Montana State University
11-15,6-7Big Sky
Montana
17-9,8-5Big Sky
Griz Down Cats in Missoula
2/17/2024 10:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eddie Turner III paces Montana State with 18 points in 307th Brawl of the Wild
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Montana found success on the boards and caught fire from beyond the arc to pull away and down Montana State, 88-69, in a Saturday night Brawl of the Wild at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
Montana (17-9, 8-5 Big Sky) created an advantage underneath and snagged 15 offensive rebounds on the way to 15 second chance points.
Montana State (11-15, 6-7 Big Sky) was led by Eddie Turner III, who finished with a career-high-tying 18 points with three assists and two steals. Brandon Walker posted 13 points and Robert Ford III ended his night with nine points and eight rebounds.
Sam Lecholat added nine points and four rebounds, and Tyler Patterson had eight points, all in the first half.
The Bobcats went punch for punch with the Grizzlies in the first half and held a 23-22 lead with 7:08 before halftime. Coming out of the under-4 media timeout, however, momentum turned as Montana recorded stops on three of the next four possessions and went into the locker room up 40-30 on a Jaxson Nap triple right before the horn.
While the first half saw nine lead changes, the Griz kept the Cats at bay in the second frame, not letting the visitors get within seven the rest of the way.
Montana State was able to limit turnovers on the night, finishing with nine, but had just eight assists dealing with a motivated Montana defense that made things difficult around the paint.
On the other end, Montana relied on the scoring of Aanen Moody, who tallied a game-high 29 points, including five of the Grizzlies' 13 3-pointers.
UP NEXT
Montana State returns home to Bozeman to face Portland State on Thursday night inside Worthington Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. The Cats will look for revenge after falling to the Vikings on Jan. 27, 94-91 in Portland.
Tickets are available at msubobcats.com/tickets
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