Men's Basketball November 6, 2025

UMW Men’s Basketball to Compete in Montana Tech Tip-Off Classic

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men's basketball program (4-0) travels to Butte, Mont., this week to take part in the Montana Tech Tip-Off Classic Nov. 7-8. They will face off against (RV) LC State (1-1) and OUAZ (1-0) .

SCHEDULE
Friday
vs LC State – 5 p.m. MT | Watch Live | Live Stats
Saturday
vs OUAZ – 5 p.m. MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
UMW moved to 4-0 on the season with a 96-79 upset victory over no. 1 College of Idaho Monday. The Bulldogs shot lights out against the Yotes, draining 50.8 percent (33-65) from the field, 50.0 percent (13-26) from distance, and 77.3 percent (17-22) from the foul line in the contest. They grabbed 43 rebounds while registering 22 assists, nine blocks, and two steals.

Kyle Gruhler led the way for Western with 27 points on 60.0 percent (9-15) shooting, including sinking six shots from deep and hitting all three free-throw attempts in the game.

Emanuel Steward poured in 22 points while also sharing the team lead in assists (four) and leading outright in blocks (three). Mark Huber was the third Bulldog in double figures, posting 15 second-half points to give UMW a spark off the bench. He knocked down all five attempts from the floor, including going 3-of-3 from deep.

Joshua Whiteside paced the team with seven rebounds while Billy Carlson snagged both steals for the Bulldogs.

BEHIND THE BARK
UMW is putting up 86.8 points, 41.3 rebounds, and 15.3 assists through four games in 2025-26. The Bulldogs are shooting 46.6 percent from the floor, 37.1 percent from three, and 70.1 percent from the foul line. They are also earning 4.5 steals, 5.5 blocks, and just 9.8 turnovers per game.

Kyle Gruhler is leading the charge with 27.8 points per game on 61.3 percent shooting, including 50.0 percent shooting from distance. Emanuel Steward is also averaging double-digits in scoring at 16.3 ppg.

Joshua Whiteside is pulling down a team-best 4.8 rebounds per game while Steward dishes out a team-high 2.8 assists. Jacob Ankeny swats 1.8 blocks per game.

KYLE GRUHLER EARNS FC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kyle Gruhler picked up his second-straight Erck Hotels/ Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week award after two strong showings against Warner Pacific and #14 Southern Oregon. He posted 21 points on 9-11 shooting against the Knights and followed that up with a career-high matching 32 points against the Raiders.

LIGHT WORK
The Bulldogs have beaten all four opponents by 15 or more points and have a scoring margin of +19.0 on the season.

FROM DOWNTOWN
UMW has hit at least eight threes in every game this season, averaging 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. They drained 13 against both Evergreen and College of Idaho.

CRASH THE BOARDS
Western has pulled down over 40 rebounds in three of four contests on the campaign, including 43 against both Southern Oregon and College of Idaho.

DISHING IT OUT
The Bulldogs racked up a season-high 22 assists against the Yotes, with six players tallying three or more in the game. The team has posted 10 or more assists in every game this season.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE!
Jacob Ankeny has tallied two blocks in each of the last three games and leads the Bulldogs with seven on the year.

HOW MAY HE ASSIST YOU?
Emanuel Steward has dished out three or more assists in three of his last four appearances.

KNOCK 'EM DOWN
Mark Huber didn't miss a shot against College of Idaho, going 5-for-5, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He tallied 15 points, all coming in the second half.

MEET THE OPPONENTS
LC State (1-1)

Fell at Arizona Christian before defeating Northwest Indian College to move to 1-1 on the year.
The Warriors are averaging 82.0 points, 46.0 rebounds, and 16.5 assists per game. They are shooting 47.0 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from three, and 55.3 percent from the line.
Carter Hansen leads the team with 20.0 points per game, followed by John Lustig (12.5), Trevor Manning (10.5), and Grayson Hunt (10.0).
Jaaziel Pierce is pulling down 12.0 boards per game while Peyton Nordland hands out a team-high 4.0 assists.
Lustig is earning a team-best 1.5 blocks while Manning paces LC State with 1.5 steals per game.
Hunt is shooting a team-high 64.3 percent from the floor, Hansen leads from three (66.7 percent), and Lustig knocks down a team-best 64.3 percent of foul shots.

OUAZ (1-0)

Won its season opener against Northern New Mexico, 72-68.
Tallied 39 rebounds, 13 assists, six steals, and three blocks in the game.
The Spirit shot 47.3 percent (26-55) from the field, 47.4 percent (9-19) from three, and 68.8 percent (11-16) from the free throw line.
Carter Gittens posted a team-high 16 points, followed by Zeke Viuhkola and DJ Jones with 15 each.
Jones pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.
Hunter Richarson tallied a team-high four assists.
Darius Kendall snagged two steals and three players earned one block each.

SERIES HISTORY
Western is 18-34 all time against LC State. The last contest between the two ended in a 75-67 win for the Warriors (11/24/23).
UMW is 1-3 all-time against OUAZ, falling 80-71 in the last matchup between the two sides (12/13/24).

LOOKING AHEAD
Following the weekend, the Bulldogs begin league play on the road with games at Valley City State (11/21), Mayville State (11/22), and Montana Tech (11/28).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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