Montana State University
0-1,0-0Big Sky
Colorado
1-0,0-0Big 12
Montana State Falls to Colorado in Opening Night Shootout in Boulder, 84-78
11/3/2025 10:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four Bobcats score in double figures as Patrick McMahon sinks career-high 24 points
BOULDER, Colo. – Patrick McMahon tallied a career-high 24 points for the Montana State men's basketball team on Monday night, but the Bobcats came up just short in an 84-78 loss to Colorado to open the 2025-26 season.
McMahon tallied 20 of his 24 points in the second half while shooting 10-of-13 from the field in a game that featured nine ties and 10 lead changes. The redshirt senior was one of four Bobcats to score in double figures, with Cavin Holden tallying 14 points in his MSU debut and Christian King and Jed Miller adding 10 points apiece at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colo.
I was proud of our effort and connection tonight, Montana State head coach Matt Logie said. Once we settled down in the first half, we built some great runs and I thought really gave ourselves a chance to win. Unfortunately, we came up a couple plays short.
The Bobcats (0-1) and Buffaloes (1-0) traded baskets to open the game before Colorado went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-5 lead into first media timeout at the 15:50 mark. Colorado maintained its advantage for the next six minutes, leading by as many as nine points, 27-18, with 8:11 to play in the half before King and Waka Mbatch recorded back-to-back dunks to spark a 13-1 Bobcat run that saw Montana State take its first lead since the game's opening seconds, 31-28, with 3:09 left in the half. The Cats held the Buffs scoreless for over four minutes to erase Colorado's lead and entered the intermission with a 33-32 lead.
The Bobcats knocked down 54.5% of their shots from the field in the opening half to Colorado's 42.9%. The Buffaloes shot a scorching 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field prior to Montana State's run before the Cats held the Buffs' offense to 2-of-13 (15.4%) in the final eight minutes of the half. The Cats held the Buffaloes to just 1-of-7 from three in the opening 20 minutes and tallied 11 bench points to Colorado's four. King led a balanced scoring effort in the first half for Montana State with seven points, Chris Hodges chipped in six, and Holden and Davian Brown each contributed five points for MSU.
King was the first Bobcat to reach double figures in scoring, sinking a three with 18:45 remaining in the second half to extend Montana State's lead to 38-34. The redshirt sophomore finished with a career-high 10 points and added a rebound and an assist in his first career start.
After Colorado tied the game at 38 points apiece with 17:48 remaining in regulation, Montana State went on a 10-3 run capped off by a Holden three-pointer at the 15:01 mark to give Montana State its largest lead of the game, 48-41. The Buffaloes then responded with a 15-6 run of their own to regain the lead, 56-54, on a three-point play by Sebastian Rancik with 10:26 left in regulation.
The two teams traded baskets for the next five minutes until Miller went on an individual 5-0 scoring run to give the Bobcats a 74-70 advantage with 3:29 to play. Colorado's Isaiah Johnson responded with five-straight points to put the Buffs in front, 76-74, at the 2:36 mark before the Bobcats tied the game for the final time at 78 on a pair of Holden free throws with 1:02 remaining. Colorado closed the game on a 6-0 run to secure the 84-78 victory on its home court.
Ultimately, the margins in these games are very small, and we have a bunch of guys who really care and want to figure out how to not feel the disappointment of losing the next time we create an opportunity like this, Logie said.
Montana State made 29-of-56 shots (51.8%) in the contest against CU's 51.9% mark. The Bobcats outshot the Buffaloes from downtown, making 7-of-20 (35.0%) threes while holding Colorado to just 3-of-12 (25.0%).
McMahon led the Bobcats in scoring with 24 points, Hodges pulled in five rebounds, and Holden dished three assists as Montana State's statistical leaders in the contest. McMahon's effort marked his fifth career 20-point game and 25th total double-digit performance.
Pat showed exactly who he is tonight, Logie said. He played aggressive and under control and got to his spots.
Montana State showcased its versatility in scoring in the contest, with four players finishing in double figures and eight players recording a bucket.
This team's secret power is that we do have balance and a group that really enjoys sharing the basketball and doesn't care who gets the credit, Logie said. You can build a lot off of that, and the sum of our parts will always be strongest.
Montana State will take on Northwest Indian College in the Bobcats' home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Worthington Arena, and the game will air live on ESPN+.
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