BILLINGS, Mont.- The Battlin' Bears hit the road for a pair of top-25 matchups, taking on #4 Montana Tech and #23 Montana Western.  

This Week's Matchups

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(RV) Rocky Mountain College (5-1, 2-1 conf.) at #4 Montana Tech (8-1, 2-1 conf.)
Friday, December 5th / 7:00 pm (MT)
Butte, Montana

(RV) Rocky Mountain College (4-2, 2-1 conf.) at #23 Montana Western (8-1, 3-0 conf.)
Saturday, December 6th / 7:00 pm (MT)
Dillon, Montana

Game Notes

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Back to Conference Play 
The Battlin' Bears will resume Frontier Conference play with a road trip to Butte and Dillon, taking on Montana Western and Montana Tech. 

Keys to Success
The Rocky men have stood out in their defense and rebounding so far this season. The Battlin' Bears are currently ranked second as a team in points allowed per game (66.3), as well as second in rebounding margin (10.0). Rocky has outrebounded all six of its opponents this season, including three games in which they finished with a margin of 10 or more. Carter McCoy ranks ninth in the Frontier, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, including 3.2 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks second. 

Versatile Scoring
The Battlin' Bears have relied on scoring from multiple players to fuel their offensive effort, with three players averaging 10 or more points per game. Omari Nesbit leads the charge, averaging 17.2 points per game this season, while Royce Robinson averages 11.7 and Kyle Jones adds 10.3. In total, eight different players average more than five points per game this season, while the Battlin' Bears are shooting 47% from the field as a team. 

Scouting the #4 Orediggers
Montana Tech is off to another strong start to the season, totaling an 8-1 record overall. The Orediggers enter Friday's matchup off of their first loss of the season to #23 Montana Western in overtime. Reigning Frontier Conference Player of the Year Hayden Deikhans has been the leader of the success, averaging 17.2 points per game, along with 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Brayden Koch also contributes 15.3 points per game so far this year. The Orediggers lead the conference in field goal percentage as a team, shooting 53.2% overall, while earning the second-most free-throw attempts as a team (192). 

Scouting the #23 Bulldogs
Montana Western has been a standout performer in the Frontier early this season, entering the weekend with an 8-1 overall record and a perfect 3-0 conference mark. Most recently, they beat #4 Montana Tech 82-80 in overtime. Senior forward Kyle Gruhler enters the weekend as the leading scorer in the Frontier Conference, averaging 23.4 points per game on impressive 53/47/87 shooting splits. The Bulldogs' offensive success has been centered on drawing contact and converting free-throw attempts, as they lead the Frontier Conference in free-throw attempts.