Cats Down Griz, 76-67, in Rivalry Matchup in Bozeman

Saturday, January 17

Bozeman, Mont.

7 p.m.

Montana State University

10-8,4-1Big Sky

Montana

9-9,3-2Big Sky

Montana

Montana St.

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

1/17/2026 10:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Brown leads Bobcats’ scoring effort with 24 points, Miller posts first double-double

By: Pershelle Rohrer

BOZEMAN, Mont. – In a game filled with long runs and big leads, the Montana State men's basketball team triumphed over in-state rival Montana in a 76-67 showdown in Worthington Arena on Saturday.

Davian Brown tallied 24 points, Jeremiah Davis added 13, and Jed Miller (11 points, 11 rebounds) secured his first career double-double as the Bobcats earned their fifth-straight home win. The Cats moved to 10-8 on the season and 4-1 in Big Sky play with the victory while Montana fell to 9-9 and 3-2 in Big Sky play.

"What a day to be a Bobcat," head coach Matt Logie said. "The environment today was just off the charts. The energy that our fans brought to this building today and that they have all year when we've had the privilege of playing at home really carried us today. I thought our guys really stepped up to the challenge of what this game means to everybody involved, so really proud of our effort."

The Grizzlies jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, scoring eight-straight points following Jeremiah Davis' opening bucket to force a Montana State timeout at the 17:34 mark. That 8-0 run extended to 12-2, putting the Griz up, 12-4, at the 14:55 mark before Jed Miller knocked down a three followed by a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 12-9 at the 12:43 mark.

The Griz increased their lead to 10 points, 23-13, following an 11-4 run that ended with 8:59 left in the half, but the Bobcats fought back to trim Montana's lead to six points on multiple occasions, including on a Davian Brown three-pointer at the five-minute mark. That bucket was the catalyst for a Montana State 9-2 run to close the first half as the Cats clawed back to take their first lead of the game since the opening bucket, 32-31, on a Seth Amunrud buzzer-beater.

Despite Montana outshooting Montana State, 42.3% to 34.3% from the field in the first half, the Cats took advantage on the defensive end, forcing nine turnovers and recording six steals. Every Bobcat who touched the court in the first half scored, with King leading the way with seven points and Brown and Miller adding five apiece.

Montana State extended its run to 15-2 coming out of halftime, knocking down a trio of shots to increase its lead to seven points, 38-31, and force a Griz timeout at the 18:19 mark in the second frame. The Bobcats added on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, 49-36, with 15:43 left in regulation. Montana State maintained its double-digit advantage for the next three minutes before Montana hit three-straight to trim the Cats' lead to 51-48 at the 10:31 mark. Those buckets came as part of a 12-2 Montana run to help the Griz get back in the game with just over 10 minutes to play.

The Bobcats' lead ballooned back to seven points, 57-50, with 9:08 remaining before Montana countered with six-straight points to pull within one point, 59-58, with just over five minutes to play. That was the closest the Grizzlies would come for the remainder of the game as Davis scored five-straight points to push the Bobcats' lead to 66-60 at the 2:53 mark. Montana's Money Williams tallied three points in response, but the Bobcats made 10 of 11 free throws in the final minute to earn a double-digit victory over the Griz, 76-67. The Bobcats posted a 52.0% clip from the floor in the second half, knocking down five of nine shots from three, in a critical 20 minutes to move to 10-8 on the season and 4-1 in Big Sky play.

Montana State shot 41.7% from the floor and 45.0% from three in Saturday's game, outrebounding the Griz, 36-30, and tallying 10 steals to Montana's three. The Bobcats forced 15 Griz turnovers and posted 16 fast-break points in the rivalry contest.

Brown led the Bobcats with 24 points, posting his fourth 20-point outing of the season. He made six of 13 shots from the field and went 4-of-8 from three while chipping in five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 35 minutes of action. Davis shot 5-of-7 for 13 points, adding one rebound, assist, and steal each. Miller posted the first double-double of his career with 11 points and a career-high 11 boards, also leading the team in assists (4) and steals (3). Patrick McMahon rounded out the Bobcats' double-digit scorers with 11 points.

Montana State hits the road for a Monday night matchup with Northern Colorado on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. (ESPN+). The Bobcats will then return home to face Idaho State on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) and Weber State on Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. (Scripps Sports/ESPN+).

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