PULLMAN, Wash. -- Derrien King scored 22 points and Washington State held on to beat Montana State 69-65 in the season opener Friday night.Tyler Hall led the Bobcats with 32 points. The sophomore guard was an impressive 7 for 15 from the three-point line and a perfect 5 for 5 from the foul line.Josh Hawkinson, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds, made a pair of free throws with 5:45 to play to put the Cougars up by 14. But behind the shooting efforts of Hall, the Bobcats closed to within 3 points 68-65 with 14 seconds to play on a deep three pointer by Hall.Tyler, forced to foul, sent King to the line made it a two-possession game.We had a lot of young guys out on the floor tonight, said Bobcat head coach Brian Fish. Tyler played really, really, really well. Weve just got to get some other guys open.Washington State scored the first 11 points of the game and led 31-21 at the half as the Bobcats shot just 22 percent (8 of 36). But the Cougs turned the ball over 17 times.WSU Coach Ernie Kent says he expected there to be growing pains as he works to speed up his teams game.Seventeen turnovers isnt bad, its when you have those turnover its bad, Kent said. We will settle into the speed ... large crowds in games and stuff. In time that will be a little bit smoother.BIG PICTUREMontana State: After a slow start, the Bobcats clawed back, forcing the Cougs to shoot deep in the shot clock through much of the second half.Washington State: Head coach Ernie Kent continues to tinker with his lineup, living up to his promise to be comfortable with a 10-man rotation.UP NEXTMontana State: The Bobcats return home to face UL Lafayette on Monday.Washington State: The Cougars travel to Kennewick, Washington for a neutral site game against Central Washington on Tuesday before heading to St. Thomas for the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam tournament. Mike Gesicki Youth Jersey . 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Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Grand final week. Anyone involved at the top level in our game aspires to be a part of it. Its an entirely different beast.As much as the game is the same, the ramifications come 6pm Saturday are so much more intense. For some, glory will reign. For others, dejection and what ifs will become all-consuming.Having come so close to tasting the ultimate success in 2009 and 10, grand final week has become a difficult one to bear.I recall the excitement of our playing group, our frenzied supporters and the exercise in futility at trying to treat it like a normal week. I remember the games themselves and the intensity at which they were played. I will never forget the tense last quarters where every contest became critical.Unfortunately, I also remember the heartache, the missed opportunity and hope for redemption that followed.Generally my feeling towards this week now is one of avoidance. Being a current player who still harbours dreams of winning a premiership, Im quite content being on the other side of the world, away from all the noise. Ignorance is bliss I guess you could say.I envy greatly the Bulldogs and Swans players who will take the field this weekend to the point of jealousy, and hope that 2017 evolves into the Saints shot at greatness.If Im feeling this way, I wonder to myself how must Bob Murphy be feeling? It seems every year there is a hard luck story associated with playing in the big dance. Im not sure many come as close, or have resonated with the football public than Bob this week.Bob and I have become great mates. Our wives hit it off last year in Ireland which is the prerequisite of any great friendship. When Bob went down in Round 3 this year, the football family collectively sighed and hoped that the lure of a flag in 2017 would dictate he played on.I didnt anticipate 2016 would be the year the Bulldogs broke their 55-year grand final drought but knowing the man and leader that Bob is, and the influence he has on that group along with Luke Beveridge and Eason Wood, Dale Morris, Matthew Boyd and Co, Im not surprised.Following the incredible preliminary final victory over the Giants, the outpouring of emotion by, and for, Bob was clear for all to see. Missing a grand final would be an incredibly difficult time for any player - it is no doubt magnified by Bobs history of coming so close previously, being a dedicated and decorated one-club player for 17 years and the opportunity to become just the second Bulldogs premiership captain.Placed in the same shoes, I would feel cheated. However, there is still an incredibly important role to play. He needs to ensure the group remains focused on the job, while still allowing for an element of enjoyment that accompanies grand final week. He will do his best to ensure the participating players are the story, not him.Bob will also no doubt have a role in the coaches box on Saturday, and will fulfill his role as captain. While hell feel extreme levels of disappointment, it wont show until after the final siren. He is just that sort of bloke.Of all the footballers Ive encountered in 16 years, he is perhaps the most balanced, the most worldly and well-adjusted. But even for him, this will be hard to swallow.Aliir Aliir finds himself in a similar situation, having been ruled out with a knee injury suffered against Geelong last weekend.dddddddddddd Given his tender age, he will be hopeful of another shot in what will hopefully be a long career, and given Sydneys abundance of talent and ability to seemingly challenge every season, few would argue that wont materialise. Nonetheless, those of us with more experience know how hard these chances are to come by.In American sports, those who have played even a few games during the season with the eventual championship winners are considered champions themselves regardless of whether they actually played in the title game. In that situation either Aliir or Bob would be premiership players come Saturday evening. Im not sure thats a model we would ever support in our sport, but it would somewhat soften the blow in situations such Bobs and Aliirs this week.Now to the players who will take the field on Saturday.Im not sure I can recall a more fascinating match-up. The Swans, full of genuine stars and role players, against the system and spirit of the Bulldogs. Thats not to say the Swans dont play with spirit. Both teams play a tough, relentless, pressure-filled style that requires nothing short of 100 percent effort, 100 percent of the time. Both teams excel at winning the contested ball and applying pressure when they dont.We can take it as written that both midfields in particular will bring that formula, so the key will be handling that pressure and using the ball efficiently.Both sides deploy ruckman devoid of a Nic Naitanui-like advantage at stoppages, so the battle in the clinches should be particularly fierce. I give the slight edge to the Swans in this area as Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery and Co. have the experience and size advantage. Once the ball gets on the outside however, the Bulldogs through Luke Dahlhaus, Caleb Daniel, Lachie Hunter and Jack Macrae have the legs to hurt the Swans mids, as GWS showed a few weeks ago.Neither forward line can expect too much quality service, as is usually the case in grand finals. The majority of delivery coming inside 50 will be what we call dirty ball, so the ability to create something out of nothing will be important.The Bulldogs generally employ a defensive zone in the back half, protecting dangerous space rather than playing directly on an opponent, which often has them in a position to win first possession. The danger for the Sydney forwards will be calling for the ball out the back when a teammate is rushed and under pressure. If the Swans forwards present at the ball and attack the contest as they did last week, they will be hard to contain.Then theres the Buddy factor.Lance Franklin enters the game in terrific touch so Dale Morris and Fletcher Roberts will play crucial roles.Up the other end, Im excited to watch Dane Rampe. He is uncompromising, great with the ball and rarely beaten. He looms as the most likely match-up for Jake Stringer.Franklin and Stringer appear the men most likely to catch fire and kick a winning score for their respective teams but as Clay Smith and Tom Papley proved last week, the finals are a time for unlikely heroes.My prediction: Sydney by three points. ' ' '