By Bruce Sayler
Montana Tech’s offense was a little more than a shakedown in a 98-62 college men’s basketball 20-9 Thursday at Oredigers Hyper Complex.
The Oredigers pulling away from 3-point shooting range may have shaken the St. Mary’s University Lightning out of Calgary. Montana Tech backup guard Kelly Beck came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers in as many attempts before halftime to lead the Orediger explosion.
Montana Tech did not enter the playoffs out of conference. Chrishon Dixon led the team with two touchdowns and four points
STATS first 37 seconds and when Beck buried the first “three”, the difference widened to 14-11 with 14 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first half.
Buck didn’t miss a shot in the first half and tied for the team high with Caleb Bellach, who finished the game with 15 points.
Orediggers head coach Adam Hiatt agreed that what Beck produced was “pretty awesome.” The 5-foot-11 sophomore guard from Fairfield said he’s seeing more coverage because of his shooting success.
“They’re narrowing the airspace because it can be fired,” Hiatt said.
Montana Tech had a big lead in rushing. The Oredigers’ first run was a 20-9 run that included 3-point baskets by Camden Lawrence, Beck, Imani Scott and Bridger Larson.
Hiat wondered cautiously. Despite the early scoring outburst, defense has been the star of Montana Tech’s approach.
“It was really good to get the team back on the court,” he said, referring to the holiday break that began last week. “(The Lightning) are the second best team in their conference. The best (Keyano University) will be here tomorrow.
“(The Lightning) lost a couple of players today, and sometimes it’s tough when you expect players who aren’t playing to play. What you have to adjust to is what we did at halftime.”
At halftime, the Oredigers held a critical 48-29 advantage. They then outscored Saint Mary’s 10-2 in the first 2 ½ minutes with a 58-31 command. The Lightning trimmed the deficit to 17 points, but trailed by 30 on a Lawrence 3-pointer with 5:43 left.
“We feel like our potential is underutilized,” Hiatt said. “I haven’t scratched the surface. Our message to our players is that if we can keep it simple, we will be fine. If we don’t overcomplicate the little things, we’ll be fine. The men have been working hard since they returned on Monday. “
Montana Tech will play Keano in Fort McMurray, Alberta at 4pm at the HPER Complex after the 2pm women’s game between the two schools.
The Orediggers used their full roster in Thursday’s game against St. Mary’s. Unplanned, it was appreciated by Hyatt and staff.
“In back-to-back games, you have to keep people fresh,” he said. “And, we’ve got guys we’re looking at for more roles in the conference games. We saw many men today.
He pointed out that the contributions of Sam Gray and Levi Torgerson are among those worth noting.
Beck scored 15 points, going 5-for-7 from 3-point land. Larance and Larsen each finished with 11 points to give Montana Tech four scorers in double figures. Michael Ure led the way with 11 rebounds, while Larson pulled down nine. Dixon had nine points, Hayden Dickens had seven, Bridger Deden, Scott and Gray had six each, Ure and Torgerson had three each, and Asa Williams, Ty Hussey and Owen Long had two points each. John Dull also played.
Hyatt turned his attention to the team’s defense, holding the Lightning to 34 percent shooting, including 28 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
“For us, our defense is all about effort,” the coach said.
St. Mary’s Caleb Gipp led all scorers with 19 points, followed by teammate Brooke Dewsberry with 18. Pelumi Ajayi was next with eight points.
Montana Tech went to 12-2 for the season.
