BOZEMAN, Montana — The Bobcats began the day with a party more than four decades in the making. Thousands of people lined Main Street here for a parade to celebrate the Football Championship Subdivision national title Montana State claimed in thrilling fashion earlier this month.
The celebration continued at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse into the afternoon with a rivalry hoops double header on the docket. And by 3 p.m., a football national title banner had been unfurled, another Big Sky Conference trophy had been placed in the trophy case and the MSU women’s hoops team were in full control.
The banner unveiling occurred at halftime of the women’s rivalry game between the defending Big Sky Conference champions from MSU and the struggling but once-mighty Lady Griz.
By the time 5 p.m. rolled around, Montana State had an 82-44 win in its back pocket in the women’s game, marking the largest margin of victory over the Lady Griz and the least number of points Montana has scored in a rivalry game in exactly 50 years.
And by the time 6:30 p.m. rolled around, The Brick was packed to the gills as a Bobcat Nation clad in nothing but gold hoped to have one more piece of bragging rights against the rivals from Missoula.
Matt Logie has beaten the rivals before. But never in Bozeman and neve rin the regular season. With all the fanfare that had proceeded his team’s contest against the archrival, Logie had a simple, sharp thought.
“I didn’t want to be that guy,” Logie said with a chuckle.
Montana cut a 13-point second-half deficit to forge a one possession game in the waning minutes in the nightcap here on Saturday night.
But Davian Brown, Jed Miller and the Bobcats would not be denied as Montana State put the icing on the cake of an unforgettable coronation for the Blue & Gold with a 76-67 victory over the Griz.
“We are very process-oriented here and I thought we had a great week of prep,” Logie said. “It’s your ability to execute that process that allows you to enjoy a day like today. I think it was not lost on anybody what this day could mean for Bobcat nation to celebrate what has occurred and celebrating where we are at as a department.
“We are thrilled to get the victory tonight and continue to build off of that momentum.”
Montana entered the weekend having largely dominated the rivalry in men’s hoops thanks in large part to Travis DeCuire, last season’s Big Sky Coach of the Year and a three-time league champion during his time leading his alma mater. DeCuire entered the game with a 17-5 record against the Bobcats that included a 7-3 mark in Bozeman.
The Griz got off to an 8-2 start, led 12-4 after five minutes and held 23-13 advantage midway through the second half. But the Bobcats battled back, capping the first half with a Seth Amunrud buzzer-beater that gave the Cats a 32-31 lead at the half.
MSU’s close to the first half and open to the second was too much to overcome for the Griz as Logie defeated DeCuire for the first time in the regular season.
“We got off to a really good start, they made adjustments throughout the game and they took advantage of our breakdowns,” DeCuire said. “The stat sheet says they only had 10 points off turnovers. I know for a fact they had a lot more than that.
“What happens is if they steal it and don’t turn it into a layup right away, that doesn’t count. But the reality is that if they turn the ball over and then they hit the 3 multiple seconds later, that’s a point off turnover.
“Hat’s off to Montana State. Their guys showed up in a critical game in a great environment. We struggled offensively and they made buckets when they needed them down the stretch.”
Montana State’s first win over Montana in Bozeman in Logie’s three years at the helm also marks MSU’s 4th Big Sky win in five outings this winter. MSU blew a sizeable lead its last time out at the University of Idaho, falling 92-89.
MSU built a 49-36 lead in the first five minutes of the second half behind slick offensive execution and an eight-point spurt that included a pair of triples from Brown, who scored 24 points to lead MSU in his rivalry debut. Despite Montana’s late efforts, the Bobcats never trailed in the second half.
Montana star Money Williams, the Big Sky’s Top Reserve last season and the preseason MVP entering this season, played with a head of steam like he most often does. He scored 10 points in the first nine minutes of the game, helping UM to its double-digit lead.
With eight minutes to play in the first half, Jaden Steppe went to the rim, only to have his attempt sent into the stands as well as his body. No foul was called.
Steppe protested the call, earning a technical. But in the scrum after the hard non-foul, Williams also received a technical foul.
Technical fouls count as personal fouls, and that was Williams’ second of the game. It impacted his minutes in the first half and when he picked up his fourth foul with four minutes to play, he headed to the bench again.
He came into the game averaging 20 points per game. He endured a 25-minute scoreless streak to finish with a Griz-high 17 points.
“That fourth foul got him out and he was then passive on the defensive side of the ball, and I think the technical foul in the first half killed our momentum,” DeCuire said.
Brown, who’s older brother Darius helped MSU advance to the Big Dance in 2023, was a catalyst in the biggest moments all night. He had five straight points when Montana’s lead pushed to 10 to help MSU stem. And he had an eight-point spurt during Montana State’s pivotal run to open the second half.
“I’ve been through a long journey and this being my sixth year, I’m really just trying to enjoy the moment,” Brown said. “Games like this, it’s just exciting. I’m not going to forget about this. I’m just trying to enjoy every moment, every practice and rivalry wins like this.”
As has been all season, Miller continued to be the catalyst for the Bobcats. The steady point guard has played spot minute over his first three seasons with MSU. He’s been the floor general, the distributor and the captain for MSU during his senior season.
DeCuire took note, as did Miller’s teammates after the diminutive yet aggressive point guard rolled up 11 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
“He got them shots; he came down and got them in the offense they called for and got them into good shots out of timeouts,” DeCuire said. “He got them the shots they wanted almost every possession. He was a critical decision maker and he beat the shot clock a few times. That’s what point guard do.
“He also had five offensive rebounds. That’s what leaders and winners do. They find a way to scrap. We always ask guys: how do you impact the game if you aren’t scoring? Well, He got five offensive rebounds.”
Earlier in the week, DeCuire expressed his concern about Montana State’s never-ending switching defense and how different the Bobcats operate, on both sides, than every other team in the conference.
On Saturday, after the first 10 minutes of the game, Montana State looked like the team that has represented the Big Sky in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments because of that unorthodox style.
And because Saturday was a Saturday for the Bobcats.
“First and foremost, I’m happy for our fans,” Logie said. “This is the first time in my tenure that we have won this game at home. The support they’ve show our coaching staff and these players the first three years I’ve been here has been remarkable. And you want to play that back. You want to show gratitude for those efforts and there are a lot of people who are responsible for Montana State’s success.
“You see that this morning when there is a parade downtown and you have thousands of people showing up. They are invested. They are invested with their hearts, their minds, the resources. And when everyone is pulling in the same direction, you can experience something like this.”
