BISMARCK, N.D. – Bismarck State men's basketball was unable to slow (RV) Montana Western's perimeter shooting on Friday night, falling 96-66 in Frontier Conference action at the BSC Armory.
Montana Western jumped out to an early advantage and led 45-32 at halftime before extending the margin in the second half. The Bulldogs knocked down 21 three-pointers on the night, shooting 47.7% from beyond the arc to steadily pull away.
Bismarck State (0-15, 0-9 Frontier) shot 48.2% from the field but struggled to keep pace from the perimeter, finishing 4-of-16 (25.0%) from three-point range. The Mystics were outscored 51-34 in the second half as Montana Western built its largest lead of 30 late in the game.
Houston Davis led BSC with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds, while Tristin Davis added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Alex Proctor was efficient from the floor, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Carter Zeller contributed eight points off the bench.
(RV) Montana Western (12-3, 7-2 Frontier) was led by Kyle Gruhler, who scored a game-high 27 points while hitting six three-pointers. Billy Carlson added 14 points, and Kolter Merritt chipped in 11 points as the Bulldogs placed eight players in the scoring column.
The Bulldogs held advantages in bench scoring (31-14) and second-chance points (19-10), using depth and shooting efficiency to control the game from start to finish.
Over halfway through the season, and nearing the halfway mark of conference play, the Mystics look to turn their fortunes around as they welcome a pair of tough opponents to the Armory next weekend. Dakota State (11-3, 6-3) arrives on Friday, Jan. 9, looking to bounce back after back-to-back losses to No. 15 Carroll and (RV) Rocky Mountain by a combined four points. The following day, (RV) Bellevue (13-2, 8-1) comes in looking to continue their hot start to the season. They've suffered only one defeat in conference play, a 71-68 loss against Rocky Mountain.
Check out the men's schedule for information on how to follow and watch the team during their upcoming games.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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