Bulldogs Men’s Basketball Hosts #1 College of Idaho Monday

UMW Sports

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men's basketball program (3-0) plays host to NAIA preseason #1 and reigning national champion College of Idaho (1-0) Monday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. MT.

GAME COVERAGE

Monday vs College of Idaho | Watch Live | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT

UMW improved to 3-0 on the year with back-to-back 20-point wins over Warner Pacific (90-66) and #14 Southern Oregon (85-65 at the Western Classic.

Against the Knights, the Bulldogs shot 50.0 percent (30-60) from the floor, 44.4 percent (9-27) from three, and 61.8 percent (21-34) from the foul line. Kyle Gruhler led the team with 21 points on 81.8 percent shooting (9-11) and added three rebounds, one assist, and a steal. Emanuel Steward (16), Quincy Taylor (11), and Joshua Whiteside (11) were also in double figures.

David Young led the team with six rebounds, Steward and Taylor dished out a team-best three assists each, and Jacob Ankeny swatted two blocks. Five players earned one steal apiece in the contest.

Against the #14 Raiders, Western shot 50.8 percent (30-59) from the field, 30.8 percent (8-26) from deep, and 77.3 percent (17-22) from the charity stripe. Gruhler went off for a game-high 32 points, followed by Steward and Whiteside with 14 and 10, respectively.

Whiteside and Ankeny shared the team-high with five rebounds apiece while Gruhler and Steward earned three assists each to lead the team. Ankeny and Steward both tallied two blocks while three different players snagged a steal.

BEHIND THE BARK

UMW is putting up 83.7 points, 40.7 rebounds, and 13.0 assists so far in 2025-26. The Bulldogs are shooting 45.2 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three, and 68.0 percent from the foul line. They are also earning 5.3 steals. 4.3 blocks, and just 9.7 turnovers per game.

HOT START

Western has started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

LIGHT WORK

The Bulldogs beat both Warner Pacific and Southern Oregon by 20 or more points and Evergreen by 15 points. They are outscoring opponents by an average of 19.7 points through three games.

FROM DOWNTOWN

UMW has hit at least eight threes in every game this season, averaging 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

CRASH THE BOARDS

Western has pulled down 35 or more rebounds in each contest so far, including 40 or more in two of them. The team is averaging 5.7 more boards per game than opponents.

GUARD THE ROCK

The Red and Black are handing out 13.0 assists per game while committing just 9.7 turnovers for a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio.

SHARING THE WEALTH

11 different Bulldogs have tallied an assist this season, with four recording five or more. Additionally, 12 players have pulled down a rebound and nine have snagged a steal.  

30-PIECE

Kyle Gruhler matched his career-high with 32 points against Southern Oregon. It is his second 30-point game of the season after dropping 31 in the season opener against Evergreen.

COUNT 'EM UP

Emanuel Steward has earned at least 13 points in every game this season, posting 13 at Evergreen, 16 against Warner Pacific, and 14 against Southern Oregon.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE!

Jacob Ankeny swatted two blocks against both Warner Pacific and Southern Oregon. He leads the Bulldogs with five blocks on the year.

MEET THE OPPONENT

College of Idaho (1-0)

• Named NAIA Preseason Men's Basketball #1 after capturing the 2025 NAIA National Championship.

• The Yotes defeated Carroll 92-63 in their season opener.

• They shot 54.0 percent (34-63) from the floor, 35.3 percent (6-17) from three, and 75.0 percent (18-24) from the foul line against the Fighting Saints.

• They grabbed 46 rebounds while tallying 11 assists, four blocks, and seven steals.

• Tucker Tiddens led the team with 18 points, followed by Alex Germer and Rey Johnston at 14 and 13, respectively.

• Chance Winter earned a double-double, leading the team with 10 rebounds to go with 11 points. He also earned all four blocks for College of Idaho.

• Utrillo Morris paced the team with four assists.

• Dougie Peoples and David Kludt earned two steals each.

SERIES HISTORY

Western is 10-20 all-time against College of Idaho. The last matchup between the two sides saw UMW fall 79-70 away on 11/25/23.

LOOKING AHEAD

Following Monday's game, the Bulldogs head to Butte, Mont. to compete in the Montana Tech Tip-off Classic. They will take on LC State (11/7) and OUAZ (11/8).