Birds vs Mo State

[Hortonfldhse]

23-15 Mo state

[Nyghtewynd]

The Bears are the better team, but once again they're settling for playing at the pace of their opponent. They have to speed this game up.

AWFUL charge called on Deven. 25-15 Bears with 4 left.

[Nyghtewynd]

IlSU gets within 5, but Lamberth collects on a quick layup-and-one. Bears back up 8.

[Nyghtewynd]

Twice in three trips, the Bears give up rebounds on missed FTs, and the Birds are within three. Bears playing with a stick in a place where you don't want a stick.

[Nyghtewynd]

Birds have a three attempt to tie at the buzzer, and misses. Bears lead 32-29 at the half despite looking like complete garbage. They have no interior defense and what they're running is "offense" in name only.

[Hortonfldhse]

40-33 Mo state with 15:43 to go in the game

[Nyghtewynd]

Right now the best Bears on the floor are Fuhermeier and Rausch. Yes, I can't believe it either. 40-33 MSU at the first media TO of the second.

[Nyghtewynd]

Bears up five, and IlSU finally gets called for their first foul seven minutes in (7-1 in the second half).

[azbirdfan]

ISU now has their 4th foul. Often times the reason for the difference in fouls called is that one team just happens to foul more than the other. You can't expect the calls to always be even if one team fouls more. I'm watching the game over the internet and the only questionable call I saw was the foul that put Slack to the line.

[Nyghtewynd]

The game looks very evenly played to me--just not evenly called. It doesn't matter, since MSU insists on missing FTs and letting the Birds dictate tempo. Bears by six (I think) with 11 left.

[azbirdfan]

11:44 to play 44-37 MSU

fwiw, here are first half stats courtesy of cpacmel.....
Bears shooting 63% from the field. (12-19)

Bears shooting 71% from 3 pt land. (5-7)

Birds shooting 42% from the field (11-26)

Birds shooting 27% from 3 pt land. (3-11)


Mo State 16 boards
ISU 10 boards

Mo State 12 turnovers
ISU 6 turnovers

[Nyghtewynd]

The amazing shrinking Ahearn is at it again. I don't think he's taken a shot in the past fifteen minutes of game time.

[tennis08tarheels]

The amazing shrinking Ahearn is at it again. I don't think he's taken a shot in the past fifteen minutes of game time.

Seriously. He needs to learn how to take charge of a basketball game, instead of watching.

[azbirdfan]

Ahearn just scored, he's 4-5 from the field. It doesn't seem like he's hiding out but the other guys seem to be stepping up and taking shots.

[Nyghtewynd]

Hey, look--Ahearn shot *and* scored! That's his first points in over 20 minutes, not fifteen. My bad.

Richards draws his fourth. Again, nothing new.

Bears up 52-48, and this looks suspiciously like SLU/CU.

[azbirdfan]

Dyer has 21 points! He's really stepped up in the last few games. ISU now down 1, oops, I mean 4 now that Ahearn just hit a 3

[azbirdfan]

are you watching the video feed? It's unusually clear this game....

Oh, and our dancers are looking hot during the timeouts!!

[azbirdfan]

Wow, we're only down 6 and....

MSU is 70% from 3 for the game and shooting 70% in the 2nd half from the field including making their last 9 in a row!!

[Nyghtewynd]

Bears on a 7-0 run since the Birds got within 1...now up 8.

[Nyghtewynd]

I'm watching the video feed through CSTV...it's pretty clear, but it's hard to see when the ball goes into the basket. Birds with the hoop and the harm, but misses the FT...Bears up six.

[Nyghtewynd]

Dyer back into the game with four fouls after Dillegard gets his fourth...big moment in the game here.

[Nyghtewynd]

HUGE three by Ahearn as the shot clock expires with the shot at the top of the arc for the Bears to go up 8! That's clutch right there.

[azbirdfan]

The game looks very evenly played to me--just not evenly called.

How specifically?

I could sit here and point out all kinds of reasons "we're getting screwed" just like any fan regarding their team however I refuse to ever do that. I hate how fans use refs as justification for either losing or playing someone too close.

As fans, we predominately notice the plays that our team got screwed on while not paying as close detail to the other team's respective "screwing". If we lose, we lose but it's not because of the refs, regardless of the complaints we could make.....

[azbirdfan]

10 consecutive shots made by MSU

[Nyghtewynd]

And *I* get tired of hearing how any comment about officiating is taken as sour grapes. I think these two teams are playing the exact same sort of game, the same sort of contact/physical nature, and yet it was 7-1 at one point. Of course, it wasn't like that for long, which means that Hightower (an awful official at this point in his career) realized it also.

Bears up six, after missing a chance to go up ten. Once again, very reminiscent of SLU/CU.

[azbirdfan]

65-59 with under 3 to go. Slack just fouled out, Dilligard and Dyer with 4 fouls (should I complain here because of that, or is it just that they fouled that much?)

[tennis08tarheels]

Time remaining?

[Nyghtewynd]

Bears miss 2 FTs, Birds score, the lead is down to four. The hands are starting to tighten around the Bears' throat.

[Nyghtewynd]

Bears miss a layup, Birds score, 65-63 Bears with 1:30 left. Same game as...ya know.

[Nyghtewynd]

Bilyeau hits a big J from the elbow. 67-63 Bears with 53 seconds left, TO IlSU.

[Nyghtewynd]

BIG steal and layup by Mitchell on a steal for the Bears to go up six, but IlSU quickly drives and draws a foul on a block. Bears up 69-63, 2 FTs coming.

[Nyghtewynd]

IlSU makes one of two, Ahearn loses the ball on the dribble, but the foul is called on IlSU when the defender trips him. Ahearn goes to the line for the first time tonight, and he makes both. 32 in a row. Bears up seven.

[Nyghtewynd]

IlSU turns the ball over on a three-point shot, and IlSU has to start fouling with 30 seconds left.

[Nyghtewynd]

73-66 MSU with 22.8 left.

[Nyghtewynd]

Ballgame. Bears win 75-66, but make it *really* hard on themselves in the process. That's the second road win against zero home losses so far, so that's a good sign.

[shroomcap]

Porter Moser is now 17-44 in his MVC career

[getreal4]

Be happy with a road win in the Valley Congrats Bears on avoiding a bad loss. Didn't UNI lose a bad road game recently? :naughty:

[DannyCooksey]

Redbirds fall to 1-6 in the Valley. The hits just keep on comin'!!!!!

It's pretty sad when on January 15th the only thing left to play for is pride.

Congrats to the Bears for getting it done on the road in a hostile.......er......I mean getting it done on the road. I wonder how many more games the 'Birds can win this year?

[Phantom]

Well, at least we went down fighting and made a full 40-min game out of it. I predicted a 15-pt loss, but we hung in there and kept it close and lost by 9. Not saying its a moral victory, but our guys played hard tonight.

4 big keys to the game for us that we didnt accomplish:

1. Rebounding: MSU got every big board.
2. Attacking the basket: When we did, we either scored, or got fouled, or both. We didnt do this NEARLY enough tonight. Our offense stood around an awful lot instead of being aggressive each posession.
3. Leaving Ahearn, Chaney, Laurie, etc. open for shots: They got open, and they hit.
4. Putting them at the FT line: We did, and they hit.

We basically just got beat by the better team, although we had many chances to swing the momentum back our way. We missed alot of key shots and MSU answered everything. Whenever we were getting a little steam going, they completely bitchslapped us with a basket. They were red hot most of the night from the floor too.

Congrats Bears. You guys definately have a very good team with alot of very good players.

[MVC 4 Life]

Well, at least we went down fighting and made a full 40-min game out of it. I predicted a 15-pt loss, but we hung in there and kept it close and lost by 9. Not saying its a moral victory, but our guys played hard tonight.

4 big keys to the game for us that we didnt accomplish:

1. Rebounding: MSU got every big board.
2. Attacking the basket: When we did, we either scored, or got fouled, or both. We didnt do this NEARLY enough tonight. Our offense stood around an awful lot instead of being aggressive each posession.
3. Leaving Ahearn, Chaney, Laurie, etc. open for shots: They got open, and they hit.
4. Putting them at the FT line: We did, and they hit.

We basically just got beat by the better team, although we had many chances to swing the momentum back our way. We missed alot of key shots and MSU answered everything. Whenever we were getting a little steam going, they completely bitchslapped us with a basket. They were red hot most of the night from the floor too.

Congrats Bears. You guys definately have a very good team with alot of very good players.

Good post. many people on VT are to worried about the refs and not about how their own team maybe could improve.

[Phantom]

Good post. many people on VT are to worried about the refs and not about how their own team maybe could improve.


Thanks. Just bein sincere. We didnt do the things neccessary to win, and MSU did. We didnt play that bad overall, and it really was a pretty a good game, but again we just got beat by the better team.

Just to add another point...theres not much you can do when your opponent shoots that hot from the floor for the game, but then again MSU is a team whos players you cannot EVER leave open, and we did too often. Heres a quick stat breakdown that basically tells the story in this game...

MSU

FG: 66%
3pt: 67% (8-12)
FT: 60% (17-28...kinda surprising there)
RB: 30
TO: 17

ISU

FG: 49%
3pt: 26% (5-19) :cursing:
FT: 59% (13-22) :cursing:
RB: 22 :cursing:
TO: 12

[redbirdtim]

First of all, I want to give kudos to Barry Hinson, had a chance to talk to him and he was a respectful man, class act all the way.

Second, I can't wait til Blake Ahearn graduates!

Third, we gave MSU a ballgame most of the way. We had more boards, steals, less TOs, more blocks, but they shot the dang lights out. You win very, very, very few ball games when the opposition shoots over 60%.

Congrats MSU, you guys played amazing. Special mention to Levi Dyer. 23 points for the Birds. He is playing like an All-Conference player the last few weeks.

[MSNSaluki]

Nice rebound for the Bears after Saturday's debacle in Carbondale.

That's the sign of a very, very good team.:bears:

[smacktalkermsu]

Thanks. Just bein sincere. We didnt do the things neccessary to win, and MSU did. We didnt play that bad overall, and it really was a pretty a good game, but again we just got beat by the better team.

Just to add another point...theres not much you can do when your opponent shoots that hot from the floor for the game, but then again MSU is a team whos players you cannot EVER leave open, and we did too often. Heres a quick stat breakdown that basically tells the story in this game...

MSU

FG: 66%
3pt: 67% (8-12)
FT: 60% (17-28...kinda surprising there)
RB: 30
TO: 17

ISU

FG: 49%
3pt: 26% (5-19) :cursing:
FT: 59% (13-22) :cursing:
RB: 22 :cursing:
TO: 12

After looking at those stats you would have thought MSU would have won by 20+

ILSU did an awesome job of converting TO's into points.........MSU has hit January gear it seems.......totally outplay the other team and still make a game of it. OH well a W is a W.

[MissouriState]

Free throws were pretty awful for the Bears in this game. 11-22 I believe.
:bears:

[Phantom]

Free throws were pretty awful for the Bears in this game. 11-22 I believe.
:bears:

According to the box score the Bears were 17-28 from the line.

Kinda odd that MSU's FG% and 3PT% were higher than their FT%. Then again, they simply couldnt miss from the floor all night. The Bears scored 75 points and only put up 39 shots. Thats impressive. When you shoot 66% from the floor and 67% from 3, you usually wont lose. It was a good game though. A friend commented to me that if you were a non-MVC fan and totally unbiased to both teams and saw this game on TV, you wouldve enjoyed it.

Despite MSU's hot shooting, I thought we still defended fairly well, and forced 17 turnovers which was pretty good. But all that considered, what it boiled down to was that we hung in there and made a 40 min game out of it...but we still didnt do what we needed to do to win. MSU did.

Another close but no cigar game for the 'Birds :banghead: I tell ya, if moral victories counted, we'd have the best record in the MVC in the last few years :lol: