MSU's Owsley shuts down Bond

By TONY CASTLEBERRY, Chronicle Sports Editor

Who would've guessed that Montana State freshman walk-on P.J. Owsley could shut down the Big Sky Conference's second-leading scorer?

That's just what Owsley did against Northern Arizona's Aaron Bond in the second half of the Bobcats' 63-57 loss to the Lumberjacks Saturday in Flagstaff, Ariz. Owsley, a 6-foot-7 forward from Bozeman High, teamed with MSU guard Josh Barsh to make things difficult for Bond, who's averaging 17.4 points per game.

After Bond scored 11 first-half points against the 'Cats, Montana State coach Mick Durham put Owsley and his former Hawk teammate Nick Dissly on the floor to start the second half. Barsh and Owsley took turns checking the 6-7 Bond and the strategy worked as Bond scored just four second-half points and finished the game going 6-for-19 from the field.

"I had no idea I'd start the second half," said Owsley, who was playing only nine minutes a game before logging 21 minutes against NAU. "But I was excited about it and wanted to play.

"(Bond's) kind of long, but I'm long too," Owsley added. "I just wanted to keep my hands up and try to block (Bond's shot). He's a 3-point threat so you have to get right into him. If you give him even a little room, he's going to pull it."

Bond finished the game 0-for-3 from beyond the arc and Owsley had three blocked shots - all in the second half, all against Bond.

While Owsley and Barsh limited Bond's scoring after halftime, they couldn't keep him off the boards as he posted his first double-double as a Lumberjack with 15 points and tied his career high of 12 rebounds.

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At the midway point of the Big Sky Conference season, Eastern Washington and NAU have created a little distance between themselves and the rest of the pack. While the 'Jacks are probably surprising some folks with their second-place standing, nobody should be shocked by EWU's climb to the top.

The Eagles, who have won six straight, are 25-9 in January in the last five seasons and they went 7-1 to start 2004. Oddly enough, Eastern's only loss last month came against Big Sky cellar dwellers Montana, a 79-68 defeat in Cheney, Wash.

But if league teams think EWU has already played its best basketball and is destined for a letdown, think again. The Eagles are 21-6 in February the last five years as well.

"You try to play your best basketball in February," Eastern coach Ray Giacoletti said on the EWU website. "February decides if you are going to be playing in March. We had a good January, and hopefully we can get started on a good February now."

Giacoletti and the Eagles play their first February game against MSU in Bozeman Thursday.

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Sacramento State swept Montana State and Montana in Hornet Gym last weekend, the first time that's happened since the Hornets joined the Big Sky during the 1996-97 season. Sac State is tied with MSU and Weber State for fourth place in the league standings; all three teams are 3-4 in Big Sky games.

For those who haven't noticed, Jerome Jenkins is doing some great things at Sac State. Jenkins, in his fourth season as head coach of the Hornets, has helped a team that was a perennial doormat in the BSC become a legitimate contender.

Jenkins has improved his win total each season in Sacramento and with four more victories this season, he'll do it again this year. The Hornets were a dismal 2-14 in Big Sky play during Jenkins' first season at the helm and only 3-11 the following year.

But Sac State won five league contests last season and earned the school's first-ever trip to the BSC tournament, where the Hornets upset Montana in the first round.

So, don't be surprised if Jenkins' club makes the postseason again in 2004. But the road to the Big Sky tourney will be a tough one as Sac State plays five of its last seven league games away from the cozy confines of Hornet Gym.

And the final two conference games are at Montana and Montana State, two teams that will no doubt be looking to avenge last weekend's losses.

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