King Explodes for 27 Points, McMahon Posts 20 As Bobcats Defeat Eagles, 68-64

Thursday, January 8

Cheney, Wash.

7 p.m.

Montana State University

9-7,3-0Big Sky

Eastern Washington

2-13,0-2Big Sky

Montana St.

Eastern Wash.

Photo by: Eastern Washington Athletics

King Explodes for 27 Points, McMahon Posts 20 As Bobcats Defeat Eagles, 68-64

1/8/2026 10:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Montana State earns fifth-straight win, starts Big Sky play 3-0 for the first time since 2017-18

By: Pershelle Rohrer

CHENEY, Wash. – Christian King posted a career-high 27 points, 17 of which game in the second half, and Patrick McMahon added 20 for the fifth 20-point game of the season as Montana State won a tight battle with Eastern Washington, 68-64, on Thursday.

After trailing, 23-19, at halftime, the Cats exploded for 49 points on 14-of-26 (53.4%) shooting in the second half to earn their fifth-straight win, their longest win streak since picking up eight wins in a row during the 2022-23 season. King and McMahon combined for 47 of the team's 68 points and shot a combined 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the field as Montana State improved to 9-7 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

"First, you've got to give Eastern [Washington] a lot of credit tonight," head coach Matt Logie said. "They came out with a tremendous amount of energy and activity, were able to turn us over in the first half. The first half was pretty grimy for both teams, and I was proud of the way our guys came out in the second half and found some rhythm offensively. We were able to share the basketball a little bit. And then at the end of the game, it's players, not plays, and I thought Pat McMahon had a big run there for us. He really stepped up. We knocked down our free throws down the stretch."

Montana State and Eastern Washington opened Thursday's contest with a defensive first half, with the Eagles tallying just 23 points to the Bobcats' 19, Montana State's lowest-scoring half of the season. The Bobcats shot 36.4% from the field to the Eagles' 30.0%, with both teams struggling from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes as MSU shot 3-of-11 (27.3%) and EWU made 1-of-7 (14.3%) shots from deep.

Both teams traded buckets back and forth throughout the half, with the first frame consisting of one tie and five lead changes as Eastern Washington compiled the longest run of the first half, 6-0, to take a 19-14 lead with 6:08 left in the first half. The Eagles improved their lead to a game-high seven points, 23-16, on a pair of Isaiah Moses free throws at the 47-second mark. King paced the Cats with 10 first-half points, including a three-point shot with 34 seconds left to cut Eastern Washington's lead to four points, 23-19, at the break.

Both teams found their groove in the second half, with Montana State outscoring Eastern Washington, 49-41, in the final 20 minutes. The teams tallied three ties and 11 more lead changes in what amounted to a thriller of a second half. After trailing since the since the 8:04 mark in the first half, 15-14, the Bobcats reclaimed the lead, 31-30, on a Chris Hodges rebound and putback layup with 14:19 left in the second half. Hodges finished with a career-high 11 rebounds to help Montana State outrebound Eastern Washington, 36-30.

The Cats and Eagles battled back and forth through the midway point in the half before McMahon tallied nine points as part of a 12-0 run to help the Bobcats take a nine-point lead, 58-49, with 3:52 to play. Then with 1:18 to play, Eastern Washington's Moses tallied nine-straight points to cut the Eagles' deficit to two points, 64-62, with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation. King knocked down a pair of free throws, EWU's Alton Hamilton IV responded with a layup, and Jed Miller made both of his free throws on the following possession to hold off the Eagles, 68-64 in Cheney.

The Bobcats shot 45.8% from the field to the Eagles' 36.1%. The Cats' bench outscored the Eagles' bench, 32-11, with 27 of those points coming from King. The game consisted of four ties and 16 lead changes, and Montana State outrebounded Eastern Washington, 36-30. The Bobcat men's 3-0 start in Big Sky play coupled with the MSU women's 3-0 record marks the first time since the 2001-02 season that both basketball teams started conference play 3-0 in the same season.

King posted his 10^th double-digit performance of the season and eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time in his career with his 27 points (9-of-16 FG), seven rebounds, and one block. Thursday marked his second-straight game setting a new career high in scoring. McMahon posted his fifth 20-point game of the year with a stat line of 20 points (7-of-13 FG), five rebounds, and three assists. Hodges tallied two points, a career-high 11 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and three blocks, stuffing the stat sheet in an impressive performance in Cheney.

Montana State wraps up its two-game road trip against Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 10, as the Bobcats look to extend their win streak to six. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. at ICCU Arena in Moscow.

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