MOSCOW, Idaho — Montana State let a 21-point first-half lead slip away Saturday in a 92-89 Big Sky Conference men's basketball defeat at Idaho.
The Bobcats went ahead 41-20 on a dunk by Patrick McMahon at the 4:11 mark of the first half and led 48-30 at intermission. But Idaho outscored MSU 62-41 in the second half to pull out the victory.
Kolton Mitchell hit a 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining to give the Vandals an 86-84 lead, and the Bobcats were unable to reclaim the advantage. Mitchell and Biko Johnson each scored 23 points to lead Idaho. The duo combined to make nine 3-pointers.
Jackson Rasmussen added 13 points before fouling out while Brody Rowbury added 11 for Idaho, which shot 65.7% from the floor in the second half.
Jed Miller led Montana State with 20 points and six rebounds. Chris Hodges contributed 18 points while McMahon added 16 and Davian Brown scored 15.
The Bobcats, who slipped to 9-8 overall and are now 3-1 in Big Sky play, return home next Saturday to host rival Montana in the first of two Brawl of the Wild matchups of the regular season. The Grizzlies — also 9-8 overall and 3-1 in league — lost 66-65 at Eastern Washington on Saturday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
