Erik Rush scored a career-high 25 points and Bobby Howard added 19, leading Montana State to a 68-58 win over Colorado Christian on Tuesday.
Rush scored 16 of his points in the second half, 10 in the last eight-and-a-half minutes. The junior guard hit eight of his 11 field goals, and chipped in six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
"He took over the game at a point where we needed to do that," said MSU coach Brad Huse, lauding Rush's play. "He's playing with a lot of confidence. He's grown up every year he's been here. He's playing with a lot of maturity. He's not shying away from making plays."
The teams played on even terms through most of the first half, with Colorado Christian holding a 32-29 lead with three minutes remaining in the half. Branden Johnson converted a three-point play at 2:48 to tie the game, then Bryan Louff nailed a three-pointer with 57 seconds to play to give MSU a 35-32 lead it would carry into the intermission.
The Cougars pulled to within 49-44 with 9:40 to play in the game on a Jobi Wall, but Cody Anderson and Erik Rush hit layups, with Rush converting a free throw on the three-point play to give the Bobcats a 10-point cushion. CCU would draw no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Howard punctuated his 19 points with a 4-for-8 effort from beyond the arc. Austin Brown didn't score for MSU, but dished out four assists and blocked three shots. Louff recorded three steals.
Justin Neuhaus scored 17 points for Colorado Christian, which was playing its season opener. CCU shot 43% from the field. MSU converted 15 of its 23 free throws, while the Cougars were 4-for-7.
Montana State hosts Southern Mississippi on Saturday night at 7 pm.