Bobcats Battle Down to the Wire, Drop Contest at Boise State, 62-58

Saturday, November 15

Boise, Idaho

2 p.m.

Montana State University

1-4,0-0Big Sky

Boise State

3-1,0-0Mountain West

Montana St.

Boise St.

Photo by: Noah Syverson

Bobcats Battle Down to the Wire, Drop Contest at Boise State, 62-58

11/15/2025 6:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Davian Brown leads Montana State with 16 points against the Broncos

By: Pershelle Rohrer

BOISE, Idaho – Montana State fought Boise State down to the final buzzer in a game that featured four ties and 14 lead changes, but the Broncos eked out a close victory over the Bobcats, 62-58, at ExtraMile Arena in Boise on Saturday.

The Bobcats (1-4) led late into the second half, holding the Broncos (3-1) to just 6-of-24 (25.0%) from the field in the final 20 minutes of play, but a late three-point play by Javan Buchanan allowed Boise State to take the lead for good with 1:10 to play to help seal the Broncos' win. Davian Brown led the Bobcats in scoring for the third time in five games to open the season, dropping 16 points off the bench in another solid effort for the graduate transfer from Biola.

"I thought our guys fought with a championship level effort today," head coach Matt Logie said. "That was an NCAA Tournament environment against a perennial NCAA Tournament program with 10,000 opposing fans. To stick to our game plan and have the resiliency to come back from nine down and take a lead and have the ball with a chance to win is an incredibly positive sign for where this team is headed. Davian was terrific today, as was our bench in Jeremiah Davis, Jaden Steppe, and Waka Mbatch. Davian is a competitor and he's not afraid to take and make big shots."

The Bobcats limited Boise State, who averaged 88.0 points per game heading into Saturday's contest to its lowest scoring effort of the season with just 62 points. Montana State also won the rebounding battle, 36-35, and outshot the Broncos, 37.3% to 33.3%, from the field.

"We challenged this team after the Denver loss to be tougher and more disciplined, especially with respect to following our defensive game plan and limiting offensive rebounds," Logie said. "I'm really proud of the way our guys responded and took ownership in those areas this week."

Jeremiah Davis led the Bobcats with eight points in the first half, draining three of four baskets, including two threes, to lead MSU in scoring through 20 minutes of play. Montana State scored 16 of its 30 first-half points off the bench as Brown contributed six and Steppe chipped in two. Both teams battled back and forth in the first half, with Montana State chipping away at an early 5-0 deficit to take the lead, 9-8, on a McMahon three-pointer with 13:44 left in the first half. The contest remained tightly contested over the next several minutes until Boise State used an eight-point scoring run to take a six-point 24-18, at the 6:10 mark. Montana State trailed by as much as eight, 31-23, with 3:49 left in the half but battled back to trim its deficit to five points, 35-30, on a Waka Mbatch layup with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. Neither team scored fom that point on until the halftime buzzer, setting the stage for what would be a defensive dog fight in the second half.

After Montana State and Boise State each posted a 40.7% clip from the field in the first half on 11-of-27 shooting, the game evolved into a defensive battle that featured alternating runs and scoring droughts that left the win up for grabs until the final possession. Montana State and Boise State traded baskets in the opening minute of the second half before Boise State used a 7-0 run to extend their lead to a game-high 11 points, 45-34. The Bobcats then countered by scoring the next 13 points to take a four-point lead, 49-45, with 11:37 remaining in regulation. Both teams went cold from the floor in the minutes that followed, with Montana State missing 11-straight shots until Chris Hodges' jumper with 4:58 to go while Boise State shot just 1-of-14 from the end of its 7-0 run until the 3:51 mark in the second half. During those droughts, the Bobcats and Broncos fought at the free throw line and off the glass. Montana State outrebounded Boise State, 22-15, in the second half to get itself back in the game while the Broncos made 11 of their 12 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes to maintain their fight with the Bobcats.

Boise State held a 52-51 advantage before Hodges' bucket with 4:58 to play, which was the first of four lead changes in the final five minutes of play. Boise State's Andrew Meadow hit a three-pointer to give the Broncos a 55-53 lead before Brown poured in five-straight points to put the Cats ahead, 58-55. The Broncos then closed the game on a 7-0 run as Andrews knocked down a pair of free throws prior to Buchanan's three-point play to give Boise State the lead for good, 60-58, with 1:10 remaining. Andrews then made a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining after Montana State was forced to foul as Boise State came away with the 62-58 win.

Montana State posted impressive defensive numbers against Boise State, limiting the Broncos to just 33.3% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range while winning the rebounding battle, 36-35. The Bobcats limited the Broncos' bench to just six points while Montana State's bench tallied 33 points in the effort.

Brown continued his stellar start to the 2025-26 season with a team-high 16 points while adding four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. McMahon added nine points and led the Cats with six rebounds, Davis finished with eight points and four rebounds, and Jed Miller chipped in seven points for Montana State.

Montana State heads back to California for a pair of games in the Battle of the Beach, hosted by Long Beach State, on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20-21. The Bobcats will face Nobel at 4 p.m. MT on Thursday followed by Long Beach State at 8 p.m. MT on Friday. The Bobcats' matchup with Long Beach State will be televised on ESPN+.

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