. . . factor in Saturday night’s edition of the Brawl of the Wild showed up on Montana’s first offensive possession. It showed up in the final 4 minutes, 36 seconds, too, much like it did throughout UM’s 80-72 win in front of 5,407, the largest Worthington Arena crowd in four years. It was about the only word MSU head coach Brian Fish could conjure in the moments following the Bobcats’ 11th consecutive loss to their rivals. “It all points to toughness, toughness, toughness,” Fish lamented. “It all points there. I don’t where to go anywhere else.”
The Grizzlies (13-7 overall, 8-1 Big Sky) pulled down 15 offensive rebounds, posted a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points and received 12 points in the final 10:35 from precocious freshman guard Michael Oguine. That included a reverse layup and 3-pointer from the right corner that staked his team to a six-point lead with 49 seconds remaining. “He asked for the ball,” UM head coach Travis DeCuire said. “It’s not typical, especially at this level when you get freshmen that are ready to perform on that stage. We’re fortunate to have him in our program.”
