(Editor’s Note: Montana Tech athletics release)
BUTTE – Playing their third game in just five days, Montana Tech handled Montana Western 84-68 on Kelvin Sampson Court on Tuesday night.
The Diggers used a 20-to-7 run to close the first half and lead 44-31 going into halftime against the Dawgs. Offensively, Montana Tech was sparked by sharp outside shooting by Nate Ward who started the game 3-for-3 from behind the three point line on his way to a game-high 19 points. Ward finished the night an impressive 6-of-11 from the floor, 4-for-5 from downtown, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Montana Tech shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half.
In the second half, Montana Tech pushed their lead to as many as 24 points with 6:25 remaining in the contest before Western made some desperation threes in the closing minutes. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 40 percent from the floor and were led by Cooper Kidgell and Cedric Boone who each scored 19.
Along with Ward, Montana Tech saw Taylor England (13pts), Troy Owens Jr. (13pts), and Dylan Pannabecker (12pts) reach double figures. The Diggers finished the contest shooting 45 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three point land. Montana Tech had a conference season-high 19 assists.
The Diggers improve to 5-6 in Frontier Conference play and 15-8 overall. Montana Tech travels to Lewis-Clark State on Thursday with tip-off at 8:30 P.M. MST. The game will be the Diggers fourth in seven days.
