To say that the Idaho State men’s basketball team has struggled to shoot the ball so far this season is a bit of an understatement.

    In the season’s first five games the Bengals have averaged 47.8 points and crossed the 50-point barrier just once, last Saturday’s loss to Central Michigan.

    The Bengals’ offense needed to find a way to get on track. Luckily for the them Montana Western came to Holt Arena for the season’s home opener.

    It took almost four minutes for the Bengals to get on the board, but after Chris Hansen’s 3-pointer broke the ice, the Bengals scored in bunches on the way to a 70-52 win over the Bulldogs in front of 1,796 fans in Holt Arena.

    “We scored 70 points tonight and I think we were a little more aggressive offensively,” ISU head coach Bill Evans said. “Tomas (Sanchez) made some shots, Chris (Hansen) made some shots. It always helps when you make shots because it makes defending so much easier.”

    Sanchez and Hansen made the most of their debuts in front of the home crowd as each scored in double figures led by Hansen’s game-high 20 points.

    The sophomore junior college transfer looked very comfortable in his first game in Holt Arena as he scored 14 of his 20 points in the opening 20 minutes, including going 4-for-4 from the 3-point line.

    “I have gotten used to these rims,” Hansen said. “I have been struggling shooting the ball a lot lately so I have been coming in before practice trying to fix the little hitches I have developed. It felt all right tonight, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

    Sanchez had a career night, scoring a career-high 17 points, 13 in the second half, and going 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

    “I like playing in the dome,” Sanchez said. “I wanted to get off on the right foot in the first home game. It’s different than Reed Gym but we have been practicing here all week so it felt good. And to come out with a ‘W’ in front of our home fans is a good feeling.”

  “He got very aggressive, more aggressive then I have seen him,” Evans said of Sanchez. “We have a couple of guys who I think can score. Chris can score. Melvin (Morgan) can score but we need to find another guy. Tonight Tomas was that guy.”

   While the offense exploded Thursday night, it was the defense in the first half that allowed ISU to take control of the game.

   Montana Western came into the game averaging 72.1 points per contest and shooting 40 percent from the field.

   The Bengals held the Bulldogs to 52 points and 33 percent shooting. A big reason for that was the play of the interior defense.

    Ayibakuro Preh had a career-high five blocks, including one a 3-point attempt by the Bulldogs’ Austin Malley that ended up three rows into the student section behind the ISU bench. The effort was met with a chorus of ‘oohs’ from the crowd at the end of the first half.

    ISU led 36-17 at the break.

    In the second half, Montana Western began to get aggressive from behind the arc.

    After going 3-of-13 from deep in the first half, five of the first six Bulldog shots in the second half were threes, all of which were made.

    “We have to guard the arc better, that’s what we have to do,” Evans said. “I don’t we were great defensively. They had nine threes. That can’t happen. We want to keep guys in front but we also want to drive them of the arc and we did not do a good job with that.”

    “I thought we played well the first half and not quite as well in the second half,” he added. “We wanted to come out and equal what we did in the first half, but I am not disappointed. I thought our guys competed hard.”

    ISU was outscored in the second half 35-34 by the Bulldogs.

    “Offensively we were at 43 percent. That is not good enough,” Evans said. “But I will take 33 percent on the defensive side any day if it means we have a chance to win.”

    While excited with the first victory of the season, the Bengals realize there is still a lot that needs to improve during the next three month before Big Sky play begins.

    “It’s special and I thought it was really cool,” Hansen said of the experience of the home opener. “I am excited for the next three years to be able to call this place home.”

    Melvin Morgan also finished the night with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds.

    “This is probably the first time in my life I have had as many rebounds as points,” Morgan said. “I just tried to get as many rebounds as I could. We have been struggling a little bit rebounding and the coaches have been preaching five guys rebounding, so I just crashed hard.”

    ISU (1-5) next hits the floor Dec. 8 at Oregon. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.