BUTTE, Mont. – In front of a packed house, the Montana Tech men's basketball team upset 19^th-ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors 74-66 Saturday night at the HPER Complex.  

With the win, Tech improves to 12-5 overall and remains in first place in the Frontier with a 3-0 record. The Diggers got 23 points from their bench 16 of which came from transfer Chase Haack. The 6-foot-3 forward also had six boards and three blocks. Senior Brandon Rydberg had a stellar game for Tech going 7-of-12 for a team-high 18 points. Center Marcus Payne held the middle posting five points and six rebounds in his first start of the season.
L-C State (15-4, 1-2 Frontier) were led by Jacob Wiley who had a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds.

The back-and-forth contest saw 22 lead changes and nine ties. With the score knotted at 56 apiece with 3:01 left in the second half, Tech's Haack exploded from deep range. The Spokane, Wash. native hit back-to-back threes to give the Diggers an edge. The Warriors fought back as Nick Emerson hit a jumper with 10 seconds left to tie up the contest at 62 all. The ensuing possession, Tech's Adam Greger shot a corner three as time expired but it went long.
In overtime it was all Montana Tech. The Diggers went 4-for-4 from the field in the extra stanza and outscored L-C 12-4. Antonio Snow hit a floater with 30 seconds left to seal the 74-66 victory.

The Diggers return to the hardwood Thursday January 22^nd when they host the Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears at 7:30 p.m.

Notes: Tech improves to 3-0 in conference play…The Diggers have now won eight straight games…MT is now 8-1 at the HPER…This is the second time this season that Tech as defeated a ranked opponent (No. 6 St. Gregory's 11/29/14).