Leslie, UI Put Hurt On Bobcats
Mark Leslie didn’t realize the throbbing pain in his shin until he was getting dressed in the locker room.
Minutes earlier he had scored 10 of Idaho’s last 11 points as the Vandals, the team that ignores logic, stopped Montana State 79-70 in Big Sky Conference men’s basketball Saturday night at the Kibbie Dome.
“I don’t know when I hurt it,” said Leslie, hobbling out of the training room with a bag of ice.
It was much easier to pinpoint when he hurt Montana State.
After Leslie’s 3-pointer put UI ahead 71-65, MSU closed to 71-70 and the 2,785 Dome fans began having flashbacks of the Vandals’ prior late-game collapses against Idaho State, Boise State and Montana, the latter coming on Friday night.
Leslie wouldn’t allow a fold this time.
“That’s the best time of the game. You hit a shot and the crowd gets going. You get that feeling that you can’t get at any other time in the game,” said Leslie, who scored 25 points.
His 4-foot baseline runner pushed UI up 73-70 with 2:10 to go. Then came the play of the game, and it started with a Leslie miss.
UI center Nate Gardner slid down the lane to snag the rebound and, with his feet dangling near the baseline, fired the ball back to Leslie, who eventually bagged the clinching trey.
“Mr. Clutch (Leslie) comes through again,” said Gardner, who also chipped in a blocked shot on Quadre Lollis’ shot with 50 seconds remaining. “That game was the season. If we lose that we’re in a pretty big hole.”
Instead, UI is 3-4 in the Sky and tied with MSU and Northern Arizona. Idaho is 9-10 overall, MSU 15-5.
The outcome left UI coach Joe Cravens happy but confused.
How, he wondered, did Idaho bounce back from Friday’s crushing loss? Surely the Vandals were dragging emotionally and physically.
Starters Ben Johnson (37), Shawn Dirden (36), Leslie (33) and Harry Harrison (39) all logged extensive minutes on Friday while no Bobcats were forced to play more than 27 minutes in an easy win at Eastern Washington.
Perhaps the reason Idaho won is because it wasn’t expected to. After all, UI has already surprised Washington State, blown three Big Sky home games, and won at Northern Arizona without Harrison.
“They never cease to amaze me,” Cravens said. “We had every reason not to win tonight.”
And six pretty good reasons why they did. Obviously one was Leslie, who hit five 3-pointers. Gardner came through late. Harrison, who has missed 1 minute of playing time in the last two games, had 15 points and 20 rebounds, the most by a Vandal since Riley Smith’s 20 in 1989.
Dirden scored 15 points and reserve Todd Spike provided four points while giving starters brief breaks on the bench. And Johnson had 14 points and seven assists to cap his fine weekend.
“We might have been fatigued,” Gardner said, “but we decided to be mentally tough.”
The Bobcats, a deep and talented club, led most of the first half, stretching the margin to 21-13 before UI rallied.
Leslie’s 23-footer gave Idaho a 40-39 halftime lead.
MSU center Dwayne Michaels finished with 14 points and swatted five shots. Lollis had 11 points, but the Bobcats were beaten on the boards (38-34) and their press was fairly ineffective.
Idaho visits Boise State on Friday and Idaho State on Saturday.
Idaho 79, Montana St. 70
MONTANA ST. (15-5)
Talley 2-6 0-0 4, Leachman 3-8 0-0 7, Michaels 6-7 2-2 14, Hatler 2-6 2-2 8, Harrison 5-12 0-0 10, Coleman 3-8 2-2 9, Elliott 3-7 1-1 7, Garrison 0-0 0-0 0, Lollis 4-6 3-3 11. Totals 28-60 10-10 70.
IDAHO (9-10)
Dirden 6-17 1-4 15, Harrison 5-9 5-13 15, Gardner 3-6 0-0 6, Johnson 5-10 2-3 14, Leslie 10-18 0-0 25, Spike 1-2 2-2 4, Coats 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-62 10-22 79.
Halftime-Idaho 40, Montana St. 39. 3-Point goals-Montana St. 4-17 (Hatler 2-5, Coleman 1-4, Leachman 1-4, Elliott 0-3, Talley 0-1), Idaho 9-22 (Dirden 2-8, Johnson 2-5, Leslie 5-9). Fouled out-Lollis. Rebounds-Montana St. 34 (Leachman, Michaels, Harrison, Elliott, Lollis 5), Idaho 38 (Harrison 20). Assists- Montana St. 14 (Elliott 5), Idaho 20 (Johnson 7). Total fouls- Montana St. 19, Idaho 9. A-2,785.
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