Game 17
Montana Tech at MSU-Northern
Friday, Jan. 9 | Havre, Mont. | 8 p.m. | Armory Gym
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

Game 18
Montana Tech at (RV) University of Great Falls
Saturday, Jan. 10 | Great Falls, Mont. | 7:30 p.m. | The McLaughlin Center
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

Game Notes (PDF)

BUTTE, Mont. - The Montana Tech men's basketball team take their five-game winning streak on the road when they open up conference play at MSU-Northern and UGF. Tech takes on the Lights on Friday in Havre at 8 p.m. and the Argos in Great Falls on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

For the Record
The Diggers are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. Tech defeated the University of Calgary Dinos 73-53 last week in their final non-conference match-up. The Diggers forced a 28 Dino turnovers thanks to a career-high nine steals by Brandon Rydberg. The senior also added 12 points in the victory.
 
Scouting the Lights
MSU-Northern is currently 11-5 on the season. The Lights, winners of four in a row, are coming off of a 105-45 victory over Crossroads College last week. MSU-N is led by senior Corban Pearson who is averaging 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. Northern is the top three-point shooting team in the nation. They rank first in NAIA in 3-pt field goals made per game with 10.5. The Lights also rank second in the nation in made three pointers with 158. The Lights however, rank seventh in the conference in scoring at 75.1 points per game.
 
Last Time vs. MSU-Northern
Since the 2003-04 season the Diggers are 4-18 against the Lights. Last time these two teams squared off was on Feb. 7, 2014 in Havre. Northern took a five-point lead at half but the Orediggers battled back and forced overtime. The Lights outscored Tech in the extra stanza 10-5 on their way to the 77-72 victory. Bryan Bock had a game-high 27 points and six rebounds to lead Tech.
 
Scouting the Argos
UGF is 11-3 on the season and on a four game winning streak under first-year head coach Anthony Owens. During the streak, the Argos defeated No. 1 Cal State San Marcos, 74-71 at the Chandler-Gilbert Classic. UGF is coming off back-to-back victories over King's University winning by an average of 47 points. The Argos rank fifth in the nation and tops the conference in scoring defense allowing 59.6 points per game. UGF is led by senior Marcus Hurn who is averaging 15.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest.
 
Last Time vs. UGF
Since 2003-04, Tech is 9-13 against the Argos. Tech and UGF last faced on Feb. 8, 2014. The Diggers were up 40-34 going into the locker room but UGF rallied back in the second half to take the 78-66 victory. Adam Greger paced Tech with a team-high 20 points and five rebounds.
 
Picking Pockets
Senior guard Brandon Rydberg tallied a career-high nine steals against University of Calgary (1/3/14). As a team, Tech totaled 15 thefts on the night. The Diggers, who rank 18th in the NAIA with 9.43 steals a game, had a season high 21 steals vs. Concordia University College of Alberta (10/11/14).
 
Reverse the Curse
The Diggers have not won a Frontier Conference opener game since the 2011-12 season when they defeated Westminster 66-64. Tech is 5-6 in conference openers since 2003.