Saturday, February 14
Missoula, Mont.
7 p.m.
Montana State University
15-11,9-4Big Sky
82
at
71
Montana
14-12,8-5Big Sky
1
2
F
Montana St.
38
44
82
Montana
37
34
71
Jed Miller drains a three-pointer
Photo by: Brian Morse
Balanced Bobcats Bash Grizzlies in Dahlberg Arena on Saturday
2/14/2026 10:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State races away from UM in second half
MISSOULA, Mont. (February 14, 2026) – Montana State guard Jed Miller's 19 points led a pack of six Bobcats who scored in double-digits as MSU beat Montana 82-71 in Missoula on Saturday.
That offensive balance allowed the Cats to overcome the Grizzlies' two-pronged attack. Money Williams led the Grizzlies with 25 points and Te'Jon Sawyer added 22, but the rest of the squad could muster just 24 points. Miller said the collective effort made the win even more special.
"It's a great feeling," Miller said after the win. "It's what makes a rivalry great, when two great programs go head to head and the games are always going to be close, when we're home or we're away. The feeling is like no other when you can get the job done on the road."
Saturday's game marked the first time six Bobcats reached double-digit point totals since January 27, 2024 at Portland State. "Our guys are really, really unselfish," he said. "The defense can dictate certain things, but our guys don't care who gets the shots or who gets the shine, so to speak."
While Miller's place on top of the scoring list is familiar, Jaden Steppe's performance was welcome. The sophomore forward poured in a career-high 15 points. Senior Patrick McMahon and sophomore Christian King each added a dozen, while grad student Chris Hodges and junior Jeremiah Davis each scored 10.
With the Bobcats leading by one coming out of the intermission, Miller drained a three-pointer, Christian King made a layup and Chris Hodges dunked to stake the Cats to a 45-37 lead just 78 seconds into the period. Even with most of the half remaining, the Bobcats took control it would never relinquish.
After the Bobcats pushed the lead to nine twice, the Grizzlies counter-punched. A short jumper by Hodges stretched MSU's lead to 50-41, but Kenyon Aguino's two free throws trimmed the lead to 50-43, then a layup by Grant Kepley pulled UM within 50-45.
MSU answered. Steppe's layup and a pair of free throws by Davis pushed the Bobcats' lead to 54-45. That advantage teetered between seven and nine for three minutes until Sawyer's three-pointer with 10:47 to play pulled the Grizzlies within 56-52.
Again, the Cats fought back. Hodges made a short jumper, Miller drained a three, and then hit the free after drawing a foul on the shot, and the Cats held a 62-52 lead with 9:53 to play. Moments later, after a Sawyer layup, Miller's jumper and a fast break layup by Patrick McMahon gave Montana State a 66-54 lead with 7:58 to play.
Montana State made 11 of 15 free throws in the game's final 10 minutes, and the Grizzlies would get no closer than six points in that stretch. The Bobcats late-game composure helped the Cats complete the season sweep against their rivals.
The first half was marked by spurts. The Bobcats jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, but Montana's 11-0 run gave the Grizzlies command. They led by as many as nine, and held a 27-20 lead with 10:19 to play in the half. At that point, a 12-4 Bobcat run gave MSU a 32-31 lead with 4:33 remaining on a Christian King layup.
Kenyon Aguino's basket gave UM a 33-32 advantage, but a triple by Jeremiah Davis pushed the Cats in front. The teams traded baskets until a single Jed Miller free throw with 1:46 to play gave the Bobcats a 38-37 advantage that MSU carried into the half.
"That first half was back and forth, with both teams making a ton of plays on both sides of the ball," Logie said. "I thought we settled into the game and the environment and we made enough plays to execute and build that lead in the second half. Montana's a tough team and we knew we'd be getting their best punch tonight."
Logie was proud of his team's ability to survive the game's ups and downs. "We just kept playing, kept sticking to the game plan," he said. "We never got too low at the beginning when they were making shots, and were able to have a great start to the second half and build a little bit of a buffer."
The game featured six lead changes and was tied twice, but the Bobcats led for more than 26 of the 40 minutes. Miller expressed pride in his team's ability to survive, both on Saturday and throughout this campaign. "This team's been thrown in the fire," he said. "We've had a lot of injuries and have gone through so much adversity this year, and this team is still getting better every game. I'm excited for the future."
Montana State captures sole possession of second place with the win, moving to 15-11 overall and 9-4 in Big Sky play. The Grizzlies are now 14-11, 8-5, and with a season sweep the Bobcats hold the tie-breaker over UM for Big Sky Tournament seeding.
The Cats return to action Thursday at Weber State. Tipoff is 7 pm.
#GoCatsGo
That offensive balance allowed the Cats to overcome the Grizzlies' two-pronged attack. Money Williams led the Grizzlies with 25 points and Te'Jon Sawyer added 22, but the rest of the squad could muster just 24 points. Miller said the collective effort made the win even more special.
"It's a great feeling," Miller said after the win. "It's what makes a rivalry great, when two great programs go head to head and the games are always going to be close, when we're home or we're away. The feeling is like no other when you can get the job done on the road."
Saturday's game marked the first time six Bobcats reached double-digit point totals since January 27, 2024 at Portland State. "Our guys are really, really unselfish," he said. "The defense can dictate certain things, but our guys don't care who gets the shots or who gets the shine, so to speak."
While Miller's place on top of the scoring list is familiar, Jaden Steppe's performance was welcome. The sophomore forward poured in a career-high 15 points. Senior Patrick McMahon and sophomore Christian King each added a dozen, while grad student Chris Hodges and junior Jeremiah Davis each scored 10.
With the Bobcats leading by one coming out of the intermission, Miller drained a three-pointer, Christian King made a layup and Chris Hodges dunked to stake the Cats to a 45-37 lead just 78 seconds into the period. Even with most of the half remaining, the Bobcats took control it would never relinquish.
After the Bobcats pushed the lead to nine twice, the Grizzlies counter-punched. A short jumper by Hodges stretched MSU's lead to 50-41, but Kenyon Aguino's two free throws trimmed the lead to 50-43, then a layup by Grant Kepley pulled UM within 50-45.
MSU answered. Steppe's layup and a pair of free throws by Davis pushed the Bobcats' lead to 54-45. That advantage teetered between seven and nine for three minutes until Sawyer's three-pointer with 10:47 to play pulled the Grizzlies within 56-52.
Again, the Cats fought back. Hodges made a short jumper, Miller drained a three, and then hit the free after drawing a foul on the shot, and the Cats held a 62-52 lead with 9:53 to play. Moments later, after a Sawyer layup, Miller's jumper and a fast break layup by Patrick McMahon gave Montana State a 66-54 lead with 7:58 to play.
Montana State made 11 of 15 free throws in the game's final 10 minutes, and the Grizzlies would get no closer than six points in that stretch. The Bobcats late-game composure helped the Cats complete the season sweep against their rivals.
The first half was marked by spurts. The Bobcats jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, but Montana's 11-0 run gave the Grizzlies command. They led by as many as nine, and held a 27-20 lead with 10:19 to play in the half. At that point, a 12-4 Bobcat run gave MSU a 32-31 lead with 4:33 remaining on a Christian King layup.
Kenyon Aguino's basket gave UM a 33-32 advantage, but a triple by Jeremiah Davis pushed the Cats in front. The teams traded baskets until a single Jed Miller free throw with 1:46 to play gave the Bobcats a 38-37 advantage that MSU carried into the half.
"That first half was back and forth, with both teams making a ton of plays on both sides of the ball," Logie said. "I thought we settled into the game and the environment and we made enough plays to execute and build that lead in the second half. Montana's a tough team and we knew we'd be getting their best punch tonight."
Logie was proud of his team's ability to survive the game's ups and downs. "We just kept playing, kept sticking to the game plan," he said. "We never got too low at the beginning when they were making shots, and were able to have a great start to the second half and build a little bit of a buffer."
The game featured six lead changes and was tied twice, but the Bobcats led for more than 26 of the 40 minutes. Miller expressed pride in his team's ability to survive, both on Saturday and throughout this campaign. "This team's been thrown in the fire," he said. "We've had a lot of injuries and have gone through so much adversity this year, and this team is still getting better every game. I'm excited for the future."
Montana State captures sole possession of second place with the win, moving to 15-11 overall and 9-4 in Big Sky play. The Grizzlies are now 14-11, 8-5, and with a season sweep the Bobcats hold the tie-breaker over UM for Big Sky Tournament seeding.
The Cats return to action Thursday at Weber State. Tipoff is 7 pm.
#GoCatsGo
Team Stats
MSU
Mont
FG%
.509
.444
3FG%
.455
.308
FT%
.667
.882
RB
30
33
TO
5
10
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
8
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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