Southwest Montana News

No. 11 Orediggers Survive Thriller 64-63 Over the Lights

The Montana Tech Orediggers defeated a persistent University of Providence team for the fourth time this season winning their second straight Frontier Conference Tournament 103-95. 

The teams left everything on the court including a barrage of scoring in the first half finishing with a 62-55 Tech advantage at the break. 

Asa Williams got the momentum going hitting back-to-back threes in the opening minutes and had his third before five minutes had passed. Williams finished the half with 12 points going 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. 

Williams finished with 23 points shooting 58.3% from the field and 5 for 8 from three-point range. Williams also led the Orediggers with eight rebounds.

Tech shot 63.4% in the first half and hit 8 of 16 from deep. The Orediggers led by as many as 18 during the first half.

Three more Orediggers hit double-digits in the first half. Caleb Bellach netted 11 going 2 for 4 from long. Hayden Diekhans went 5 for 5 from the field and Michael Ure went 5 for 6 as they both finished with 10 points each.  

The Argos were able to cut the lead before the break with an 18-6 run in the final three minutes of the half. Providence shot 47.4% from the field and made 11 of their 25 three-point attempts. 

Kenny Curtis went 4 for 6 from deep and Sam Vining hit 4 for 7 from three with all coming with less than four minutes in the half.  

Providence made 42 three-point attempts in the game but made just four after the break.

The Argos opened the second half with the same momentum they had at the end of the first. Providence went on a 9-2 run closing the gap to just two points 66-64 with 17:22 to play. 

Tech slowed the Argos charge and created some space getting the lead back up to nine after Bridger Larson made a layup with 11:30 left in the game. Tech was abler to hold off Providence's advances in the final ten minutes. Larson had 10 of his 14 points in the second half. 

The Orediggers had seven in double-digits by the end of the game. The Tech bench had 37 points. 

Bellach finished with 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Diekhans had 12 points and five boards. 

Keeley Bake shot 4 for 5 from beyond the arc finishing with 12 points and five assists. 

Camdyn LaRance had 11 points and six rebounds. 

Marcus Stephens led the Argos with 22 points and seven rebounds. 

Davien Harris-Williams finished with 21 points and six rebounds.  

Curtis finished with 20 points and Vining had 14.

The last time the Orediggers won back-to-back tournaments was in 1998 and 1999. There was only one other time the Orediggers won both regular season and tournament titles two years in a row. The 1983-84 and 1984-85 teams under head coach Kelvin Sampson won both back-to-back.

The No. 10 Orediggers (26-4) are staying in Butte next week for the start of the NAIA National Championship. Montana Tech is hosting the NAIA Opening Rounds March 7-8 on Kelvin Sampson Court in the HPER Complex. 

 

Original source can be found here.