FARGO — Tim Miles was known to rip off his suit coat a minute or two into any game when he was the head men’s basketball coach at North Dakota State. Monday night, now wearing the blue of San Jose State, it took until midway through the second half to rip off his pullover.
The intensity was brewing on both sides.
It reached several boiling points, including the last several seconds that forced overtime. On a night when free throws were a chore for the Bison, Damari Wheeler-Thomas’ two with 15 seconds left in the extra session gave NDSU a five-point lead they would not lose in an 83-78 win.
It had more gusto — the crowd of 1,946 at Scheels Center at Sanford Health Athletic Complex made a difference — than the normal non-conference game.
“I wonder why?” said Bison head coach Dave Richman.
Why?
“I’m sure it’s the gentleman on the other side,” he said, referring to Miles. “That’s a Mountain West outfit. I learned so much from Tim but there are certain things about him that drove me nuts. And now you coach against him and you know why he’s been so successful at all of his stops. He can coach. He can recruit. I think San Jose is a tough gig and he’s put together a roster that’s competitive.”
The Spartans were only the second Mountain West Conference team to play at NDSU, with Miles leading the other one in Colorado State in 2007. This Miles team didn’t have the horses of that Rams team, but certainly made a horse race of it after almost getting blown out in the first half.
“We just didn’t do enough to win,” Miles said.
NDSU did, erasing a two-point deficit in the OT on Andrew Morgan’s three-point play and Boden Skunberg’s 3-pointer. The Bison, 5-4, reversed a 78-65 loss at San Jose a week ago.
“I think it was the crowd coming together and getting behind us,” said Bison forward Noah Feddersen. “We had all the momentum and I personally felt once we got into overtime there was no chance of losing that game. A little more intense than our past home games and it was awesome.”
NDSU, which once led by 15 points, faltered down the stretch in regulation. San Jose guard Alvaro Cardenas, the best offensive player on the floor most of the night with a game-high 22 points, hit a driving layup with 1:10 left to pull his team within 68-67.
Skunberg and San Jose’s Myron Amey Jr. traded hoops, the latter with 35 seconds remaining. One possession later, Amey Jr.’s rebound hoop and three-point play gave the Spartans a 72-71 lead at 6.1 seconds.
Wheeler-Thomas, on his way charging to the hoop, drew a blocking foul and made 1 of 2 free throws at 2.5 seconds sending it to the OT.
“Shouldn’t have gotten there,” Miles said of overtime. “But we did and I thought we were a little tired. We missed some critical shots at the end of regulation and in the overtime. You have to answer blow for blow.”
Feddersen answered the call coming off the bench. He was tough to handle all night and finished with a season-high 17 points. He helped spark a 31-16 Bison lead with just under five minutes left in the first half, before San Jose stormed back.
The 6-foot-10 Feddersen started the season as a starter before moving into a reserve role of late. He may have done some things to earn his spot back. An aggressive attitude to the basket was one difference.
“The guys trusted me, they kept getting it to me and it worked out well,” Feddersen said.
He was one of six players in double figures. Seven players had at least one 3-pointer, a variety of skills that Miles said was a tough matchup.
“It’s a disappointing loss but I think you have to credit NDSU,” Miles said.
SJSU (5-5): Gorener 5-10 1-1 13, T. Anderson 3-8 3-3 9, Diongue 4-6 1-3 9, Amey Jr. 6-15 2-4 15, Cardenas 9-18 4-4 22, G. Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Humer 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell Jr. 3-6 0-0 8, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Seixas 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 31-69 11-15 78.
NDSU (5-4): Morgan 4-6 1-2 10, Miller 4-8 0-2 10, Wheeler-Thomas 2-10 7-10 11, White 4-8 2-3 15, Skunberg 5-13 0-0 12, Feddersen 5-6 6-11 17, Waddles 2-3 0-2 6, Burke 1-3 0-0 3, Hastreiter 0-0 0-0 0, Streit 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 27-57 17-32 83.
Halftime: NDSU 36, SJSU 28. Total fouls: SJSU 26, NDSU 17. Fouled out: Diongue, White. Rebounds: SJSU 36 (Cardenas 10); NDSU 40 (Miller 10). 3-point goals: SJSU 5-23 (Gorener 2-7, T. Anderson 3-8, Amey Jr. 1-5, Cardenas 0-2, Mitchell Jr. 2-5); NDSU 12-24 (Morgan 1-1, Miller 2-4, Wheeler-Thomas 0-2, White 3-5, Skunberg 2-6, Feddersen 1-1, Waddles 2-3, Burke 1-2). Assists: SJSU 10 (Amey Jr., Cardenas 4); NDSU 17 (Miller 5). Turnovers: SJSU 7 (two with 2); NDSU 11 (Skunberg 4). A-1,946.
Source : InForum
