Griz fall in Bozeman

Saturday, January 17

Bozeman, Mont.

7:00 PM

Montana

9-9,3-2Big Sky

Montana State

10-8,4-1Big Sky

Montana

Montana St.

1/17/2026 11:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana men's basketball team fell 76-67 in Bozeman on Saturday night in the first meeting between the two rivals this season. The Grizzlies jumped out to an early lead but a cold stretch late in the first allowed the hosts to pull ahead.

The Grizzlies drop to 9-9 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play with the loss while Montana State jumps to 4-1 in league play. It's the first regular season win in the series for MSU in the series since 2023.

Money Williams led Montana with 17 points, Brooklyn Hicks added 10, and Tyler Thompson scored nine. The Grizzlies held MSU to just 42 percent shooting on the night but turned the ball over 15 times.

"These games come down to performances," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "You can't beat a team when you turn the ball over 15 times. We gave them way too many offensive opportunities. We were playing well enough early in the first half to build a really good lead, we just gave the ball away too many times."

Montana, facing a sold out crowd after a celebratory day in Bozeman, handled the noise early and built an impressive lead out of the gates. Tyler Thompson connected on two early threes and the Griz were up 8-2 to force an early Bobcat timeout.

They extended the lead to 12-4 after a layup from bench sparkplug Brooklyn Hicks and carried the lead for nearly the entire first half.

It reached its largest point with just under nine minutes to pla. After a pair of free throws from Grant Kepley, Kadyn Betts knocked down a corner three to give Montana a 23-13 advantage.

The offense was in a good flow, but adjustments from Montana State and sloppy play from the Grizzlies allowed the hosts to climb back in. Montana finished the first half with nine turnovers.

The Grizzlies scored just two points in the final five minutes of the half which allowed MSU to close the opening period on a 12-2 run. The Cats took a halftime lead of 32-31 after a last-second shot fell through.

"We were fine early, we had a lot of offensive opportunities," DeCuire said. "I think a lot of the turnovers came from unforced things and just being sloppy with the ball. We had open posts and through the ball through the lane. We lost the handle four or five times. Those types of turnovers are the ones that beat you."

The scoring drought continued into the second half as the Bobcats opened the period on a 6-0 run. Te'Jon Sawyer did his part, connecting on a three and throwing down a two-handed slam to help Montana hang around.

But Montana State took over the game with three straight possessions. The quick 9-0 run happened in under 80 seconds and allowed the hosts to jump ahead 49-36.

The Grizzlies didn't go away easily, rallying back to make things interesting late. They used a 7-0 run to get back within a possession at 51-48 with 10:31 to play. The Bobcats pushed back ahead, but another 6-0 Grizzly run made it a one-point game in the final five minutes.

"We had five guys locked in defensively, we weren't losing shooters, and we weren't turning the ball over," DeCuire said of the run. I want to say at least four of their threes came off our turnovers. When we cut into the lead it was because we weren't turning the ball over and we got high percentage shots."

Money Williams scored five straight Grizzly points over the next several minutes, but MSU had the answers. After his layup with 1:16 to play, Montana still trailed by three at 66-63. The Bobcats went 10-for-10 from the free throw line inside the final minute to pull away for the win.

Davian Brown led the way with 24 points as four Bobcats reached double figures. Montana turned the ball over 15 times and allowed 10 offensive rebounds, which led to seven more field goal attempts from Montana State.

They will look to bounce back on Monday with another road contest. The Grizzlies face Northern Arizona in a rematch of a 78-64 Grizzly win in the Big Sky opener on January 1.

"We just have to play cleaner basketball and it might be time for me to make some adjustments to get to that," DeCuire said. "I don't think they will be very popular, but it's probably time to do that. We just have to figure out how to play better basketball for longer stretches."