BUTTE, Mont. (Interstat) — The Montana Tech Orediggers used a balanced offensive attack and a decisive run late in the first half to pull away from the Montana State-Northern Lights for a 68-58 victory in an NAIA men’s basketball game Saturday night.

The Orediggers, improving to 13-3 overall, saw four players score in double figures, led by Brayden Koch’s 19 points. Asher Williams added 16 points, Ethan Venema contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, and Hayden Diekhans chipped in eight points, six rebounds and two assists.

The visiting Lights, who fell to 7-7, were paced by Austin Ramos with 14 points and Leon Sayers IV with 13 points and seven rebounds. Claysen Delp added 10 points.

The most critical sequence of the game occurred midway through the second quarter with Montana Tech clinging to a narrow lead. Leading 49-47, the Orediggers engineered a 10-2 surge over a two-minute span to create the separation they would maintain for the remainder of the contest. The run was fueled by defensive stops and transition offense. It began with a Hayden Diekhans steal and layup, was followed by a Brayden Koch dunk, and was capped by another Diekhans layup, pushing the Tech advantage to 59-49 and forcing a Montana State-Northern timeout.

Montana State-Northern struggled to mount a sustained comeback, as the Orediggers’ defense held firm. The Lights managed to cut the deficit to six points on several occasions in the final minutes, but timely free throws from Montana Tech, including two from Connor Michaud with 23 seconds remaining, sealed the outcome.

The game was a contrast in offensive execution. Montana Tech built its lead by consistently attacking the basket and capitalizing on Lights’ turnovers, while Montana State-Northern relied heavily on perimeter shooting, with mixed results. The Orediggers also controlled the interior, outrebounding the Lights and scoring a significant portion of their points in the paint.

Montana Tech entered the game as a heavy favorite according to predictive metrics and lived up to that billing, methodically extending its winning streak. Montana State-Northern, coming off a loss the previous night, has now dropped two straight after a two-game win streak earlier in the month.

The Orediggers will look to continue their strong season on the road next weekend with games at Dakota State and Bellevue. The Lights return home to host Carroll on Thursday night. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Havre on Feb. 20.