DILLON -- Montana Tech's men's basketball team rallied late to top Montana Western, 68-64, Friday night in a pivotal Frontier Conference matchup. 

The No. 15-ranked Orediggers (16-4, 10-4 Frontier Conference) got 20 points and nine rebounds out of senior Hayden Diekhans and 11 points each from Karson Peffer and Asher Williams in the victory. 

Both teams battled in the game's first half with neither leading by more than 5 points for the entirety of the opening 20 minutes of play. A Connor Michaud dunk put the Orediggers ahead, 34-33, into the halftime break. Peffer set the tone for Tech with nine points and four rebounds in the opening half. 

UMW (14-6, 9-5) began the second half on a 10-0 run and threatened to take control to of the game, but the Orediggers again had a response. Brayden Koch's layup with 17:23 left in the game kicked off a 6-0 Montana Tech run, and the Orediggers fought back for a 50-49 advantage at the 10:30 mark. 

The two teams traded the lead four times in the final quarter of the game, but Montana Tech eventually took the lead for good with 29 seconds remaining on a Michaud layup. 

Montana Tech moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Frontier Conference standings with the win. The Orediggers sit two-games back of co-leaders Bellevue and Rocky Mountain. 

Tech will return to the hardwood next Friday, January 30 on the road at archrival Carroll College. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Helena.

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