BOZEMAN — Jamie Stewart scored 15 points and Montana State overcame a slow start to beat Montana Tech 78-54 in Bozeman on Thursday.
Stewart, who has sparked the Bobcat offense in the last week, shot 6-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-5 from the line, adding six rebounds, an assist and a steal to lead MSU. Calen Coleman added 14 points off the bench, while Xavier Blount hit double-digits for fifth straight game, scoring 13.
MSU coach Brad Huse likes the strides his offense is making. “The offense is coming along,” Huse said. “We still have things to iron out, but we’re getting there.”
The Cats shot 51.6% from the floor, including 58% in the first half, but the Diggers gave the Bobcats all they wanted deep into the first half. Tech led 14-12 at the 13:56 mark, and with 10 minutes to play the teams were tied at 18-18. But a three-pointer by Calen Coleman began an 8-0 run which gave MSU control of the game. Tech got no closer than six the rest of the night.
“Our depth and our ability to pressure them were key,” Huse said, “ and created opportunities for us. I think we wore them down.”
The Bobcats forced 26 Tech turnovers, getting 18 steals. Flavien Davis and Paul Egwuonwu each nabbed four, while Antonio Biglow had three. No one in the Oredigger lineup had more than four turnovers, but every player had at least one. Eight Bobcats recorded steals.
Daniel Simon led Montana Tech with 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Tanner Neumann grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
— MSU Sports Information
