Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information, cover photo Terri Haverfield
DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men found victory in overtime tonight over the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (10-8, 1-4) by a final score of 109-104.
Seven Bulldogs hit double-digits in scoring in the game with Michael Haverfield and Quincy Taylor hitting for 20 points in the game.
How It Happened
Trailing 7-5 early with 18:04 on the clock, the Bulldogs took their first lead behind a jumper from Christian Pitcher and a pair of free throws from Taylor.
Despite a pair from the charity stripe from Rocky's Maxim Stephens, Pitcher paired with Kayden Toldson righted the score for the Bulldogs for a 13-9 Western lead.
With 9:27 on the clock, Western found success following a 10-2 run that saw Haverfield hit back-to-back threes to put UMW up 33-27.
Rocky barreled back, running on their own 12-5 scoring run to reclaim the lead at 42-40 with 2:04 remaining in the first half. They would carry a 47-43 lead into the second half.
At the start of the second half, Western flipped the lead back in their favor with a three-pointer from Jalyn Stepney to kick off a quick 5-0 push.
Rocky would answer as they went on to outscore Western 17-9 across a seven-minute span behind and take a 69-62 lead into the final ten minutes.
A contested layup that resulted in a pair for Abi Adedo sparked a 7-0 run for the Bulldog men and tie the game with eight minutes on the clock.
It was Haverfield who continued to keep Western in the game, hitting a pair of free throws and taking it to the hoop for a narrow 77-76 lead with five to go. Pitcher added to the score following a bit time dunk on an open hoop.
With neither team getting out to more than a three-point lead down the stretch, the Bulldogs would head to overtime with Rocky knotted up at 87 apiece.
Western remained hot from the start in overtime, seeing Kevin Bethel go coast to coast to put UMW up five at 94-89 with just under three in extras. The Bulldog continued their surge, outscoring the Battlin' Bears 22-17 in overtime to take the win at 109-104.
Notables
Western was impressive from the free throw line, hitting 31-37 in the game for an 83.8 free throw percentage.
The Bulldog bench provided 47 points in tonight's overtime win compared to Rocky's 14 points.
Seven Bulldogs hit double-digits in scoring in the game with Haverfield and Taylor hitting for 20 points in the game.
Three Bulldogs were perfect at the charity stripe with Taylor knocking down 10-10 of his shots at the line. Jalyn Stepney went 3-3 and Toldson went 4-4.
Up Next
Western moves to 9-9 this season with a conference record of 2-3. They will return to the Straugh for a game against Carroll College this upcoming Thursday Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. MT.
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