The Montana Tech men's and women's basketball teams, both winners in first-round games on Friday, were knocked out of the NAIA tournament with second-round losses Saturday.
The fifth-seeded Oredigger women, fresh off the program's first NAIA tournament victory, fell to No. 4 seed Lewis-Clark State 79-67 in Lewiston, Idaho.
Meanwhile, the eighth-seeded Montana Tech men saw their season come to an end Saturday with a 67-46 second-round loss to No. 1 Oklahoma Wesleyan in Bartlesville, Okla.
Lewis-Clark State women 79, Montana Tech 67
Montana Tech made program history this year, first by winning its first Frontier Conference tournament title since 1983 and then by capturing its first NAIA tourney win — an 87-75 triumph on Friday over Nelson (Texas).
But the Orediggers were unable to keep pace against L-C State and were denied a trip to the tournament's Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa.
Hadley Humpherys led Tech with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Liv Wangerin added 13 points and six boards. But much of the difference came at the foul line — Tech made 12 of 14 free throws while L-C State hit 24 of 33.
Sitara Byrd had a monster game for L-C State, with 26 points and 17 rebounds. Payton Hymas had 12 points and Darian Herring pulled down 12 boards of her own.
The Orediggers finished the season with a 26-5 record. L-C State advances to Sioux City with a 25-8 mark.
Oklahoma Wesleyan men 67, Montana Tech 46
Shooting woes, especially early, plagued Montana Tech in its bid to advance further in the NAIA tournament.
The Orediggers finished the game with a 31.3 shooting percentage, but made just 5 of 27 field goal attempts in the first half, including 2 for 19 from 3-point range.
Oklahoma Wesleyan, a No. 1 seed and last season's national runner-up, was able to take advantage with a 29-13 lead into halftime and went on to close it out in the final 20 minutes.
Hayden Diekhans, with 13 points, was the only Montana Tech player to reach double figures in scoring. He also pulled down 11 rebounds.
The Orediggers finished the season with a 23-9 overall record. Oklahoma Wesleyan (30-3) now moves on to the NAIA Final Site in Kansas City, Mo.
