Montana State-Northern and Montana Tech started the Frontier Conference men's basketball playoffs with double-digits wins on Thursday. MSUN notched a 67-54 win over Montana Western, while Tech got an 82-66 win over Rocky Mountain College.
Montana State-Northern 67, Montana Western 54
HAVRE -- In the battle of the No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the Frontier Conference tournament, the No. 4 Montana State-Northern Lights downed the No. 5 Montana Western Bulldogs, 67-54.
From the get-go, the Lights maintained their presence as a dominant force on the court and jumped out to 36-20 lead through one half of play. David Harris led the Lights with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Mascio McCadney and Jomel Boyd each added 14 points.
Max Clark led the Bulldogs with a game-high 25 points and added five rebounds and five assists, but one player doesn't just make up a team, as Jamal Stephenson was the only other Bulldog player with double-digit points in the effort. The Bulldogs will finish their season with a record of 7-13.
The Northern Lights will now head to Great Falls on Saturday to take on the No. 1 University of Providence Argos.
Montana Tech 82, Rocky Mountain College 66
BUTTE -- In a swingy first-round matchup, the No. 3 Montana Tech Orediggers put together an 82-66 win over the No. 6 Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears.
The Battlin' Bears jumped out to a 10-point lead early in the contest, baffling the Orediggers' defense while keeping the Tech offense at bay. However, the Orediggers are winners of the past eight contests between the two programs for a reason.
Sindou Diallo rattled off 25 points, Taylor England put up a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrius Collins finished one rebound short of a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds as Tech pulled away for the double-digit win.
Tayshawun Bradford led the Battlin' Bears with 24 points. The loss ends Rocky's season at 1-17.
The Montana Tech Orediggers will now head to Helena to take on the No. 2 Carroll College Fighting Saints on Saturday.
