Montana State men get back in the win column at Idaho

MOSCOW, Idaho — The Montana State men’s basketball team slowed its late-season swoon Thursday, earning a resounding 62-48 win at Idaho.

The Bobcats, who had lost five of their past six games entering Thursday’s matchup, got out to a quick start against the Vandals, building a 20-8 lead in the first six minutes. Tyler Patterson scored all 11 of his points in that stretch, including three 3-pointers.

After leading by as many as 18 points in the first half, Montana State went into the break up 41-27. The Bobcats extended the advantage to 53-31 midway through the second half before coasting to the finish line.

Robert Ford III had a game-high 14 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Brandon Walker added 10 points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal. Sam Lecholat also scored 10 points.

Idaho, which never led in the game and fell to 11-18 overall and 5-11 in Big Sky play, didn’t have a single player score in double figures. Quinn Denker, E.J. Neal and Terren Frank each had eight points for the Vandals.

Montana State (13-16, 8-8 Big Sky) has two games left in the regular season: Saturday at Eastern Washington and Monday at home versus Weber State.