Men's Basketball November 26, 2025 Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

#23 Bulldog MBB Travels to #4 Montana Tech Friday

DILLON, Mont. – The #23 Montana Western men's basketball program (7-1, 2-0 FC) faces off against #4 Montana Tech (8-0, 2-0 FC) Friday evening in Butte, Mont.

SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 28
@ Montana Tech– 7 p.m. MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
UMW moved to 2-0 in league play with wins over Valley City State (107-104) and Mayville State (85-72).

Against the Vikings, the Bulldogs shot 60.0 percent (36-60) from the field, 47.4 percent (9-19) from three, and 81.3 percent (26-32) from the line. They tallied 29 rebounds, 16 assists, and three steals. Kyle Gruhler led the game with 26 points followed by Emanuel Steward with 22. Jacob Ankeny and Billy Carlson each pulled down five rebounds. Carlson, David Young, and Kolter Merritt each recorded three assists and one steal in the game.

Against the Comets, Western shot 46.4 percent (32-69) from the floor, 40.0 percent (10-25) from distance, and 64.7 percent (11-17) from the charity stripe. The team registered 43 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals, and three blocks. Gruhler paced the game with 32 points with Steward in second at 16. Carlson was a rebound away from a double-double with a game-best nine boards and 11 points. Steward posted three helpers and three steals to lead the team. Joshua Whiteside, Mark Huber, and Young each swatted one block.

BEHIND THE BARK
UMW is putting up 86.4 points, 38.1 rebounds, and 12.4 assists so far in 2025-26. The Bulldogs are shooting 47.0 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from three, and 74.0 percent from the foul line. They are also earning 5.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game.

Kyle Gruhler leads the team with 25.0 points per game, followed by Emanuel Steward at 18.3. Billy Carlson is grabbing a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game with Joshua Whiteside close behind at 4.4. Kolter Merritt is handing out a team-high 3.0 assists per game while he and David Young are earning 1.0 steals apiece. Jacob Ankeny swats a team-high 1.3 blocks per game.

HOT START
Western has started the season 7-1 for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

LIGHT WORK
Western has beaten opponents by 13 or more points in six of its seven wins on the year, posting a scoring margin of +11.0 points per game.

FROM DOWNTOWN
UMW has hit at least eight threes in all but one contest this season, including 10 or more on three occasions. The Bulldogs sit fourth in the league in three-point percentage (37.9).

CRASH THE BOARDS
Western has pulled down 35 or more rebounds in six games on the campaign, including 40 or more on four occasions. UMW is fourth in the league in rebounds per game (38.1)

SHARING THE WEALTH
12 different Bulldogs have tallied an assist this season, with eight recording five or more. Additionally, 13 players have pulled down a rebound and 11 have snagged a steal.

HEATING UP
Mark Huber posted back-to-back 12-point performances against VCSU and MSU, marking his second and third double-digit scoring games of the season.

BOXING OUT
Billy Carlson ranks 10th in the FC in rebounds per game (5.6).

BUCKET GETTER
Kyle Gruhler leads the Frontier in points per game (25.0). He has put up over 20 points in all but one game this season, including a career-high matching 32 on two occasions. He leads conference in free-throw percentage (92.5) while ranking second in three-point percentage (52.1) and fourth in FG% (58.8).

SHARP SHOOTER
Emanuel Steward has reached double figures in all eight outings for the Bulldogs, including a season-high 25 against LC State (11/7).

GET THAT OUTTA HERE!
Jacob Ankeny leads the team with 10 blocks on the season. He swatted a career-high matching three blocks against LC State. Ankeny sits third in the Frontier in blocks.

FEELIN' FINE AT THE FOUL LINE
Three Bulldogs are in the top five in the Frontier in free-throw percentage; Kyle Gruhler (first, 92.5), Emanuel Steward (third, 83.9), and Mark Huber (fourth, 82.1). Western ranks fourth in free-throw percentage as a team (74.0)

MEET THE OPPONENTS
Montana Tech

The Orediggers are averaging 81.4 points, 35.8 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 5.6 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game.
They are shooting 53.9 percent from the floor, 39.4 percent from three, and 62.8 percent from the foul line.
Nationally, they rank fifth in field-goal percentage (53.9), 11th in turnovers per game (12.0), 21st in points allowed (62.0) and tied for 21st in three-point field goal percentage (39.4)
Hayden Diekhans paces the team with 16.6 points per game, followed by Brayden Koch at 15.8.
Diekhans also leads the Orediggers in both rebounds (8.5) and steals (1.3).
Karson Peffer is posting a team-high 2.8 assists per game while Ethan Venema swats 1.0 blocks per game.
Rhett Reynolds is shooting 73.7 percent from the floor, Peffer leads from three (45.5), and Camdyn LaRance drains a team-high 83.3 percent from the line.
Diekhans ranks second in conference in rebounds per game.
Venema ranks fourth in the league in blocks per game.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following the weekend, the Bulldogs return home to host Carroll (12/5) and (RV) Rocky Mountain (12/6).

For complete coverage of UMW Men's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umwesternbball (Instagram), @UMWesternBball (X), and @Montana Western Men's Basketball (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

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Players Mentioned

#32 Jacob Ankeny: F; 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior

#4 Billy Carlson: G; 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore

#23 Kyle Gruhler: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#21 Kolter Merritt: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#1 Emanuel Steward: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#5 Joshua Whiteside: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#20 Mark Huber: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#12 David Young: G; 6' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#32 Jacob Ankeny
: 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#4 Billy Carlson
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#23 Kyle Gruhler
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#21 Kolter Merritt
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#1 Emanuel Steward
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#5 Joshua Whiteside
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#20 Mark Huber
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#12 David Young
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G