Four Bulldogs Hit Double-Digits In Win Over Rocky Mountain

Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information photo credit Terri Haverfield

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana Western men's basketball team (13-15, 6-9) closed out conference play on a high note after they defeated Rocky Mountain College (12-16, 3-12) by a final score of 73-64 in a road contest.

"Really proud of our guys for getting a win on the road. We have to build and learn from this going into the tournament" Head Coach Patrick Jensen said.

Four Bulldogs scored in double-digits in today's game, with Jalyn Stepney leading the way with 24 points.

How it Happened

Rocky Mountain was the first to take an early edge in the duel, pushing out to a 10-6 lead early in the game. A layup from Quincy Taylor and a jumper from Stepney rounded out the score and kept the Bulldogs tight with RMC.

With just over ten minutes to play in the first half, Michael Haverfield hit a three-pointer to give Western their largest lead thus far at 16-12. Rocky fought back and the two teams continued to battle for position down to the final three minutes of the half.

Riding a 7-0 scoring run that featured a three from Taylor and a pair of buckets from Stepney, the Bulldogs were able to grab a 33-29 lead heading into the half.

Western wasted little time from the start of the second half and rode a 10-0 scoring run to a 14-point lead.

Rocky Mountain kept working to cut into the Bulldog lead, bringing the score back to as much as a five-point deficit. In spite of the comeback, Haverfield hit back-to-back threes with under three minutes on the clock for the Bulldogs to keep the Bulldog men out by an arm's reach through the remainder of the game. UMW took the win by a final score of 73-64.

Notables

• The Bulldogs finish off the regular conference slate with an overall record of 6-9 heading into the Frontier Conference tournament.

• UMW kept ahold of the lead for just shy of thirty minutes in today's game. They held the edge early and took as much as a 14-point lead in the second half.

• Stepney led all scorers with 24 points after going 11-17 from the field. He also led with six rebounds and a pair of steals.

• Haverfield followed with 13 points after hitting three for six from the arc.

• Taylor and Abi Adedo each also hit double-digits in scoring. Taylor totaled 12 points and Adedo added 10.
  

Up Next

Montana Western finishes the regular season with a 13-15 record and enters the Frontier Conference tournament as the number four seed following a 6-9 conference record.

They will take on MSU-Northern on Feb. 29 at 1pm. With a win, the Bulldogs will return to the court on March 1.

All tournament games will be held at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, Mont.

Click here to view the full tournament page.