BUTTE -- The 11th-ranked Montana Tech men's basketball team overcame an early deficit to best visiting Lewis-Clark State Saturday evening inside Valley Bank Arena, 83-70. 

Hayden Diekhans led the Orediggers with 21 points and seven rebounds, leading the way for four Orediggers  in double figures. Camdyn LaRance (14 points), Brayden Koch (12 points), and Rhett Reynolds (10 points, six rebounds) also topped the 10-point plateau. 

The Warriors leapt out to a 9-4 lead in the game, but Montana Tech quickly trimmed into it. Tech (5-0) replied with a 7-2 run of its own, and Josh Coulanges tied the game at 11 with a 3-pointer at the 13:50 mark. Coulanges finished with a season-high nine points. 

The teams traded blows for the next 4 minutes until Marley Gonzalez made a layup at the 9:58 mark, and the Orediggers never trailed again.  

LaRance nailed a 3 two possessions later, and Tech held the narrow lead until halftime. The Orediggers took a 44-39 advantage into the locker room. 

Lewis-Clark State (2-2) trimmed the deficit to one early in the second half, but Tech responded with an 8-0 run. The Warriors hung around until Montana Tech mounted another run, this one a 9-0 barrage sparked by Asher Williams' jumper on a key assist from Coulanges and capped by Gonzalez's layup. 

Tech led by double digits the rest of the way, cruising to victory. 

Montana Tech will stay home next weekend, playing host to Northwest in a 5 p.m. non-conference affair Friday. 

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