CALDWELL, Idaho — The Montana Western men's basketball team moved to 5-3 on the season after they lost in a tight battle against the no. 1 ranked College of Idaho (5-1) by a final score of 79-70.
Leading the Bulldogs on the night was
Jalyn Stepney who racked up 21 points following four of nine from the arc and a perfect five for five at the free throw line.
How It Happened
UMW made 52.2-percent of their field goals in the first half, leading the no. 1-ranked Yotes to a 32-49 lead to the break.
Though holding the slim lead, the Bulldogs racked up a whopping 11 turnovers across the first half, giving the Yotes the opportunity to take 17 more shots from the field than the Bulldogs.
Led by Drew Wyman, C of I would hold Western without a made field goal for a three-minute stretch as the Yotes flipped the score in their favor for the final time of the game at 35-32.
Quincy Taylor brought the deficit back to just one after he made a layup for the Red and Black. Unfortunately, the Yotes answered quickly as they drained a three-pointer and followed with another pair for a six-point lead at 50-44 with eleven minutes to play.
Down 73-63,
Kevin Bethel hit on three of four trips to the charity stripe and
Jacob Ankeny followed with a layup to close back within five points with just under a minute to play.
Despite the glimmer of hope, the Yotes remained at arm's length for the remainder of the game and closed out on top at 79-70.
Notables
- Montana Western was plagued by turnovers, totaling 17 in the game as the Yotes tie their season high of 14 steals. COI utilized turnovers and scored 20 points on turnovers.
- Despite the outcome, the Bulldogs held the Yotes to a below average shooting performance after they posted a percentage of 35.1 in the game.
- UMW has stretched their losing streak to the Yotes to six games that dates back to the 2018-19 season.
- Jalyn Stepney led the way with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists.
- Two Bulldogs followed hitting double digits as Taylor and Kayden Toldson dropped 10 points. Taylor also dished out seven assists and pulled in six rebounds.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will travel to play in the Milanovich Classic hosted by Dickinson State (N.D.) on December 1 and 2. They will faceoff with Dickinson State (N.D.) for the second time this season on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.. Their first meeting saw UMW win 61-44 back on Nov. 4.
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