley State, Steven Sir scored 26 points off the bench, tying a collegiate-high. He was 8-of-10 from 3-point range in just 29 minutes played. The eight 3-pointers tied a collegiate high, and was the fifth-best single game performance in school history. Ruben Boykin, Jr., had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Six NAU players scored in double figures, and it was NAU’s 12th straight regular season home victory. Against San Francisco, Tyrone Bazy scored 23 points, while Boykin, Jr., had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Northern Colorado Bears (1-5)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Nov. 21: Northern Colorado 89, Colorado Christian 68
At Greeley, Colo., Nov. 24: Oregon State 69, Northern Colorado 67
This week’s games
Nov. 28 at Arizona State
Dec. 2 at Colorado

Against Colorado Christian, Dwayne Birden scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Bears to their first victory of the season. Eleven different players scored for Northern Colorado, who shot 60 percent from the field. Against Oregon State, the Bears nearly pulled off the upset as the Beavers need a shot in the final seconds to win the game. Sean Taibi scored 20 points for the Bears, who blew a 40-27 halftime lead.

Portland State Vikings (4-2)
Last week’s results
At Portland, Nov. 27: Portland State 69, Portland 53
This week’s games
Nov. 30 at Gonzaga

Against Portland, the Vikings snapped a two-game slide to their cross-town rivals. Juma Kamara led PSU with 17 points and five rebounds. Scott Morrison had 15 points, and a collegiate-high four blocks. The Vikings are 7-4 against the Pilots since PSU brought back basketball in 1996.

Sacramento State Hornets (4-3)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Nov. 22: Sacramento State 93, William Jessup 58
At Sacramento, Calif., Nov. 25: Sacramento State 100, UC-Davis 77
This week’s games
Nov. 29 at Illinois State
Dec. 2 at Louisville

Against William Jessup, Loren Leath scored a collegiate-high 28 points as the Hornets cruised. Angel Alamo registered his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Against UC-Davis, Leath scored 28 points for the second straight game to beat UC-Davis. It was the 105th meeting between the two teams. Haron Hargrave scored 22 points and had six rebounds with four assists for the Hornets.

Weber State Wildcats (4-2)
Last week’s results
At Ogden, Utah, Nov. 22: Weber State 81, Montana Tech 53
At Logan, Utah, Nov. 25: Utah State 77, Weber State 68
This week’s games
Nov. 29 at Utah
Dec. 2 vs. BYU

Against Montana Tech, David Patten shot 11-for-14 from the field, with seven dunks, to score a collegiate-high 25 points. The Wildcats shot 63.3 percent from the field. Against Utah State, the Aggies swept the season series with the Wildcats. Utah State beat Weber State in the Top of the World Classic in Alaska. Arturas Valeika scored 16 points for the Wildcats.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the week: Paul Butorac, Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington Eagles (1-2 overall)
Last week’s results
At Las Vegas, Nov. 14: UNLV 82, Eastern Washington 79
At Cheney, Wash., Nov. 18: Eastern Washington 85, Lewis-Clark State 70
This week’s games
Nov. 21 vs. Evergreen State
Nov. 24 at Washington
Nov. 27 vs. Cal State Fullerton

Against UNLV, Rodney Stuckey picked up right where he left off last season, scoring 25 points against the Rebels. Matt Penoncell had 13 points and nine rebounds in the loss for the Eagles, who had to make a late run to make the game close. EWU committed 22 turnovers in the game. Against Lewis-Clark State, Paul Butorac had a tremendous game, scoring 20 points, pulling down 22 rebounds, and blocking five shots. The rebounds and blocks were the second-most in school history for a single game. Stuckey also scored 33 points.

Idaho State Bengals (1-2)
Last week’s results
At Milwaukee, CBE Classic, Nov. 14: Idaho State 66, Maine 57
At Provo, Utah, Nov. 18: BYU 84, Idaho State 78, (OT)
This week’s games
Nov. 21 at Washington State
Nov. 25 at Texas A&M

Against Maine, Joe O’Brien picked up his first victory as a Division I head coach after beating Maine in the consolation game of the CBE Classic in Milwaukee. David Schroeder scored 19 points, and became the school’s all-time 3-point king. Against BYU, the Bengals lost their second consecutive game in overtime. Akbar Abdul-Ahad scored a collegiate-high 26 points, making five 3-pointers. John Ofoegbu, the Texas Tech transfer, scored 17 points in a reserve role.

Montana Grizzlies (1-2)
Last week’s results
At Laramie, Wyo., Nov. 15: Wyoming 75, Montana 71
This week’s games
Nov. 23 vs. West Virginia, Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Fla.)
Nov. 24-26 at Old Spice Classic

Against Wyoming, the Grizzlies could not hold onto an eight-point halftime lead. The Griz shot just 34.6 percent from the field in the second half and was outscored 43-30. Matt Dlouhy scored a team-high 18 points in the game. Andrew Strait scored 17 points and added eight rebounds.

Montana State Bobcats (1-3)
Last week’s results
At Portland, Ore., Nov. 17: Portland 59, Montana State 53
At Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 19: Montana State 72, Idaho 65
This week’s games
Nov. 22 vs. Montana-Western
Nov. 26 vs. Oregon State

Against the Pilots, Carlos Taylor led the Bobcats with 19 points, while Ted Morris scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Against the Vandals, Brad Huse earned his first career victory as a head coach. It was MSU’s seventh-straight victory against Idaho. Morris scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds in the victory.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-2)
Last week’s results
At Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 15: Arizona 101, Northern Arizona 79
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Nov. 19: Northern Arizona 85, MSU-Northern 62
This week’s games
Nov. 25 vs. Mississippi Valley State
Nov. 27 at San Francisco

Against the Wildcats, a crowd of 13,500 packed into the McKale Center for the in-state showdown. Despite the 22-point loss, NAU trailed by only eight at halftime. Steven Sir scored a game-high 17 points, hitting five 3-pointers. But NAU was riddled with fouls as Ruben Boykin, Jr., Tyrone Bazy and Sir all fouled out. Against MSU-Northern, Kyle Landry had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, both tying collegiate highs. Boykin, Jr., also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards.

Northern Colorado Bears (0-4)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Nov. 17: Colorado-Colorado Springs 96, Northern Colorado 91
At Denver, Nov. 19: Denver 74, Northern Colorado 68
This week’s games
Nov. 21 vs. Colorado Christian
Nov. 24 vs. Oregon State

Against Colorado-Colorado Springs, Sean Taibi scored a team-high 19 points to go along with four assists. Chris Kaba and Dwayne Birden each scored 15 points on the losing end. Against the Pioneers, UNC fell to 0-4 with a six-point loss. Kirk Archibeque scored 17 points with eight rebounds. Taibi added 13 points as well.

Portland State Vikings (3-2)
Last week’s results
At Tempe, Ariz., Nov. 18: Portland State 71, Arizona State 67
At Portland, Ore., Nov. 20: Portland State 96, Evergreen State 76
This week’s games
Nov. 27 vs. Portland

Against the Sun Devils, the Vikings became just the second Big Sky team in league history to knock off Pac-10 member Arizona State. Juma Kamara scored 18 points, while Scott Morrison added 16. PSU shot 53.6 percent from the field in the first half and jumped out to a 45-35 halftime lead. PSU was 24-for-36 at the free throw line. Against Evergreen State, the Vikings got a balanced effort for the victory. Morrison had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Kamara scored 20 points, and Deonte Huff scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. PSU out-rebounded Evergreen State by a 50-28 margin.

Sacramento State Hornets (2-3)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Nov. 14: San Francisco 89, Sacramento State 64
At Denver, Nov. 17: Sacramento State 74, Denver 53
At Seattle, Nov. 19: Washington 83, Sacramento State 74
This week’s games
Nov. 22 vs. William Jessup
Nov. 25 vs. UC-Davis

Against the Dons, Sacramento State led 34-27 at the half, but was outscored 62-30 in the second half for the defeat at home. Alex Bausley scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds. USF shot 78.6 percent from the field in the second half. Against the Pioneers, the Hornets set a new school record for the largest road defeat since moving to Division I. Haron Hargrave scored 31 points, a collegiate high. Against the Huskies, Sac State chucked up 82 shots, making only 29 of them. Bausley scored 19 points with eight rebounds and seven steals in the loss.

Weber State Wildcats (3-1)
Last week’s results
At Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 16, Top of the World Classic: Weber State 71, Alaska-Fairbanks 66
At Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 18, Top of the World Classic: Weber State 66, Troy 61
At Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 19, Top of the World Classic: Utah State 68, Weber State 55
This week’s games
Nov. 22 vs. Montana Tech
Nov. 25 at Utah State

In the Top of the World Classic, Weber State came away with a 2-1 record. Prior to losing to Utah State in the championship game, David Patten scored 14 points to beat host Alaska-Fairbanks. Then, against Troy, Arturas Valeika scored 15 points with 12 rebounds. Valeika followed that up with an 18-point effort against the Aggies. Weber State shot 51.2 percent from the field in the game.

Big Sky Preview

Big Sky Conference 2006-07 Preview

by Nick Dettmann

Two things happened in the Big Sky Conference last season that made the 2005-06 season one to remember.

One was that Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey became the first freshman to ever win the conference player of the year award. Stuckey averaged 24.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He led the Big Sky in scoring and finished eighth in the nation in the same category en route to being an honorable mention All-American. He was also named the Freshman of the Year by collegeinsider.com.

The other: Montana advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, beating Nevada 87-79. The Griz went on to lose to Boston College in the round of 32. It was the first time a team other than Weber State advanced in the tournament since 1982.

Both of those stories from last year will be ones to watch for this season. Stuckey is back, and if he has another year like the one he had last year, he will more than likely jump ship and head to the NBA.Montana however lost coach Larry Krystkowiak. Krystkowiak, who coached the Griz the last two seasons, took an assistant coaching job with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Has that opening opened the doors for the rest of the conference as Montana was the Big Sky representative in the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons? Montana does return a lot of talent, but so does Northern Arizona who won the regular season championship last season.

Preseason Awards
1st Team Big Sky
Rodney Stuckey, Soph., Eastern Washington
David Schroeder, Sr., Idaho State
Andrew Strait, Jr., Montana
Ruben Boykin, Jr., sr., Northern Arizona
Alex Bausley, Sr., Sacramento State

2nd Team Big Sky
Paul Butorac, Sr., Eastern Washington
Tyrone Bazy, Sr., Northern Arizona
Juma Kamara, Sr., Portland State
Loren Leath, Soph., Sacramento State
Akbar Abdul-Ahad, Sr., Idaho State

Player of the Year: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Newcomer of the Year: Gus Chase, Jr., Montana
Freshman of the Year: Michael Taylor, Eastern Washington
Defensive Player of the Year: Casey Durham, Sr., Montana State
Coach of the Year: Wayne Tinkle, Montana
Most Improved Player: Akbar Abdul-Ahad, Sr., Idaho State
Coach on the Hot Seat: Mike Burns, Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington Eagles (15-15 overall, 9-5 conference)
Projected starters
Rodney Stuckey
Paul Butorac
Kellen Williams
Matt Penoncello
Michael Taylor
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 24 at Washington
Dec. 15 at Oregon
Dec. 21 vs. Idaho
Feb. 17 ESPN BracketBusters

The Eagles return two of the conference’s best players and four of five starters. The lone starter gone is guard Deuce Smith, who averaged just over eight points per game. Stuckey is back with the Eagles in probably his test run for the NBA draft next April. Butorac is also back after setting a new school record with 51 blocks last season. Burns might be on the hot seat, only because he’s one of three coaches who have coached at least two seasons at their respective school. Plus with one of the most talented teams in recent history, the Eagles’ time to win could be now.

Idaho State Bengals (13-14, 4-10)
Projected starters
David Schroeder
Akbar Abdul-Ahad
Logan Kinghorn
Matt Stucki
Jon Ofoegbu
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 21 at Washington State
Nov. 25 at Texas A&M
Dec. 2 at Utah State
Dec. 6 vs. Idaho
Dec. 17 at Oregon
Dec. 22 at Illinois

Idaho State is one five schools in the Big Sky with a new coach this season. Taking over for the Bengals is two-time junior college national champion head coach Joe O’Brien. O’Brien coached eight seasons at Southeastern Community College in Iowa, compiling a 213-64 record. O’Brien has earned six national Coach of the Year awards at the junior college level. It’s a first year for the Bengals, but ISU has enough talent to contend right away. Schroeder, a first team All-Conference pick last year, is back for a sixth year. The team does have a good mix of leadership and youth.

Montana Grizzlies (24-7, 10-4)
Projected starters
Andrew Strait
Jordan Hasquet
Matt Dlouhy
Matt Martin
Bryan Ellis
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 23 vs. West Virginia at Old Spice Classic, Orlando, Fla.
Dec. 3 vs. Boise State
Dec. 19 at Oral Roberts
Feb. 17 ESPN BracketBusters

The Grizzlies have a new head coach, but not an unfamiliar one. Wayne Tinkle takes over for Larry Krystkowiak, who left to take an assistant coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks. Tinkle was an assistant for the past five years under Krystkowiak. Tinkle, like Krystkowiak, once played for the Griz. Montana lost two of its top three scorers from last season, Kevin Criswell and Virgil Matthews, but they do return Strait. Hasquet and Dlouhy are also back to provide a solid attack.

Montana State Bobcats (15-15, 7-7)
Projected starters
Nick Dissly
Casey Durham
Ted Morris
Carson Durr
Mecklen Davis
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 19 at Idaho
Nov. 26 vs. Oregon State
Dec. 2 vs. Wyoming

Brad Huse, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Montana, takes over the reigns for the Bobcats. It is the first time since the 1990-91 season in which the Bobcats will have a new head coach. The Bobcats will be young and inexperienced with four incoming freshman and five transfers. Just four letterwinners return from last season.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (21-11, 12-2)
Projected starters
Ruben Boykin, Jr.
Tyrone Bazy
Ryan McCurdy
Josh Wilson
Steve Sir
Key Non-conference Games
Dec. 2 vs. UNLV at St. George
Dec. 5 vs. San Francisco
Dec. 16 at Pepperdine

Northern Arizona had one of its best seasons in school history last season, only to fall one game short of the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks lost to Montana in the Big Sky championship game on their home floor. Four starters return to try to avert last season’s disappointment. Sir, one of the conference’s best sixth-men, is also back.

Northern Colorado Bears (5-24)
Projected starters
Sean Taibi
Kirk Archibeque
Matt Kline
Dwayne Birden
Cory Lowe
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 24 vs. Oregon State
Nov. 28 at Arizona State
Dec. 2 at Colorado
Dec. 6 at Colorado State
Dec. 23 vs. Air Force

The Bears join the Big Sky Conference this year after being an Independent. Northern Colorado cannot qualify for the Big Sky Tournament at the end of the season because of NCAA reclassification requirements, but the Bears will be eligible for the tournament next season. This year will mark the first time in school history the Bears will play Sacramento State and Weber State.

Portland State Vikings (12-16, 5-9)
Projected starters
Juma Kamara
Ryan Sommer
Scott Morrison
Paul Hafford
Deonte Huff
Key Non-conference Games
Dec. 16 at Washington
Feb. 17 ESPN BracketBusters

Portland State barely got into the conference tournament last year, but don’t be surprised if the Vikings contend for the crown this year. Three starters are back this year and each of them averaged at least nine points per game last season. The Vikings are very good on the perimeter, led by Kamara, who led the conference in 3-point shooting last season at 52.7 percent. Sommer shot 41 percent from 3-point range as well last season. Huff comes in as a junior college transfer averaging 23.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He will be a solid candidate for Newcomer of the Year come season’s end.

Sacramento State Hornets (15-15, 5-9)
Projected starters
Alex Bausley
Haron Hargrave
Clark Woods
Loren Leath
Angel Alamo
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 19 at Washington
Dec. 2 at Louisville

Despite a .500 record, the Hornets had one of their best seasons in school history. The Hornets set new school records in victories (15), winning streak (5), most wins away from home (8), non-conference victories (9) and 100-point games (3). Sacramento State returns a ton of scoring from last year, including the team’s leading scorer, Alex Bausley (13.6 points per game). But the losses of Jason Harris and DaShawn Freeman will hurt.

Weber State Wildcats (10-17, 4-10)
Projected starters
David Patten
Dan Henry
Arturas Valeika
Eric Turner
Jamaine Nance
Key Non-conference Games
Nov. 16-19 Top of the World Classic, Fairbanks, Alaska
Nov. 25 at Utah State
Nov. 29 at Utah
Dec. 2 vs. BYU
Dec. 22 at Washington

Only two players return to the Wildcats who saw playing time last season – Patten and Henry. Last year’s 4-10 mark in the conference was the worst for the Wildcats since 1986-87. This year’s roster includes eight junior college transfers. Ten of the 13 plyaers, and all three assistant coaches are new to the program. Another tough season could definitely be in the mix for the Wildcats.

Big Sky Recap

Big Sky Conference 2005-06 Season Recap

by Nick Dettmann

For much of the season, especially once the conference season got started, it looked as if the Big Sky Conference was going to get its fourth different representative in four years for the NCAA Tournament.

Northern Arizona ran a 10-game winning streak early in the conference season and won 13 out of 14 games at one point. That led to the Lumberjacks having home floor advantage for the conference tournament.

But the old cliché, any team can win on any given night, proved to be true in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game.

The Lumberjacks had everything in order to reach its first NCAA tournament since 2000 as they hosted the championship game. But, the Montana Grizzlies had been in this situation before. The Grizzlies were the 2005 tournament champions so there was no question that Montana knew how to play in this atmosphere.

And it showed. The Grizzlies won the game, giving them their second-straight conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth. The loss for NAU sent the Lumberjacks to the NIT.

NAU lost to Delaware State, at home, in the opening game of the NIT.

As for Montana, they became the talk of the nation as they upset Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The victory gave the Grizzlies its first win in the NCAA tournament in 31 years and gave the Big Sky a victory in the tournament for the first time since 1999.

The Big Sky Conference was also introduced to probably the best true freshman college basketball player west of the Mississippi River in Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey led the Eagles in scoring and was the conference leader in scoring. By season’s end, there were questions to whether how long Stuckey planned to stay at EWU and transfer to a major school.

The 2005-06 season also brought out the departure of three coaches. Idaho State’s Doug Oliver resigned, Weber State’s Joe Cravens was fired and Montana State’s Mick Durham retired. Weber State missed the conference tournament this past season for the first time in a quarter century and had back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1986-88.

But, looking forward to next season, the Big Sky Conference welcomes its 10th member of the conference, the Northern Colorado Bears. With a new team, the adoption of a new conference tournament format will certainly be discussed.

Postseason awards

Player of the year: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Coach of the year: Larry Krystkowiak, Montana
Newcomer of the year: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Defensive player of the year: Al Beye, Montana State

All-league team:
Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Andrew Strait, Montana
Kevin Criswell, Montana
Ja’Ron Jefferson, Montana State
Marvin Moss, Montana State

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (21-11 overall, 12-3 conference)

After owning one of the longest winning streaks in the nation at one point, the Lumberjacks fumbled down the stretch. NAU lost the Big Sky Conference championship game on its own floor, preventing a trip to the NCAA tournament, despite winning the regular season crown. The Lumberjacks would then lose another home game, this time in the NIT to Delaware State.

Team MVP: Kelly Golob (14.3 points per game)
Top scorer: Golob
Top rebounder: Ruben Boykin, Jr. (7.2 per game)
Assist leader: Josh Wilson (6.1 per game)

Starters leaving:
Golob

Starters returning:
Boykin, Jr.
Tyrone Bazy
Ryan McCurdy
Josh Wilson

Montana Grizzlies (24-7, 10-4)

The Grizzlies made its second-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. And this time they had success. Montana beat Nevada in the first round of the tournament, but eventually fell to Boston College in the round of 32. The Grizzlies overcame a pre-season injury to John Seyfert as well. But the Grizzlies should be skilled in the front-court, it will be the guards that may pose concerns.

Team MVP: Andrew Strait (16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Strait
Top rebounder: Strait
Assist leader: Virgil Matthews (4.1 per game)

Starters leaving:
Kevin Criswell
Matthews

Starters returning:
Strait
Jordan Hasquet
Matt Dlouhy

Eastern Washington Eagles (15-15, 9-5)

The 2005-06 season was the Rodney Stuckey break-out party for the Eagles. The true freshman out of Kent, Wash., lit up opponents left and right. Stuckey averaged 26.3 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists as a senior in high school and replicated that success at the collegiate level. He scored in double figures in every game this season and had a season-high 45 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 5.

Team MVP: Rodney Stuckey (24.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 steals)
Top scorer: Stuckey
Top rebounder: Paul Butorac (5.4 per game)
Assist leader: Stuckey

Starters leaving:
Deuce Smith

Starters returning:
Stuckey
Butorac
Kellen Williams
Matt Penoncello
Jake Beitinger

Montana State Bobcats (15-15, 7-7)

Considering the talent level the Bobcats had coming back from 2004-05, this past season could be considered a disappointment. The Bobcats had five players returning who averaged at least eight points per game, including Al Beye, Ja’Ron Jefferson and Marvin Moss. But the Bobcats never could find their rhythm this season.

Team MVP: Moss (11.5 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Jefferson (14.3 per game)
Top rebounder: Moss (6.2 per game)
Assist leader: Casey Durham (3.6 per game)

Starters leaving:
Moss
Beye
Jefferson

Starters returning:
Nick Dissly
Casey Durham

Sacramento State Hornets (15-15, 5-9)

Despite struggling down the stretch, the Hornets barely made the conference tournament. After beating Weber State on Jan. 14, the Hornets won two games the rest of the season (12-game span). But the Hornets were in the middle of controversy as a scoring error in a game at Montana on Feb. 15 could have cost the Hornets its season. Next season should be much better as some of the core players for Sacramento State will return next season. Loren Leath is one of those as he played in 27 games, did not start any of them, but averaged more than 11 points per game.

Team MVP: Jason Harris (13.2 points, 5.5 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Alex Bausley (13.6 per game)
Top rebounder: Harris (5.5 per game)
Assist leader: DaShawn Freeman (5.5 per game)

Starters leaving:
Harris
Aaron Perry
Freeman

Starters returning:
Bausley
Haron Hargove
Clark Woods

Portland State Vikings (12-16, 5-9)

The Vikings fared well in their first season under new coach Ken Bone. PSU reached the conference tournament and put themselves into a great position after beating Montana late in the season in overtime. Despite losing the team’s top scorer in Jake Schroeder, the Vikings should be a contender next season.

Team MVP: Schroeder (12.5 points per game)
Top scorer: Schroeder (12.5 per game)
Top rebounder: Scott Morrison (5.3 per game)
Assist leader: Ryan Sommer (3.8 per game)

Starters leaving:
Schroeder
Josh Neeley
Tyler Hollist

Starters returning:
Sommer
Juma Kamara
Anthony Washington

Idaho State Bengals (13-14, 4-10)

After Doug Oliver announced in mid-January that he was going to resign at the end of the season, ISU could have thrown in the towel. The Bengals finished the season 6-6 and were in the driver’s seat for a spot into the conference tournament on the last game of the season, before losing to EWU. ISU started the season 7-2, but struggled once conference came around. David Schroeder intends on applying for a sixth-year of eligibility after knee injuries have riddled him throughout his career.

Team MVP: Schroeder (15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Slim Millen (15.5 per game)
Top rebounder: Kasey Winters (6.9 per game)
Assist leader: Tim Henry (3.3 per game)

Starters leaving:
Millen
Henry

Starters returning:
Winters
Logan Kinghorn
David Schroeder*
*=applying for 6th-year of eligibility

Weber State Wildcats (10-17, 4-10)

The Wildcats missed the conference tournament for the first since 1981 and only the second time in the last 31 years. In addition, the Wildcats failed to have a winning record, making it the second year in a row that has happened. That was a first since 1988. That ultimately cost Cravens his job. But Randy Rahe, a former assistant at Utah, was hired on Mar. 22 to replace Cravens.

Team MVP: Coric Riggs (14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds per game)
Top scorer: Riggs (14.8 per game)
Top rebounder: Riggs (6.8 per game)
Assist leader: Nick Covington (2.6 per game)

Starters leaving:
Riggs
Terrell Stovall

Starters returning:
David Patten
Clint Burris
Nedim Pajevic

Northern Colorado Bears (5-24)

The Bears did not play the easiest schedule in their final season before heading over to the Big Sky Conference for the 2006-07 season. Among the teams on their schedule were California, Air Force, Oral Roberts, Kansas, Northwestern and Nebraska. California, Air Force, Oral Roberts and Kansas each qualified for the NCAA tournament. The Bears finished strong by going 3-3 in its final six games.

Starters leaving:
Erik Olson

Starters returning:
(Classes are for the 2006-07 season)
Sean Taibi, jr., 15.3 points per game
Kirk Archibeque, jr., 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds per game
Dwayne Birden, sr., 7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds per game
Matt Kline, sr., 6.3 points, 4.8 assists per game

Idaho State Player News

Weber State Hires New Leader

by Nick Dettmann

There was good news and bad news on the campus of Idaho State University Thursday.

First the good news: David Schroeder was granted a sixth year of eligibility.

Now, the bad news.

One of the most consistent components to the Bengals last season, Kasey Winters, has announced that he will be transferring to Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, for the 2006-07 season.

Schroeder, who finished second on the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game, was Idaho State’s lone first-team All-Big Sky representative last season. Schroeder applied for a sixth year of eligibility after having three knee surgeries that limited his playing time. Last season was just the second full season Schroeder played for the Bengals.

“This is great news for David and the basketball program,” Bengals coach Joe O’Brien said in a statement released by the university Thursday. “David is obviously a hard worker, a great basketball player and a great student. This will allow him to not only finish his basketball career, but his Master’s work as well.”

Schroeder tore his ACL during ISU’s season-opening Midnight Madness practice in 2003-04, then tore his other ACL three games into the 2004-05 season. Schroeder also tore an ACL during his high school career at Salmon.

With the transferring of Winters, the Bengals will now have a huge hole to fill in their frontcourt. Winters had 6.9 rebounds per game in his only season at Idaho State and was the Bengals’ fourth-leading scorer at 9.9 points per contest.

Winters has indicated that the reasoning for his transfer is because his wife would like to play collegiate basketball. Meridee Winters received a scholarship to play for ISU, but never suited up.

Dixie State, 45 minutes away from Winters’ hometown in Mesquite, Nev., is currently a junior college but will move to NCAA Division II status effective July 1. Once the school gains official NCAA status, it’s unclear whether Winters would need a release from his ISU scholarship to play at Dixie.

Possible Attrition At Weber State

New Weber Coach May Face Early Attrition

by Nick Dettmann

Every first-year coach expects to go through changes and hardships. But new Weber State coach Randy Rahe already has a problem not even a month into his tenure.

According to a report by the Rocky Mountain Basketball News, the Wildcats are going to lose four of its players for next season.

Seven-foot center Danko Barisic and Clint Burris have officially announced they will leave the team and pursue other basketball opportunities. Matt Amadi and Dan Henry have also decided to leave the team, but they have not released a public statement about it and their future endeavors.

The school has also not formally announced the departures.

With the departures of those four players in addition to the three that graduated, the Wildcats are already looking to fill seven holes for next season.

Weber State Names Coach

Weber State Hires New Leader

by Nick Dettmann

After missing the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time in a quarter century, the Weber State Wildcats have found its replacement for Joe Cravens, the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City reported Thursday.

The Wildcats scheduled a press conference on Thursday with the anticipation of Weber State hiring a former Utah assistant, Randy Rahe, as the new coach.

Rahe has been an assistant coach for the past 17 years at colleges ranging from Utah and Utah State to Colorado, Colorado State and Denver. This will be his first head coaching job since a three-year stint at Stratton High in Colorado in 1988.

During the past eight seasons, Rahe has been an assistant with teams that have earned berths in four NCAA tournaments and two NITs. This past season was the only time Rahe coached a team with a losing record since coming to the Beehive State with Morrill in 1998.

The Wildcats went 10-17 last year and finished last in the Big Sky Conference standings. The back-to-back losing seasons for Weber State was a first in school history since 1986-88.

Among others that were considered for the position were former Utah and current Indiana assistant Kerry Rupp, Westminster’s Tommy Conner, who was also considered for the Idaho State job, and former WSU assistant Guy Beach.

Idaho State Names Coach

Bengals Tap O’Brien to Lead

by Nick Dettmann

IDAHO FALLS, Id. – The Idaho State University Bengals announced Wednesday the school’s new men’s basketball coach.

The Bengals hired Joe O’Brien, which was announced at a press conference, as the 20th coach in school history. O’Brien replaces Doug Oliver, who announced in January that he was stepping down at season’s end.

“I would like to thank the members of the search committee as well as the others, both from the campus and the community, who took part in the interview process,” ISU Director of Athletics Paul A. Bubb said Wednesday. “I feel each candidate received a very thorough and diverse day on campus and I was able to receive input from a number of individuals and groups which helped me in this process.”

Sources said that the response to the opening at ISU was abundant. A veteran of 21 seasons of collegiate basketball, including 13 as the head coach of a pair of NJCAA institutions, O’Brien brings a rich, winning tradition to Idaho State. O’Brien owns a career head coaching mark of 313-117 for a .728 winning percentage.

He earned his first collegiate head coaching job at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill., where he led the Lynx to four straight 20-win seasons, including a 25-6 mark in 1993-94. While at Lincoln, O’Brien amassed a 100-53 record over his five seasons, before taking over at Southeastern Community College in 1996, where he led the BlackHawks to unprecendented success. During his eight seasons at SCC, O’Brien had eight winning seasons, including four 20-win seasons, and three other 30-win seasons.

In 1999-2000, the BlackHawks went 34-4 in winning their first NJCAA national championship. The following two seasons saw the BlackHawks go 25-8 and 25-10 with a Region XI Championship. In 2002-03 and 2003-04, the BlackHawks won back-to-back national titles, going 37-1 in 02-03, and 32-4 in 03-04. In his eight seasons with SCC, the BlackHawks went 213-64.

With his third title, O’Brien joined Ronnie Arrow and Allen Bradfield as the only coaches with three national titles at that level. Overall, O’Brien is one of only 11 people to have three national titles either at the JC or the NCAA level.

“I believe that Coach O’Brien brings a wealth of college coaching success with him to Idaho State University,” Bubb said. “While the winning record, national championships and personal coaching honors are all part of Coach O’Brien’s success, his demonstrated ability to recruit successful student-athletes completes the package.

“Coach O’Brien has recruited and coached high school student-athletes who have played and graduated from college and gone on to compete at Division I programs like Iowa, UConn, Washington, Florida State, Eastern Washington, Wisconsin-Green Bay and many others.”

Weber State Fires Cravens

Weber State Fires Coach

by Nick Dettmann

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – A 25-year streak of reaching the Big Sky Conference tournament was not the only thing halted this season for the Weber State Wildcats.

On Monday, the Wildcats fired head coach Joe Cravens, according to a statement released by the university.

Cravens’ firing comes after the Wildcats lost their final four games of the season to finish 10-17 overall and 4-10 in conference play, giving them a last-place finish in the conference standings. Weber State will miss the conference tournament for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in 31 years. The 10 victories were the fourth-lowest in school history.

Weber State recorded back-to-back losing season for only the third time since the Wildcats started playing at the Division I level in 1962-63.

WSU Athletic Director Jerry Graybeal said in a statement that Cravens, who has two years remaining on his contract, will be reassigned to other duties in the athletic department.

A search committee will be formed within the next few weeks to begin the process of hiring a new coach.

WSU becomes the second Big Sky school this season that will be looking for a new coach for the 2006-07 season.

In January, Idaho State coach Doug Oliver announced he would step down at the end of the season. In addition, WSU becomes the third school in the last two seasons that will look for a new head coach. Portland State hired Ken Bone prior to this season.

Cravens went 116-88 during his tenure, which began in 1999. Cravens led Weber State to its only conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance in 2003.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Jake Schroeder, Portland State

Conference to review Sacramento State/Montana game

The Big Sky Conference will review the Wednesday, Feb. 15 men’s basketball game between Sacramento State and Montana, Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton said in a statement released on Thursday.

Scoring issues have been brought to the attention of the Big Sky Conference. The contest was won by Montana, 84-79, at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont. Scorers might have made a mistake by not crediting Sacramento State with a point earlier in the second half.

“At this point, we have not been able to review the tape,” Fullerton said in a statement. “When we receive the game tape, we will determine if a scoring error occurred, and if it was correctable at the time it was noticed.”

The rulebook states that the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee does not recognize or allow protests.

“It is unfortunate if a mistake occurred,” Fullerton said. “Once the officials leave the court at the end of the game, the game is over. There is no recourse for protest. We are very interested in finding out what happened to avoid future problems. We will investigate it and find out what happened.”

University of Montana issues apology

University of Montana Athletics Director Jim O’Day has sent a letter of apology to Sacramento State Athletics Director Terry Wanless and head men’s basketball coach Jerome Jenkins for a scoring error which occurred in the Wednesday, Feb. 15 game between the Hornets and the Grizzlies, according to a statement released by the Big Sky Conference.

“After reviewing Wednesday night’s game film with members of my staff, I would like to apologize on behalf of UM Athletics for a critical scoring error that occurred late in the contest,” O’Day wrote. “While an apology does not rectify the existing problem, I can only tell you we are reviewing with our scorers the duties and responsibilities found in Rule 2 Section 12 of the NCAA rules and Interpretations Manual.

“I can only imagine how upset the Sacramento State men’s basketball team must be. On behalf of the University of Montana, I express our deepest and most sincere apology.”

Sacramento State’s DaShawn Freeman was credited with making just one free throw with roughly five minutes remaining in the second half. Although credited with two free throws on the scoreboard, the official scorekeeper credited Freeman with just one conversion. The point was added to the scoreboard with 3:16 to play, making the score on the scoreboard correct.

With 1:57 remaining, the official scorekeeper reviewed his book and determined Sacramento State had one less point than displayed on the scoreboard. At that time, the score was adjusted to reflect the score as it appeared in the official scorebook.

Montana officially won the game 84-79.

“We appreciate the University of Montana stepping forward and admitting the mistake,” Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton said in a statement. “The officials rely on the personnel at the scorers table to keep an accurate account of the score. The Big Sky Conference will still review the game tape and evaluate the procedure of everyone involved.”

EWU’s Stuckey recognized

Eastern Washington freshman Rodney Stuckey has been selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All-District Team.

Stuckey, a 6-foot-4 guard from Kent, Wash., was named to the District 13 First Team, along with Nevada’s Nick Fazekas, San Diego State’s Marcus Slaughter and Brandon Heath, and Denver’s Yemi Nicholson.

The All-District Teams consist of 150 players from 15 districts. The players are eligible for the NABC All-America Teams.

Stuckey leads the Big Sky Conference and all Division I freshmen and sophomores with an average of 23.9 points per game. Stuckey has scored in double figures in all 24 games he has played. Stuckey ranks second in the Big Sky in steals (2.42 per game), fourth in assists (4.17 per game) and is 9th in free-throw percentage (77.4) and 12th in field-goal percentage (48.5).

Stuckey, who is in prime contention to be not only the conference’s newcomer of the year, but also player of the year, set a Big Sky Conference freshman record by scoring 45 points against Northern Arizona on Jan. 5. The 45 points ranks it as the second-highest scoring game in Division I this season.

In conference play, Stuckey is averaging 27.2 points per game. This season, Stuckey has scored at least 20 points 16 times and at least 30 five times.

Big Sky Conference tournament scenarios

Who’s in: Northern Arizona, Montana, Eastern Washington, Montana State, Sacramento State.

Northern Arizona has clinched at least a share of the regular season title. They can clinch the regular season title outright with a win over Sacramento State on Thursday, or a Montana loss. Regular season champion receives hosting rights for at least semifinal round.

Low-down on remaining spot: Weber State sits with a 4-9 record in the conference, while Idaho State and Portland State each have a 3-9 record.

For Weber State, the Wildcats will clinch the final spot with a victory over ISU on Saturday in Pocatello and a Portland State loss to either Montana State or Montana.

For Idaho State, the Bengals must win their final two conference games to have a chance at making the tournament. ISU would get the sixth spot if the Bengals, Vikings and Hornets each finish 5-9, but ISU will not if they finish 4-10. If ISU and Portland State finishes 5-9, ISU would get the sixth spot if EWU finishes ahead of Montana State.

For Portland State, the Vikings will clinch a spot with victories over Montana State on Thursday and Montana on Saturday. In addition, must have ISU lose to either Weber State or Eastern Washington. Or, the Vikings will win the tiebreaker if PSU, ISU and WSU each finish 4-10. If ISU and PSU finish 5-9, PSU would get sixth spot if MSU finishes ahead of EWU, just as long as Sacramento State does not finish 5-9.

Eastern Washington Eagles (12-13 overall, 7-4 conference)
Feb. 15: Eastern Washington 76, Weber State 73
Feb. 18: Cal State Fullerton 89, Eastern Washington 63 (ESPN Bracket Buster)

Rodney Stuckey scored 25 points with six assists, five rebounds and three steals in the Eagles’ victory over Weber State. Paul Butorac scored 15 points off the bench. It was the Eagles’ third ever victory over Weber State in Ogden. Stuckey then scored 19 points with nine rebounds and six assists in a loss to Cal State Fullerton in ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday.

Up next: The Eagles host Montana on Thursday and Montana State on Saturday. Then, finish up at Idaho State on Feb. 27.

Idaho State Bengals (11-13, 3-9)
Feb. 16: Portland State 80, Idaho State 73

ISU was outscored 13-3 over the final four minutes to lose to the Vikings. Slime Millien scored 19 points with five rebounds and three blocks for ISU. David Schroeder scored 16 with eight rebounds.

Up next: ISU heads to Utah Valley State on Feb. 21 before playing host to Weber State on Saturday and Eastern Washington on Monday. A loss by ISU to Weber State or Eastern Washington eliminates the Bengals from the Big Sky Conference tournament picture.

Montana Grizzlies (19-5, 8-3)
Feb. 15: Montana 84, Sacramento State 79
Feb. 18: Montana 88, Oral Roberts 74 (ESPN Bracket Buster)

The Grizzlies improved to 6-0 on the home floor in conference games after beating Sacramento State. Kevin Criswell scored 28 points with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Then, the Grizzlies improved to 12-1 at home overall after beating Oral Roberts of the Mid-Continent Conference in the ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday. Matt Dlouhy scored 21 points and Andrew Strait, who scored 25 points against SSU, scored 19.

Up next: Montana travels to Eastern Washington on Thursday and to Portland State on Saturday. The Grizzlies close out the regular season with a home game against Northern Arizona in what could decide the Big Sky Conference regular season championship.

Montana State Bobcats (14-12, 6-5)
Feb. 16: Northern Arizona 82, Montana State 73
Feb. 18: Montana State 79, Idaho 69 (ESPN Bracket Buster)

The Bobcats dropped its third consecutive game after losing at home to Northern Arizona. Al Beye scored 23 points on an 11-of-13 shooting performance from the field. Marvin Moss added 17 points with six rebounds. MSU got only eight points from its bench in the content. Then, on ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday, the Bobcats knocked off Idaho. Beye scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Marvin Moss scored 20 as well for MSU.

Up next: The Bobcats head to Portland State on Thursday and Eastern Washington on Saturday. MSU will close the regular season with a home game on Monday against Sacramento State.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (19-8, 11-1)
Feb. 16: Northern Arizona 82, Montana State 73
Feb. 18: Western Kentucky 79, Northern Arizona 58

The Lumberjacks clinched at least a share of the regular season conference championship after beating Montana State on the road. Tyrone Bozy led the way with 16 points. Kelly Golob and Ruben Boykin, Jr., each scored 15 points. In a game televised nationally on ESPNU as part of ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday, NAU fell convincingly to Western Kentucky. NAU was out-rebounded 39-16. Golob scored 16 points.

Up next: NAU heads to Sacramento State on Saturday and Montana on Monday. NAU will clinch the regular season championship with a victory or a Montana loss.

Portland State Vikings (10-15, 3-9)
Feb. 16: Portland State 80, Idaho State 73
Feb. 18: Portland State 77, Weber State 66

The Vikings snapped a six-game losing slide when they needed it most as they beat ISU. PSU rallied from a 42-33 halftime deficit, courtesy of shooting 50 percent in the second half. Jake Schroeder scored 18 points to help lead the comeback. Scott Morrison had 13 and 11 rebounds for the Vikings. PSU stayed alive in the postseason race after beating Weber State. Schroeder scored a game-high 20 points.

Up next: PSU hosts Montana State on Thursday and Montana on Saturday.

Sacramento State Hornets (14-12, 5-7)
Feb. 15: Montana 84, Sacramento State 79

The Hornets lost for the seventh time in eight games after losing to Montana. Alex Bausley scored 20 points with 10 rebounds and Jason Harris scored 16 points and grabbed 12 boards. But the Hornets were victim to a costly scoring error. The Hornets were deducted a point off the scoreboard after the official scorekeeper’s score did not match what the scoreboard said. With 10 seconds left in the game, Clark Woods hit a 3-pointer that should have tied the game at 80. Instead, it was 80-79, forcing the Hornets to foul and Montana used free throws.

Up next: The Hornets host Northern Arizona on Saturday before the regular season finale at Montana State on Monday.

Weber State Wildcats (10-16, 4-9)
Feb. 15: Eastern Washington 76, Weber State 73
Feb. 18: Portland State 77, Weber State 66

Coric Riggs scored 19 points with 11 rebounds in a loss to the Eagles. David Patten scored 16 points off the bench and Terrell Stovall added 15. WSU then made it three losses in a row after losing to Portland State. Stovall scored 17 points to lead the Wildcats.

Up next: Weber State heads to Idaho State in a crucial game. A win for the Wildcats coupled with a Portland State loss clinches their spot in the Big Sky Conference tournament.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington

No suspensions to be handed out

After reviewing video tape from the Montana/Idaho State game on Saturday, the Big Sky Conference announced Tuesday that no suspensions will be issued to Montana’s Dustin Dlouhy or Idaho State’s Logan Kinghorn.

Dlouhy was issued a flagrant foul for grabbing Kinghorn’s jersey as he was going up into the air to attempt a basket. Kinghorn fell to the floor hard and later charged the Montana bench before collapsing at half court. Both Dlouhy and Kinghorn were ejected from the game.

“We are disappointed with the hard foul,” Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton said in a statement released by the Big Sky on Tuesday. “It was a dangerous situation. Both players were punished for their actions by the game officials by being ejected from the game, but after reviewing the film and interviewing game officials we concluded there was no action that warranted further discipline.”

Big Sky teams learns game times for Bracket Buster games

Montana, Montana State and Eastern Washington will compete in non-TV games on Feb. 18 that resulted as being part of the BracketBusters presented by eBay pool. Montana plays host to Oral Roberts at 4:30 p.m. (EST), while Montana State plays host to Idaho at 9:05 p.m. (EST) and Eastern Washington travels to Cal State Fullerton at 5:05 p.m. (EST).

Eastern Washington Eagles (10-12 overall, 5-4 conference)
Feb. 2: Eastern Washington 87, Sacramento State 75
Feb. 4: Eastern Washington 73, Northern Arizona 61

Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points in helping the Eagles knock off the Hornets. Matt Penoncello added a collegiate-high 18 points and Deuce Smith also had 18 points, a season-high. Stuckey then added 28 points and eight rebounds as the Eagles ended Northern Arizona’s win streak. Derek Risper had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Idaho State Bengals (10-11, 2-7)
Feb. 2: Montana State 98, Idaho State 87
Feb. 4: Idaho State 95, Montana 70

Ryan Baumgartner, Logan Kinghorn and David Schroeder each scored 16 points in a loss to Montana State. The Bengals led 74-71 with 8:45 remaining, but the Bobcats went on a 16-1 run to take control of the game. Then, the Bengals outscored the Grizzlies 61-30 in the second half to get an easy victory over Montana. Slim Millien scored 22 points with six assists.

Montana Grizzlies (16-5, 6-3)
Feb. 2: Weber State 72, Montana 67
Feb. 4: Idaho State 95, Montana 70

The Grizzlies had a double-digit lead late in the second half, but the Wildcats rallied back to give Montana the loss. Kevin Criswell scored 18 points and Andrew Strait scored 12 and grabbed seven rebounds. The Grizzlies had 22 turnovers in the contest. Then, the Grizzlies made just two field goals in the final 14:39 in a 95-70 loss to Idaho State. Strait led Montana with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Montana State Bobcats (13-10, 6-3)
Feb. 2: Montana State 98, Idaho State 87
Feb. 4: Weber State 67, Montana State 56

Al Beye scored a collegiate-high 29 points along with nine rebounds in MSU’s come-from-behind victory over the Bengals. Marvin Moss scored 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. True freshman Jacques Wilson, the son of ISU assistant coach Louis Wilson, scored a collegiate-high 14 points. Then, Beye scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a loss to Weber State. Ja’Ron Jefferson scored 11 points for MSU.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (16-7, 8-1)
Feb. 2: Northern Arizona 65, Portland State 63
Feb. 4: Eastern Washington 73, Northern Arizona 61

Ruben Boykin, Jr. hit a 15-foot jump shot with 3.3 seconds left to give the Lumberjacks a victory over Portland State. It was NAU’s 10th straight victory and moved to 8-0 in the conference for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Kelly Golob scored a game-high 20 points in the victory. Then, Boykin, Jr. scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Lumberjacks had the win streak halted by the Eagles. It was NAU’s first loss since losing to Arizona State on Dec. 22, 2005.

Portland State Vikings (8-14, 1-8)
Feb. 2: Northern Arizona 65, Portland State 63
Feb. 4: Sacramento State 68, Portland State 65

The Vikings continued their struggles with a pair of league losses. Juma Kamara scored 17 points to lead PSU in their loss to NAU. PSU dropped their fifth-straight game as they lost to Sacramento State. Kamara scored 15 points and had nine rebounds. Anthony Washington added 13 points. It was the first time PSU had lost to Sacramento State in Portland.

Sacramento State Hornets (14-9, 5-4)
Feb. 2: Eastern Washington 87, Sacramento State 75
Feb. 4: Sacramento State 68, Portland State 65

Jason Harris hit 8-of-11 shots en route to a 21 point effort in a losing cause to the Eagles. Harris also grabbed eight rebounds in the Hornets’ fourth consecutive loss. Alex Bausley and Da’Shawn Freeman each scored 14 points as well. Clark Woods scored 16 points and the Hornets outscored the Vikings 13-4 in the final 8:05 to earn their first ever victory over PSU in Portland.

Weber State Wildcats (9-13, 3-6)
Feb. 2: Weber State 72, Montana 67
Feb. 4: Weber State 67, Montana State 56

Coric Riggs scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in WSU’s upset over Montana. Weber State shot 60 percent in the second half, outscoring Montana 46-35. Then, Riggs scored 14 points and had eight rebounds as the Wildcats knocked off Montana State. Weber State outscored the Bobcats 38-17 in the second half.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Big Sky teams find out ESPN Bracket Buster opponents

ESPN announced on Monday and Tuesday the field for the fourth annual ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday.

With an event that started four years ago with just a handful of teams, designed to give mid-major teams an opportunity to improve their NCAA tournament resume come Selection Sunday in March, the field is now made up of 100 teams.

Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, Montana and Montana State were selected at the beginning of the season to represent the Big Sky in the event, which will be held Feb. 18.

Northern Arizona will be the only team in the Big Sky that will play their game on the national stage. The Lumberjacks will play at Western Kentucky of the Sun Belt Conference.

Eastern Washington will play at Cal State Fullerton, Montana will host Oral Roberts and Montana State will host Idaho.

Next season, the teams will flip and play on the other’s home floor.

Around the Conference

Eastern Washington Eagles (8-12 overall, 3-4 conference)
Jan. 26: Montana State 82, Eastern Washington 70
Jan. 28: Montana 78, Eastern Washington 72

Rodney Stuckey scored 18 points and had eight assists as the Eagles fell to the Bobcats, despite leading 39-38 at halftime. Stuckey then scored 36 points in a loss to Montana. Stuckey has scored in double figures in all 20 games of his collegiate career. He leads the conference in scoring at 23.6 points per game.

Up next: The Eagles host Sacramento State on Thursday and Northern Arizona on Saturday.

Idaho State Bengals (9-10, 1-6)
Jan. 25: Idaho State 89, South Dakota State 72
Jan. 28: Weber State 66, Idaho State 61

The Bengals took a quick break from conference play and picked up a much-needed victory over SDSU. Kasey Winters scored a collegiate-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for ISU. The Bengals’ brief two-game win streak came to a halt in Ogden, Utah in a loss to the Wildcats. David Schroeder scored 18 points to lead ISU.

Up next: The Bengals host two tough opponents, Montana State on Thursday and Montana on Saturday.

Montana Grizzlies (16-3, 6-1)
Jan. 26: Montana 98, Portland State 77
Jan. 28: Montana 78, Eastern Washington 72

The Grizzles had all 12 players score in a rout of the Vikings. Kevin Criswell led the way for Montana as he scored 22 points. Andrew Strait added 15 points and eight rebounds. Strait would then add 19 points and nine rebounds in a victory over the Eagles. Criswell added 15 points.

Up next: The Grizzlies hit the road to play at Weber State on Thursday and then Idaho State on Saturday.

Montana State Bobcats (12-9, 5-2)
Jan. 26: Montana State 82, Eastern Washington 70
Jan. 28: Montana State 69, Portland State 68

Derrick Edmonds scored 24 points off the bench to lead the Bobcats past the Eagles. Marvin Moss scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Ja’Ron Jefferson scored 18 points and handed out six assists. Casey Durham hit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining to give the Bobcats a narrow victory over the Vikings. Jefferson scored a game-high 16 points in the contest.

Up next: The Bobcats are at Idaho State on Thursday before heading down to Weber State on Saturday.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (15-6, 7-0)
Jan. 28: Northern Arizona 89, Sacramento State 83

The Lumberjacks made it nine wins in a row after knocking off the Hornets. The nine-game win streak is the longest in the country. Ruben Boykin, Jr. scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds, while Ryan McCurdy also added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. NAU was 34-of-43 from the free throw line.

Up next: The Lumberjacks are on the road this week as they are at Portland State on Thursday and then Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Portland State Vikings (8-12, 1-6)
Jan. 26: Montana 98, Portland State 77
Jan. 28: Montana State 69, Portland State 68

Anthony Washington scored 15 points and Jake Schroeder scored 14 points and had four assists in a loss to the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies scored 21 points off of 17 Vikings turnovers. The Vikings led for all but 49 seconds in a loss to the Bobcats. Schroeder scored 15 points in the loss.

Up next: PSU will host the red-hot Lumberjacks on Thursday and then host Sacramento State on Saturday.

Sacramento State Hornets (13-8, 4-3)
Jan. 28: Northern Arizona 89, Sacramento State 83

The Hornets lost their third straight conference game in a loss to NAU. The Hornets were out-rebounded 42-17 in the contest. Alex Bausley scored a collegiate-high 28 points in the setback. After a 4-0 conference start, the Hornets have lost the last three game by a combined 11 points to the top three teams in the conference.

Up next: The Hornets travel to Eastern Washington on Thursday and then Portland State on Saturday.

Weber State Wildcats (7-13, 1-6)
Jan. 28: Weber State 66, Idaho State 61

The Wildcats halted a seven-game slide in a conference victory over the Bengals. Nedim Pajevic scored a collegiate-high 17 points and had 17 rebounds in the game.

Up next: The Wildcats will host the Montana schools this week. First will be Montana on Thursday, then Montana State on Saturday.

Idaho State Coach Resigns

Idaho State Coach Resigns

by Nick Dettmann

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – Idaho State University men’s basketball coach Doug Oliver announced Tuesday that he will step down after the conclusion of this season, the school announced.

Oliver has been the head coach at Idaho State since 1998 and he is currently in his eighth season at the helm of the Bengals. The Bengals have finished third or higher in three of the last five seasons, although ISU is currently 7-8 overall and 0-4 in the Big Sky Conference. The Bengals have lost six straight, including four of the last five in the final 10 seconds and have only won one game since knocking off UC-Davis on Dec. 10.

The Bengals started the season 6-1 with the only loss being a 90-66 loss at Kansas in the season opener on Nov. 18.

“After 32 years of coaching at all levels, there’s a time that you just feel it,” Oliver said at a press conference held Tuesday. “I don’t know if I’m done coaching. There is nothing in the cards right now for (assistant coaches) Jay (McMillin), Louis (Wilson) or myself, we don’t know what we are going to do next year, but we are professionals, we are educators, and we’re good at what do. The one thing it hasn’t done is translate into enough wins.

“Coming off of this past weekend that had nothing to do with my decision. It was the pressure that I believe through the group dynamics that I watch everyday standing in front of a group of 15 young men and my assistants. There was a pressure there that was not necessary. Some of the kids felt that they were playing, and I’ll put this quite frankly, for my job, and that’s not true, and not fair.”

Oliver is the 19th head coach in ISU history, Oliver is fifth in career wins at Idaho State with 82. His current overall record is 82-128.

“We’ll go ahead and begin the search immediately, and the timing of the announcement allows us the time to with this process instead of rushing through it, and we can go through a normal search process,” ISU Director of Athletics Paul A. Bubb said at the press conference. “I think the timing of the announcement allows us to move ahead, but at the same time we are probably going to be looking at people that are also coaching right now, so they would be somewhat limited by what they can and can’t do.

“I just want to reiterate that Doug Oliver has coached this team with class and dignity, and those are the things I was told before I ever got here to Idaho State. He has recruited good student-athletes, and he has run his program in a first-class manner.”

No immediate candidates for possible replacements are known at this time.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Alex Bausley, Sacramento State

Eastern Washington Eagles (6-10 overall, 1-2 conference)
Jan. 14: Eastern Washington 89, Portland State 70

The Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak with its victory over the Vikings. Freshman Rodney Stuckey scored 31 points. Stuckey is making a very strong case to be the conference’s Newcomer of the Year as he has led the team in scoring in 13 consecutive games.

Up next: The Eagles host Idaho State on Thursday and Weber State on Saturday to open the home portion of the conference schedule.

Idaho State Bengals (7-8, 0-4)
Jan. 12: Sacramento State 107, Idaho State 106
Jan. 14: Northern Arizona 85, Idaho State 81

Slim Millien scored 31 points and had nine rebounds in a nail-bitter against Sacramento State. Millien also had eight dunks in a game where sx ISU players reached double figures.

The Bengals lost their sixth game in a row following their loss to the Lumberjacks. Akbar Abdul-Ahad scored 15 points to lead the Bengals, who have won only one game Dec. 10 against UC-Davis, a span of eight games.

Up next: The Bengals hit the road to Eastern Washington to take on the Eagles Thursday and then head to Portland State on Saturday.

Montana Grizzlies (13-2, 3-0)
Jan. 14: Montana 80, Montana State 64

The Grizzlies captured their first victory in Bozeman since 2000 after their 16-point victory over the rival Bobcats. Montana outscored Montana State 50-30 in the second half. Matt Dlouhy led Montana with a collegiate-high 19 points. Andrew Strait added 16 points and five rebounds.

Up next: Montana heads to Flagstaff to take on Northern Arizona Thursday and to Sacramento State on Saturday.

Montana State Bobcats (9-8, 2-1)
Jan. 14: Montana 80, Montana State 64

The Bobcats had their four-game win streak halted as they lost to in-state rival Montana. The loss also ended an eight-game home stand.

With 12 games remaining on their schedule, the Bobcats will play only four games at home. Against Montana, Casey Durham scored 17 points and Marvin Moss added 14 points.

Up next: The Bobcats will hit to the road at Sacramento State on Thursday and Northern Arizona on Saturday. MSU has not won a game on this trip since the 2001-02 season.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (12-6, 4-0)
Jan. 12: Northern Arizona 88, Weber State 82
Jan. 14: Northern Arizona 85, Idaho State 81

The Lumberjacks kept pace at the top of the conference standings by knocking off Weber State and Idaho State. NAU has now won six games in a row. Against the Wildcats, Tyrone Bazy scored 23 points. Ruben Boykin, Jr. scored 15 points and had 12 rebounds.

The Lumberjacks also shot 60 percent from the field and hit 24-of-29 free throws. Against the Bengals, Bazy scored 17 points, hitting 11-of-11 free throws. For the game, NAU hit 23-of-24 free throws.

Up next: The Lumberjacks host Montana on Thursday and then Montana State on Saturday.

Portland State Vikings (7-9, 0-3)
Jan. 14: Eastern Washington 89, Portland State 70

The struggles continued for the Vikings as they dropped their fourth game in a row. With the loss, the Vikings were denied the chance for a 10th straight conference home victory. It was the first home conference loss since dropping an 80-71 decision on Jan. 31, 2004 to Idaho State. Josh Neely scored a collegiate-high 15 points against the Eagles. The Vikings were just 1-of-11 from 3-point range.

Up next: The Vikings host Weber State on Thursday and then Idaho State on Saturday. Weber State beat PSU in the Big Sky Conference semifinals last season at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.

Sacramento State Hornets (13-5, 4-0)
Jan. 12: Sacramento State 107, Idaho State 106
Jan. 14: Sacramento State 73, Weber State 66

The Hornets have now won five in a row after knocking off Idaho State and Weber State. It is the third longest win streak of the season in the conference. Against the Bengals, Alex Bausley hit a 10-foot jumper at the buzzer to beat ISU. DaShawn Freeman scored 27 points and had 12 assists. Bausley and Clark Woods each scored 22 points. The Hornets shot 56 percent from the field for the game and hit 14 3-pointers.

It was the Hornets’ second straight victory in Pocatello by way of a buzzer-beater. Against the Wildcats, freshman Loren Leath scored a game-high 22 points, while Bausley added 11 and Justin Williams scored 10 points off the bench. The Hornets are 4-0 in conference play for the first time since joining the Big Sky Conference prior to the 1996-97 season.

Up next: The two Montana teams visit Sacramento State this week. First it is Montana State on Thursday, then Montana on Saturday.

Weber State Wildcats (6-11, 0-4)
Jan. 12: Northern Arizona, 88, Weber State 82
Jan. 14: Sacramento State 73, Weber State 66

Nick Covington scored a collegiate-high 28 points in a losing effort to the Lumberjacks. Covington hit six 3-pointers and handed out seven assists. Weber State shot 54 percent from the field, marking it the first time this season that they lost a game when shooting better than 45 percent from the floor. Against the Hornets, the Wildcats fell to 0-4 in conference play for the first time in school history. Coric Riggs scored 12 points, all of which came in the second half, and had 11 rebounds.

Up next: The Wildcats travel to Portland State on Thursday and then Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Scott Morrison, Portland State

Eastern Washington Eagles (5-8 overall)
Dec. 27: BYU 97, Eastern Washington 66
Dec. 29: Boise State 76, Eastern Washington 72
Jan. 1: San Diego 97, Eastern Washington 78

Rodney Stuckey scored 21 points with four assists and three steals in the loss at BYU. BYU shot 64.5 percent from the field in the game and got 45 points from their bench… Stuckey scored a collegiate-high 34 points with eight rebounds, however had 10 turnovers in the loss to Boise State… Stuckey came up big again against San Diego, scoring 19 points with seven assists. Paul Butorac scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Up next: The Eagles open Big Sky play Thursday at Northern Arizona.

Idaho State Bengals (7-4)
Dec. 27: Idaho State 102, Rocky Mountain 76
Dec. 29: Binghamton 59, Idaho State 46 (Utah State Gossner Foods Classic, Logan, Utah)
Dec. 30: Arkansas-Little Rock 73, Idaho State 72 (Utah State Gossner Foods Classic, Logan, Utah)

Matt Stucki scored a collegiate-high 23 points in a reserve role in a dominating victory over Rocky Mountain. Slim Millien scored 19 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season… at the Gossner Foods Classic, the Bengals faltered. ISU scored 46 points in their loss to Binghamton. Six times this season prior to that game, ISU had scored 46 points in a half. Kasey Winters was the lone highlight with nine points. ISU committed 21 turnovers in the game… Tim Henry scored 23 points in a losing effort in the consolation game.
Up next: ISU opens conference play with a two-game road trip at Montana and Montana State on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

Montana Grizzlies (10-2)
Dec. 30: Wisconsin-Milwaukee 78, Montana 74

The Grizzlies had their 10-game win streak snapped as they lost to 2005 Sweet 16 qualifier UW-Milwaukee in Missoula. Andrew Strait scored 23 points in the losing cause. The game was played in front of 7,213 fans, the second 7,000-plus attendance game this season.
Up next: Montana opens Big Sky play when ISU comes to town Thursday.

Montana State Bobcats (7-7)
Dec. 29: North Dakota State 76, Montana State 75
Dec. 30: Montana State 75, San Jose State 71
Jan. 2: Montana State 78, South Dakota State 73

The Bobcats lost for the first time in the semifinals of their own tournament against NDSU. Casey Durham, who scored nine points and had six assists and five steals, missed a 30-foot shot at the buzzer. Al Beye scored 18 to lead MSU… Marvin Moss scored 16 points with nine rebounds over SJSU. Beye added 13… Ja’Ron Jefferson scored 21 points with seven assists over SDSU. Derrick Edmonds scored 19.
Up next: MSU opens league play against Weber State Thursday and then host ISU on Saturday.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (8-6)
Dec. 29: Northern Arizona 96, Pacific Lutheran 59
Dec. 31: Northern Arizona 100, Johnson and Wells 52

Ruben Boykin, Jr. scored 21 points in 24 minutes against Pacific Lutheran. Steve Sir scored 17 points off the bench… Boykin, Jr. scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds in a stomping of Johnson and Wells. NAU shot 54 percent from the field in the game. Sir scored 12 points on four 3-pointers. NAU out-rebounded JW, 54-24.
Up next: NAU opens Big Sky play at home against the Eagles on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday.

Portland State Vikings (7-6)
Dec. 27: Portland State 54, Oregon 52
Dec. 30: Portland State 81, Idaho 48

Scott Morrison scored 15 points off the bench in an upset of Oregon. It was the fourth straight victory by PSU and it was the second victory by PSU over the Ducks in eight tries… PSU made it five-in-a-row in an easy victory over the Vandals. Ryan Sommer scored 18 points. Morrison added 10 and had seven rebounds off the bench.
Up next: PSU opens up conference play at Sacramento State Thursday and Saturday at NAU.

Sacramento State Hornets (9-5)
Dec. 29: Sacramento State 79, Denver 65

Jason Harris scored 10 points with 10 rebounds in a victory over the Pioneers. DaShawn Freeman had 21 points and five steals. The Hornets improved to 5-0 on their home floor. SSU finished non-conference with their best record since moving to Division I in 1991. In 1988, the Hornets were 9-5.
Up next: The Hornets look to continue their winning ways at home Thursday against PSU and Saturday against EWU.

Weber State Wildcats (6-7)
Dec. 28: Weber State 69, Utah Valley State 62
Dec. 31: Wyoming 58, Weber State 48

The Wildcats made it three-in-a-row with the victory over Utah Valley State. Coric Riggs led the Wildcats with 18 points. He has scored double-figures in all 12 games he has played in this season… Weber State shot just 32.7 percent from the field in their loss to the Cowboys. Riggs and Nick Covington each scored nine points. Weber State is 0-7 this season when shooting less than 45 percent.
Up next: Weber State is at MSU on Thursday and then Montana on Saturday.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Andrew Strait, Montana

Eastern Washington Eagles (4-5 overall)

Dec. 16: Washington 91, Eastern Washington 74
Dec. 19: Gonzaga 75, Eastern Washington 65

The Eagles could not have had a tougher week in terms of competition, but they can be very proud with how they played. They lost to last season’s top-ranked team of the NCAA tournament and 11th in the nation by 17, then lost to 8th-ranked Gonzaga. Both games were on the road. Jamaal Williams scored 26 points against the Huskies, while Rodney Stuckey scored 20 points against the Zags.

Up next: Just one game as they host Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Friday.

Idaho State Bengals (6-2)

Dec. 17: North Dakota State 86, Idaho State 69

The Bengals could not overcome a big deficit this time against NDSU in Fargo. Slim Millien led the way for ISU with 20 points. Two others reached double-figures: Tim Henry (18) and David Schroeder (12).

Up next: The Bengals are off until after the holidays. They will resume action on Dec. 27 when they host Rocky Mountain.

Montana Grizzlies (9-1)

Dec. 10: Montana 78, Drake 72
Dec. 14: Montana 110, Montana-Western 71
Dec. 19: Montana 77, UC-Riverside 67

The Grizzlies continued their torrid pace by extending their winning streak to nine games. Montana has not lost since their 90-69 drubbing at the hands of Boise State in the season-opener. Against Drake, Andrew Strait and Matt Dlouhy each had 17 points and six rebounds. Against Montana-Western, Kevin Criswell scored 21 points and Dlouhy had 20. Dlouhy also grabbed seven boards. Against UC-Riverside, Strait went off by scoring 31 points and Criswell added 14.

Up next: Just one game on tap this week as they stay in California to play UC-Santa Clara on the 22nd.

Montana State Bobcats (3-6)

Dec. 17: Wyoming 80, Montana State 67
Dec. 19: Montana State 70, Portland 68

Against Wyoming, Ja’Ron Jefferson led the Bobcats with 17 points while the Cowboys converted on 25-of-38 free throws. Against Portland, the Bobcats were without Ryan Holmes and Branden Miller. Holmes has left the team and Miller has been declared academically ineligible. Marvin Moss led the way in scoring with 18 points and had six rebounds.

Up next: A home game against Denver on the 22nd is the only thing on tap this week for the Bobcats.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-5)

Dec. 19: Northern Arizona 63, Northern Colorado 53

After over a week off, the Lumberjacks looked like they never missed a beat after knocking off future conference foe Northern Colorado. Ruben Boykin, Jr., scored 13 points and had 12 rebounds in his seventh collegiate double-double.

Up next: The Lumberjacks are to Tempe, Ariz., to compete in a tournament on the 21st and 22nd.

Portland State Vikings (5-6)

Dec. 16: Portland State 85, Lewis & Clark 59

Against Lewis & Clark, the Vikings’ Scott Morrison and Ryan Sommer each scored 19 points. Jake Schroeder added 14 as well for the Vikings. PSU’s defense held Lewis & Clark scoreless for nine minutes and 45 seconds.

Up next: A home game against Warner Pacific is the only game the Vikings have this week on Dec. 21.

Sacramento State Hornets (7-3)

Dec. 17: Sacramento State 76, Southern Utah 68

With only one game on tap, the Hornets had four players reach double-figures in scoring, two of whom came off the bench. Starters DaShawn Freeman and Jason Harris scored 17 and 12 respectively. Off the bench, Clark Woods and Justin Williams scored 14 and 10 respectively.

Up next: After a Dec. 20 meeting against Cal-Poly, the Hornets will travel to Los Angeles to play UCLA on the 23rd.

Weber State Wildcats (3-6)

Dec. 17: BYU 80, Weber State 54

After starting the year 3-0, the Wildcats have now lost six in a row. Against the Cougars, Coric Riggs led the way for the Wildcats with 19 points. David Patten led the team in rebounds with seven.

Up next: After a Dec. 20 showdown with Southern Utah, the Wildcats will head to Fort Wayne, Ind., to play IPFW on Dec. 22.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Slim Millien, Idaho State

Eastern Washington (1-3)

Nov. 24: Marquette 83, Eastern Washington 73 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)
Nov. 25: USC 69, Eastern Washington 51 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)
Nov. 26: Southern Illinois 80, Eastern Washington 72 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)

The Eagles participated in one of the greatest early season tournaments, the Great Alaska Shootout. The Eagles started off by falling to eventual tournament champion Marquette to start the tournament. Jake Beitinger led the way with 17 points and Rodney Stuckey had 16. Rhett Humphrey had 11 points off the bench. Marquette had five players in double figures. Against the Trojans, the Eagles fell behind early and could not recover as they trailed 36-18 at halftime. Beitinger and Stuckey each led the way for a second straight game with 17 and 15 points respectively. Against the Salukis, the Eagles could not hold onto a 34-33 lead at halftime before falling to SIU. Jamaal Tatum had 37 points for the Salukis. Stuckey capped a terrific tournament with 24 points. Henry Bekkering had 17 points off the bench for Eastern Washington.

Up next: The Eagles will travel to regional rival Idaho on Nov. 30 before returning home on Dec. 4 against Cal State-Northridge.

Idaho State (2-1)

Nov. 23: Idaho State 106, University of Great Falls 64
Nov. 26: Idaho State 72, Utah Valley State 56

The Bengals went perfect last week. But, they should have. Against Great Falls, a NAIA school, Slim Millien scored 23 points and grabbed a collegiate-high 13 rebounds. Millien led four Bengals to reach double figures in points. Tim Henry added 16 points, while David Schroeder and Logan Kinghorn had 12 and 11 respectively. Against Utah Valley State, Millien had another solid game as he had his third-straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Schroeder had a team-high 15 points for ISU.

Up next: The Bengals will host in-state rival Boise State on Dec. 1. Then, they will finish their four-game home stand with a visit by North Dakota State on Dec. 3.

Montana (2-1)

Nov. 25: Montana 86, Western Oregon 57

In their lone game of the week, the Grizzlies won their second-straight game in convincing fashion. Andrew Strait and Kevin Criswell led the Grizzlies in scoring with 18 and 17 points respectively. The Grizz shot 63 percent from the field for the night.

Up next: The Grizzlies will continue a four-game home stand with a visit by Utah Valley State on Nov. 29. Then, Stanford comes to town on Dec. 2.

Montana State (1-3)

Nov. 27: Montana State 84, Wayland Baptist 60

In their lone game of the week, the Bobcats had no troubles with NAIA Wayland Baptist. Ja’Ron Jefferson had 12 points and three assists. The Bobcats shot 53 percent and had only 12 turnovers after averaging 20 in the first three games.

Up next: The Bobcats go out on the road for the next two. The first will be soon-to-be Big Sky conference foe Northern Colorado on Dec. 1. Then, will finish the trip on Dec. 3 against Denver.

Northern Arizona (3-0)

Nov 15: NAU 71, Morgan State 51
Nov 19: NAU 78, UC Davis 50
Nov 22: NAU 97, Cal Maritime 47

Portland State (2-3)

Nov. 23: Iowa State 72, Portland State 64 (Cyclone Challenge, Ames, Iowa)
Nov. 25: Iona 81, Portland State 75 (Cyclone Challenge, Ames, Iowa)
Nov. 26: Portland State 81, Howard 53 (Cyclone Challenge, Ames, Iowa)

The Vikings hung right with Iowa State of the Big 12 in the Cyclones’ tournament, the Iowa State tournament. The Vikings trailed by only two at halftime before the Cyclones took over. Four players scored double-figures for ISU. Juma Kamara led the Vikings with 19 points. Against Iona, four players reached double-figures for the Vikings, led by Ryan Sommer’s 16. Jake Schroeder, Kamara and Josh Neeley scored double figures with 15, 13 and 10 respectively. Against Howard, the Vikings jumped out to a 42-19 halftime lead and held Howard to 31 percent shooting from the field. Anthony Washington led the way with 15 points for PSU.

Up next: The Vikings have a meeting with sixth-ranked Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., on Nov. 30. Then, will return home on Dec. 3 to play Middle Tennessee State.

Sacramento State (3-2)

Nov. 22: Sacramento State 100, William Jessup 61
Nov. 26: Sacramento State 85, San Francisco 78

The Hornets had a perfect week this week. Against William Jessup, the Hornets out-scored William Jessup 47-24 in the second half. Loren Leath had 19 points for the Hornets off the bench. Dashawn Freeman scored 18 points for the Hornets as well. Against the Dons, five players reached double figures, led by Freeman’s 18. Leath and Haron Hargrove had 17 points each, while Jason Harris and Alex Bausley had 16 and 10 respectively.

Up next: The Hornets continue their three-game road trip with the last two of the trip. On Nov. 30, the Hornets will play UC-Davis and then on Dec. 3, they will play at Utah Valley State.

Weber State (3-1)

Nov. 23: Weber State 82, Montana Tech 51
Nov. 26: Utah 67, Weber State 62 (OT)

The Wildcats had five players reach double-figures, led by Terrell Stovall’s 13 points against Montana Tech. Against in-state rival Utah, Stovall hit a lay-up with seven seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Coric Riggs led the Wilcats with 17 points and six rebounds.

Up next: On Nov. 29, the Wildcats will head south to play Southern Utah. Then, on Dec. 3 will have their second meeting with Boise State, this team it will be in Ogden.