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CHICAGO – Senior
Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) scored a career-high 25 points in a losing effort on Thursday (March 6) evening at the Jones Convocation Center as Chicago State men's hoops fell to Idaho 79-76 in a Western Athletic Conference contest.
Despite the loss, the Cougars still control their own destiny in clinching the No. 3 seed in the WAC Tournament. A win on Saturday over Seattle U and Chicago State picks up the third seed. The 2014 WAC Tournament will be held March 13-15 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
Early on it wasn't Ross who was making noise, it was Idaho's Connor Hill. Hill recorded 22 points in the first half on 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. He helped Idaho open a 44-30 halftime advantage. The Cougars contained Hill in the second half, as Hill finished with 27 points for the game on 7-of-9 3-point shooting.
It was a Hill 3-pointer, his only of the second half, that gave the Vandals their largest lead of the game at 51-34 with 17:13 remaining in the game. The Vandals didn't have a field goal in the final 9:45 of the game but went 13-of-17 from the free throw line during this stretch to never give up the lead. A corner 3-pointer by
Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) with 2:13 remaining made it a one-point game at 72-71. A single free throw on the other end opened the door for the Cougars to take their first lead since 2-0. But seniors
Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) and
Corey Gray (Houston, Texas/Hightower) each missed a pair of free throws, which would have tied the score at 73. Idaho pulled away from there.
Ross earned his 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting while grabbing eight boards. Pippen finished with 16 points. Gray totaled 14 points. Pippen and Gray each had three assists.
Idaho finished 25-of-50 (50 percent) from the floor but just 8-of-21 in the second half. The Cougars shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55). The difference came at the free throw line. Idaho made 71.4 percent (20-of-28) from the line while Chicago State connected on just 55.2 percent (16-of-29) at the stripe.
Idaho improves to 13-17 (6-9 WAC). Chicago State falls to 12-18 (7-8 WAC). Saturday's game with Seattle U will tip at 2:05 p.m. It will Senior Day for the Cougars.
