BOISE, Idaho — Montana State emerged victorious over Idaho State with a convincing 80-60 win in the Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Monday night. Tyler Patterson and Patrick McMahon were instrumental in the win, each contributing 14 points for the Bobcats.
The fifth-seeded Bobcats, holding a season record of 15-17, are set to face the top-seeded Northern Colorado in the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday. McMahon, having an impressive game, successfully made 6 of his 9 field goal attempts. Meanwhile, Patterson excelled from beyond the arc, hitting 4 of his 6 shots from 3-point range. Sam Lecholat also played a key role, scoring 13 points with an efficient 6-for-8 shooting performance.
On the other side, the fourth-seeded Bengals, who finished the season at 15-15, saw Jake O’Neil and Dylan Darling each scoring 16 points. O’Neil also contributed significantly with seven rebounds. Additionally, Blake Daberkow added 11 points to the Bengals’ effort.
Montana State established dominance early on, taking the lead just over two minutes into the game and maintaining their momentum throughout. Patterson boasted an impressive first-half performance, leading the team with 11 points, which helped secure a 41-29 advantage at halftime.
