True freshman guard Micahel Oguine came off the bench to score 17 points, including a free throw in the final 20 seconds to lift Montana to a dramatic 74-72 win over reigning Mountain West champion Boise State in front of 5,421 in Missoula on Friday night.
Oguine, a 6-foot-2 guard from Chaminade (California) Prep, hit 9-of-14 free throws and 4-of-7 field goals in 34 minutes in his first college game. His steal with 20 seconds to play gave Montana possession and his free throw conversion gave UM a three-point lead.
Boise State’s Nick Duncan had a good look at a gam-tying 3-pointer that missed the mark. Anthony Drmic secured an offensive rebound and was fouled. He made 1-of-2 free throws before Montana senior Martin Breunig grabbed the final rebound as the Big Sky Conference regular-season champs took down a Bronco team that received multiple votes in the preseason Top 25 poll.
Last season, the teams opened their season in Boise and BSU emerged with a 72-67 win in double overtime. Montana had a chance to finish the game in regulation but could not get the stop it needed.
“Our guys had a little extra inspiration going into this game because they felt like they let that one get away last year,” Montana second-year head coach Travis DeCuire said. “We had one possession to get a stop in that game and didn’t do it, then tonight we are able to force that turnover.”
Boise State hit 60 percent of its shots in the first half and 56 percent of its attempts overall but th Broncos finished 8-of-26 from beyond the arc. Montana shot 47.7 percent, including 54.5 percent after halftime to overcome a 38-33 halftime deficit as three Griz reached double figures in scoring.
Breunig was plagued by foul trouble all night but proved to be nearly perfect. The 6-foot-8 senior from Germany converted 7-of-8 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws in scoring a team-high 21 points. Junior Brandon Gfeller hit just 2-of-9 shots, all from beyond the arc, but managed 10 points. Bobby Moorehead scored nine points off the bench and, combined with Oguine, helped Montana’s reserves scored 32 total points.
“Shout out to Mike Oguine and Bobby Moorehead, they just played an awesome game and helped out big time,” Breunig said. “Not just offensively either, Mike picked up very well on defense.”
“We talked before the game and I said one thing about Mike is he is cool as a cucumber,” DeCuire said. “He doesn’t get over-hyped, and he might just be one of those guys who’s just not afraid of the big moment.”
Drmic led Boise with 23 points. He hit 5-of-11 3-point attempts but turned the ball over six times as Montana forced 14 Boise miscues. Mikey Thompson added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting for BSU.
