Men's Basketball November 5, 2026 Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

Montana Western Men’s Basketball to Compete in Best Western Tipoff Classic

GAME NOTES (PDF)

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men's basketball program (1-1) travels to Butte, Mont., this weekend to take part in the Best Western Tipoff Classic, hosted by Montana Tech. The Bulldogs will face off against (RV) LC State (2-1) Friday and Westcliff (0-1) Saturday.

SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 30
vs (RV) LC State – 5 p.m. MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

Saturday, Nov. 7
vs Westcliff – 5 p.m. MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs opened the season going 1-1 at the Western Classic. They defeated Park Gilbert 77-55 before falling to #16 College of Idaho 59-39.

Against the Buccaneers, Matthew Kinzeler led the team with 16 points, followed by Bud Davis (14) and Naeem Colston (13). Colston pulled down a game-best 10 boards. Jace Hill led all players with five assists while Colston and Cameron Downie tied for the game high with two steals apiece. Colston and Aries Lewis shared the team lead in blocks with two apiece.

Against the Yotes, Billy Carlson paced the team with eight points. Colston once again led all players in rebounds with 11. Carlson and Gabe Hatler shared the game high in assists with three each. Kinzeler snagged a team best two steals. Aries Lewis posted a game-high three blocks.

BEHIND THE BARK
UMW is putting up 58.0 points, 42.5 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 7.5 steals, and 4.5 blocks per game in 2026. The Bulldogs are shooting 32.8 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from downtown, and 59.1 percent from the foul line.

NAEEM THE DREAM
Naeem Colston averaged a double-double last week, putting up 10.0 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. He also posted three assists, three blocks, and three steals on the weekend.

BUCKETS
Matthew Kinzeler had a standout performance against Park Gilbert, dropping 16 points on 50.0 percent (5-10) shooting. He tallied 12 points from beyond the arc on 57.1 percent (4-7) shooting and knocked down both free throw attempts as well.

NOT TODAY!
Aries Lewis swatted a game-high three blocks against College of Idaho. He also tied for the game-lead with two blocks against Park Gilbert.

PUTTING THE TEAM ON HIS BACK
Bud Davis put up 14 second-half points against the Buccaneers, leading the Bulldogs to 42 second-half points and a 22-point victory. He shot 66.7 percent (4-6) from the field, 100.0 percent (3-3) from deep, and 100.0 percent (3-3) from the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes of action.

HELPING HANDS
UMW served up 21 assists against Park Gilbert, the most in a season-opener since the 2021 season when the Bulldogs dished out 28 helpers against Yellowstone Christian.

BULLDOGS IN THE RANKINGS
Nationally, Montana Western ranks 16th in fewest turnovers per game (10.2).

THE OPPONENTS
LC State (2-1)

The Warriors are averaging 86.0 points, 44.0 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 6.3 steals, and 5.3 blocks per game through three games in 2026.
They are shooting 50.5 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from distance, and 56.6 percent from the foul line.
Nationally, LC State ranks third in turnovers per game (9.3), seventh in points allowed per game (67.6), and 22nd in three-point percentage (35.3).
Dylan Skaife leads the team with 14.3 points per game, followed by Brandon Suber (13.0) and Dallon Morgan (10.3).
Morgan is pulling down a team-best 6.7 rebound per game.
Suber is dishing out a team-high 4.3 assists per game and is tied for the lead in steals with Skaife at 1.0 each.
Morgan and Josh Salguero are both posting 1.3 blocks per game.
Skaife is shooting team-highs from both the field (64.0) and from three (53.3) while Trevor Manning and Elijah Kersey are tied from the foul line at 66.7 percent apiece.

Westcliff (0-1)

Westcliff posted 44 points, 29 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals in their season-opening loss at MSU-Northern.
The Warriors shot 27.4 percent from the field, 10.0 percent from three, and 64.3 percent from the foul line in the game.
LJ Brown led the team with 10 points, followed by Aaron Gillyard with eight.
Efe Tahmaz and Deshawn Shears both grabbed 5 rebounds.
Brown also topped the team with two assists.
Marcos Rosales snagged a team-high two steals.
Christopher Saunders shot a team-best 42.9 percent from the floor while Tahmaz led from three (33.3) and Brown from the foul line (66.7)

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs are 18-35 all-time against LC State. This will be the first-ever meeting between Westcliff and UMW.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following the Best Western Tipoff Classic, Western heads to Lewiston, Idaho for the LC State Classic. They will face Eastern Oregon (11/19) and LC State (11/20).

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

#GOBULLDOGS!

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Players Mentioned

#4 Billy Carlson: G; 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior

#0 Bud Davis: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#10 Jace Hill: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#11 Aries Lewis: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#13 Gabe Hatler: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#14 Cameron Downie: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#21 Naeem Colston: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#24 Matthew Kinzeler: G; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Billy Carlson
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#0 Bud Davis
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#10 Jace Hill
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#11 Aries Lewis
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#13 Gabe Hatler
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#14 Cameron Downie
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#21 Naeem Colston
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#24 Matthew Kinzeler
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G