MISSOULA -- Montana Tech's men's basketball team went to Missoula Wednesday night and accomplished the improbable. 

The Orediggers topped the NCAA Division I Montana Grizzlies, 82-75, in Wednesday evening's exhibition game inside Dahlberg Arena behind 20 points from freshman Asher Williams and 19 apiece from Hayden Diekhans and Brayden Koch. 

Montana Tech, boasting a 10-3 record and ranked No. 19 in the NAIA, led the majority of the way in the winning effort. The Orediggers jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the early going and built the advantage to as many as 11 in the first half before the Grizzlies stormed back. Montana (6-6) finished the first half on a 14-5 run to enter halftime with the scored knotted, 36-36. 

Early in the second half, the teams traded blows. But Montana Tech took the lead on a Williams layup with 15:12 to go and never again gave it up. Ensuing baskets by Diekhans and Marley Gonzalez helped Tech rebuild the advantage, and the Orediggers used an 11-2 run midway through the half to capitalize on the lead. 

UM cut the lead to a single point with 2:09 on the clock, but Tech again had the answer. Rhett Reynolds made a layup on the Orediggers' next possession to make it a three-point lead, and Koch knocked down a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. 

Koch made five of six free throw attempts in the final 2 minutes to help the Orediggers ice the win. 

Montana Tech's victory was the second in the past six seasons at Montana, matching Tech's 2019 victory in Dahlberg. 

The Orediggers will continue their pre-Christmas exhibition tour of the state Friday at 6 p.m. with an exhibition against Northwestern Polytechnic at Fort Benton High School. 

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