DILLON, Mont.–  Despite no Bulldogs scoring in the double digits, No. 22 ranked University of Montana Western defeated No. 20 ranked Rocky Mountain College 54-48.

Trailing 12-5 at the end of the first period, the Battlin' Bears initiated a 14-6 run to jump to a 19-18 lead off a pair of free throws from Markaela Francis. It would be the only time the Battlin' Bears would hold the lead for the entirety of the game.

The Bulldogs' Paige Holmes sank a three pointer 30 seconds later to put the Bulldogs back in the driver's seat. While the Battlin' Bears tied the game twice in the third period, they never managed to reclaim a lead.

Rocky shot 32.6 percent from the field and landed 5-of-19 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs, in comparison, shot a 37.5 field goal percentage and landed 35 percent of their three point attempts.

The Battlin' Bears held a 38-28 edge on the glass while the Bulldogs held a 10-5 advantage in steals.

Francis scored a team-high 16 points with seven rebounds for the Battlin' Bears. Keahi-lele Roy was the only other player to score in the double digits with a 12-point performance. Antuanisha Wright had a team-high eight rebounds.

None of the Bulldogs scored in the double digits, but seven different players managed to score five or more points. Montana Western's bench scored 29 points which included eight points from Natalie Denning. Savanna Bignell also scored eight points while posting a team-high six rebounds, a team-high four assists, and three steals.

The Battlin' Bears will next play Montana Tech in Butte, Mont., on Jan. 23.