Montana St defeats N Arizona 77-68

Montana St Edges N Arizona Behind Jed Miller's Big Night in Conference Showdown

The Bobcats proved they're a force to be reckoned with at home, defeating the visiting Wildcats 77-68 in a crucial conference matchup on Tuesday night at Worthington Arena.

Montana St took control of the contest from the outset, leading by as many as 18 points midway through the first half. The Wildcats made some late-half adjustments, trimming the deficit to just 5 points with under three minutes left to play. However, Montana St's Jed Miller and Christian King proved too much for N Arizona to handle, scoring 8 of their team's final 10 points in the period.

Miller paced the Bobcats with a career-high 22 points on 5-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc (53.3% FG). The senior guard also chipped in with 5 rebounds and 1 assist, while Christian King added 9 points and 9 rebounds of his own.

N Arizona's Isaiah Shaw led the Wildcats in scoring with 18 points on 5-for-6 shooting from three-point range (85.7% FG), but it wasn't enough to overcome the Bobcats' balanced attack. Traivar Jackson contributed 9 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, while Chris Komin added 9 points and 3 assists.

The Bobcats' dominance was driven by their impressive field goal efficiency. Montana St shot a stout 46% from the field (26-56), including 39% from three-point range (12-31). The Wildcats struggled to contain Miller and King, allowing them to outscore the rest of their team in the first half.

Montana St's bench played a key role in the victory, scoring 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Bobcats' reserves also outrebounded N Arizona's bench 6-2, helping to secure the win.

With the victory, Montana St moves into sole possession of second place in the conference standings. The Wildcats will look to bounce back from the loss when they host Southern Utah next week.