DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men's basketball team (11-11, 4-5) fell in a conference matchup tonight to the No. 11 ranked Montana Tech Orediggers (18-4, 8-1) by a final score of 81-63.
Despite a late rally that saw the Bulldogs bring the game back within eight points, Montana Tech rode a 48.1 second half shooting percentage to victory.
How It Happened
Michael Haverfield got the Bulldogs rolling early, hitting a pair of threes on the way to a Bulldog lead at 12-9 with 14:05 on the clock.
Riding behind a pair of field goals on back-to-back possessions from
Jalyn Stepney, Montana Western took a narrow lead at 20-16. Montana Tech wasted little time in answering, reclaiming the momentum and stretching out to a 34-23 lead following an 18-0 spurt that stretched across six minutes of the half.
Quincy Taylor finally bought a bucket for the Bulldogs, hitting a three from the top of the arc with 4:56 left in the half. It was Taylor once more who made a layup while drawing a foul. His and one cut the game back to 36-26.
Down 50-34 with 16:40 left in the game, the Bulldogs dug deep and used an 8-0 run that was capped by another Taylor and one to bring it back to an eight-point deficit.
Despite the high point, the Orediggers would reclaim the edge and run away with the game. UMW would fall by a final score of 81-63.
Notables
- The Bulldogs were outshot 53.6 percent to 38.6 percent from the field. Western also hit just 57.9 percent from the free throw line.
- Taylor led the Bulldogs in scoring, totaling 17 points and picking up six rebounds. He also had a pair of steals in the game.
- Haverfield followed with 15 points off of a four for seven outing from the arc. He went five for 10 from the field on the night.
- Kevin Bethel was the lone Bulldog to go perfect at the free throw line. He also added four assists.
Up Next
Montana Western moves to 4-5 in conference play and will be hitting the road for a game against Rocky Mountain College next Thursday Feb. 8. Tip-off is at 7pm MT.
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