Vandals fade in second half
<p>In this photo provided by Montana State University, Montana State guard Marcus Colbert (22) lays up against Idaho during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Idaho, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, in Bozeman, Mont. Montana State won 70-68. (Kelly Gorham/Montana State University via AP)</p>
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Without its two leading scorers, Idaho faded in the second half and fell to Marcus Colbert and the Montana State Bobcats, 70-68, on Saturday afternoon in Big Sky Conference men’s basketball at Worthington Arena.
Idaho (12-8, 4-3 Big Sky), missing guards Perrion Callandret and Victor Sanders to injuries, led by 13 points in the second half before faltering.
“We turned it over too much,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “They scored a bunch of points in transition. The turnovers finally caught up to us tonight. I thought under the circumstances our guys fought hard. We had a lot of guys who haven’t played a lot this season step up. I thought our guys really, really competed hard.”
Colbert, the former Post Falls High star, scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half for Montana State (9-11, 4-4).
“I think we were more aggressive offensively,” Colbert, a senior point guard, said of the second half. “They play that pack-zone type defense and they got us shooting a lot of jumpers in the first half, but it was not really inside out. In the second half a couple guys hit some shots and then we got going. That’s how it goes sometimes.”
“It’s fun to watch when he gets going,” Montana State teammate Tyler Hall said of Colbert. “A lot of time he picks us up when we’re down and gives us a lot of energy. He’s a great leader out there.”
Colbert made 1 of 2 free throws with seven seconds left for a 69-66 lead. A jump ball followed the miss and the ball stayed with the Bobcats. Hall, who had 16 points, added a clinching free throw.
“He’s just so tough, he’s so hard-nosed,” second-year Montana State coach Brian Fish said. “He figures out a way to get through his limitations. He’s just fun to coach.”
Colbert made three consecutive 3-pointers then two 2-pointers to give Montana State a 47-44 lead with 10:35 left. Two 3-pointers by Hall and another by Sarp Gobeloglu made it 56-47.
Nick Blair had 12 of his career-high 16 points with four 3-pointers in the first half when Idaho led 43-33. Ty Egbert scored 15 of his career-high 18 points in the second half. Montana State made 13 3-pointers, nine in the second half.
Without Callandret and Sanders, Verlin was forced to look to his bench early. Jordan Scott, Nick Blair, Pat Ingram and Jake Straughan all saw more minutes than normal and played well in their expanded roles.
The Vandals led 33-23 at the break, as Blair scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Vandals shot 54.3 percent (25 of 46) from the field and 46.7 percent (7 of 15) from beyond the arc. The Vandals won the rebounding battle, 34-32, but gave up 13 offensive rebounds.
The Vandals return home to take on Sacramento State on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday.
IDAHO (12-8)
N. Sherwood 1-3 2-2 5, Scott 1-2 0-0 2, Egbert 6-8 6-9 18, Sarbaugh 3-3 3-3 9, C. Sherwood 2-8 0-0 6, Blair 6-12 0-1 16, Straughan 0-0 0-0 0, Ingram 3-6 0-1 6, Mpawe 0-0 0-0 0, Mkrtychyan 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 25-46 11-16 68.
MONTANA ST. (9-11)
Green 4-5 1-3 10, Everett 4-8 2-2 11, Blake 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 5-12 1-2 16, Colbert 9-20 1-3 23, Holm 1-6 0-0 2, Matlock 0-1 0-0 0, Kanseyo 0-1 0-0 0, Gobeloglu 2-6 0-0 6, Robison 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 26-63 5-10 70.
Halftime—Idaho 33-23. 3-Point Goals—Idaho 7-15 (Blair 4-8, C. Sherwood 2-5, N. Sherwood 1-2), Montana St. 13-36 (Hall 5-10, Colbert 4-10, Gobeloglu 2-6, Green 1-2, Everett 1-3, Matlock 0-1, Holm 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Idaho 34 (Egbert 7), Montana St. 32 (Green, Holm, Robison 5). Assists—Idaho 11 (Ingram 4), Montana St. 14 (Colbert 4). Total Fouls—Idaho 17, Montana St. 19. A—2,435.