BUTTE – Thursday evening marked the first of two nights of the PayneWest Tip Off Classic at the HPER Complex on the campus of Montana Tech.
The Montana Tech women got things going at with their opening game against Dickinson State. The Diggers started off the first quarter slow ending with the score tied at 15-15. However, the rest of the game was all Tech. Shay Potter and Chelstina Faletoi dominated down low combining for 19 points and five rebounds.
The women rolled on to win 76-49.
On the men’s side, it wasn’t as happy of a first day for Montana Tech in its game versus the Warner Pacific Knights. Early on, Morris Bethea and Collin Malcolm got hot from beyond the arc, giving the Knights a solid cushion. Tech responded with its own outside attack from Troy Owens Jr. and Nate Ward, who combined for 27 points on the night.
Their great play wasn’t enough to close off a Digger second-half comeback. Warner Pacific won by a final score of 75-65.
