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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Nesbit vs MT Tech '25
Brandon Stinson
55
Montana Tech (MT) TECH 12-2, 0-1
63
Winner Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY 12-2, 1-0
Montana Tech (MT) TECH
12-2, 0-1
55
Final
63
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY
12-2, 1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Montana Tech (MT) TECH 23 32 55
Rocky Mountain (MT) ROCKY 30 33 63

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

(RV) Rocky Men’s Basketball Takes Down No. 6-Ranked Montana Tech 63-55

BILLINGS, Mont.- The Battlin' Bears kicked off their Frontier Conference schedule with a bang, defeating the sixth-ranked Orediggers at home on Saturday afternoon. 

Not only did the upset win give the Battlin' Bears a 1-0 start to the Frontier Conference schedule, but it was also Rocky's first win over the Montana Tech men since 2019, snapping an 18-game losing streak. 

The Rocky men held Montana Tech to their second-lowest shooting percentage of the season at 36%, holding an Oredigger offense nearly 30 points below their season average. 

How it Happened
Both teams struggled with turnovers to open the game, but Omari Nesbit's three-pointer gave the Battlin' Bears an early 10-5 lead after five minutes of play. Rocky's defense continued to give the Orediggers fits early on, as an emphatic dunk by Jaylon Lee gave the Battlin' Bears their largest lead of the half at 11 with eight minutes remaining. Montana Tech battled back, forcing multiple Battlin' Bear turnovers en route to a 12-5 run that cut their deficit to four. Rocky would hold the Orediggers to just one point in the final three minutes of the first half, as Mekhi Jourdan got a layup to fall before the end of the half to extend the Rocky lead back out to seven going into the break. 

The Rocky men came out firing to open the second half, hitting their first five shots from the field to spark an 11-4 run and extending their lead to 14 points. Despite trailing for most of the game, Montana Tech would not go down quietly, putting together a 13-3 run that cut their deficit back down to just one point with five minutes remaining. The Rocky offense found life following this run thanks largely to Omari Nesbit, who drained a trio of jumpers, leading the Battlin' Bears to hitting all five of their final shots. Defensively, the Orediggers were held to just two points in the final three minutes as the Battlin' Bears secured their 12th victory of the season. 

Notable Statistics
Omari Nesbit was the game's leading scorer, finishing with 19 points on 8-11 shooting from the field. Jaylon Lee tallied his ninth double-double of the season and the eighth in the past nine games, totaling 16 points and ten rebounds while adding two blocks. 

Despite tying their season-low with 63 points, the Rocky offense was efficient, shooting 48% from the field. The Battlin' Bears continued their streak of not losing the rebounding battle, outrebounding the Orediggers 34-27. 

Hayden Diekhans led Montana Tech with 12 points in the loss. 

Up Next
The Battlin' Bears (12-2, 1-0 conf.) will hit the road for three straight contests, taking on the University of Providence, MSU-Northern, and Carroll College. 
 
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