Montana State pulls off huge second-half comeback to win third straight Big Sky Tournament

Montana State entered the Big Sky championship game against Montana with a losing record but left with its third consecutive conference tournament title.

The Bobcats defeated their in-state rival Grizzlies, 85-70, erasing a 49-38 second-half deficit with a 33-6 run from the 16:04 mark to 4:36 left in the game.

Senior guard Robert Ford III led the team with 22 points while shooting 8 of 13 from the floor.

It's only fitting Montana State (17-17, 9-9 in Big Sky) needed a furious rally to erase its previous mistakes after spending the entire season playing catch-up. 

Following conference tournament wins in 2022 and 2023, former head coach Danny Sprinkle accepted the head job at Utah State last April. Matt Logie was hired as his replacement shortly after. Logie previously spent three seasons at Division II Point Loma.

Montana State also had to replace its top five leading scorers following Sprinkle's departure as it was particularly hit hard in the transfer portal.

For the season, the Bobcats are 223rd in NET rankings and No. 213 in KenPom.

Its lowest point of the season came in mid-November when it lost to NAIA Rocky Mountain in the middle of a three-game losing streak that dropped its record to 3-5.

Montana State had to scrap and claw just to get to .500, a remarkable feat considering where it began the season.

Few could have imagined it'd be headed to the NCAA Tournament, but after winning its third game in three nights, Montana State surprisingly still has life left in it.