MSU scores Saturday sweep in Cat-Griz hoops

BOZEMAN — Davian Brown scored 24 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and Montana State withstood a late Montana rally to hand the Grizzlies a 76-67 loss in Big Sky men’s basketball Saturday at Breeden Field House. 

Earlier Saturday the Bobcat women’s team routed the Montana Lady Griz 82-44.

The MSU men (10-8 overall, 4-1 in the Big Sky) started building on a 32-31 halftime lead with a layup from Patrick McMahon, off one of Montana’s 15 turnovers. The gap grew to 38-31 on a Jeremiah Davis bucket at the 18:19 mark, and when Brown hit a 3-pointer with 15:43 left it was 49-36. 

Montana (9-9, 3-2) cut to gap to 59-58 on two Grant Kepley free throws with 5:03 remaining, and 61-60 when Money Williams drove for a layup at the 4:25 mark. 

The Griz got the ball back after a miss by MSU, but Kepley misfired and Davis hit his fourth 3-pointer at the 3:38 mark for the Cats. 

Davis added another jumper for a 66-60 lead and then the Bobcats hit 8 of 9 free throws — Jed Miller rebounded the lone miss for MSU, and hit two with 23 seconds left — in the final minute. 

Davis added 13 points and McMahon and Miller tallied 11 each for the Bobcats. Miller also had 11 rebounds and four assists; Brown had five boards and three assists. 

Williams had 17 points to lead the Grizzlies; Broolyn Hicks added 10. Both players grabbed five rebounds. 

Bobcats 82, Lady Griz 44

If the first half was a roller coaster ride for Montana State, the third quarter amounted to a demolition derby. 

“At halftime, it was just Coach Bin (MSU head coach Tricia Binford) saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to step it up,’” said Bobcat guard Taylee Chirrick.  

The result was a 17-2 run to open the third quarter and a lead that ballooned to 58-28 going to the fourth. 

Montana State’s 38-point shellacking stands as its largest margin of victory against UM, and it began early. The Cats scored the game’s first 13 points and held the Lady Griz scoreless for the game’s first 5:34.  

Jamison Philip knifed to the basket for a pair of layups, and Chirrick converted a fast-break layup. Another fast break layup by Chirrick and a fast break layup by Kadynce Couture pushed MSU’s lead to 13-0. The Lady Griz never got closer than 10 the rest of the game. 

Jamison Philip led all scorers with a career-high 23 points, while Chirrick added 19 and Isobel Bunyan 11. Johnson snagged game highs with eight rebounds and five steals.  

Aby Shubert’s eight points led the Lady Griz (3-13, 0-5 in league). 

Montana State raised its record to 12-4 overall and a Big Sky-leading 5-0.