BILLINGS, Mont. – Despite strong shooting in the first half, Rocky Mountain College was unable to overcome a late resurgence from Montana Tech in an 80-72 loss on Thursday night.

Hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first period, the Battlin' Bears (6-6, 1-2 Frontier) shot 65.38 percent from the field in the first half and held a 46-41 lead over the Orediggers (9-5, 1-2 Frontier) who were shooting 62.5 percent. Rocky lagged as the game wore on, shooting just 23.33 percent in the second period, while Montana Tech continued to land shots with a 54.17 field goal percentage in the final 20 minutes.

The game sat tied at 66-66 with 4:30 on the clock before the Orediggers initiated a 14-6 run to close out the game.

"It was a hard-fought game," said Rocky's men's basketball head coach, Bill Dreikosen. "We played well in some aspects, but Montana Tech just got hot at the right time late in the game."

Rocky's Darius Henderson posted a team-high 23 points and six rebounds. Hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, Sam Vining had 13 points while Grant Wallace and Kelson Eiselein each had 11-point performances.

The Orediggers' Sindou Diallo scored a team-high 26 points. Taylor England, the current NAIA Men's Basketball National Player of the Week, had 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Troy Owens Jr. and Drew Huse each scored 14 points.

Rocky finished the game shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent on three pointers. Montana Tech posted a 58.3 field goal percentage including 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.

The game counted as the Orediggers' first conference win of the 2019-20 season.

The Battlin' Bears will next play Lewis-Clark State on Saturday at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark. The game will begin at 4 p.m.