March 1, 2026
BUTTE, Mont. — Omari Nesbit buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap a wild final sequence and lift top-seeded Rocky Mountain (Mont.) to a 76-75 victory over No. 5 seed Montana Tech on Sunday evening in the Frontier Conference men’s postseason semifinal at the Butte Civic Center. The Battlin' Bears ended the Orediggers' bid for their fifth straight conference tournament title.
Rocky (27-3 overall record), winner of 17 straight games, trailed 75-73 with one second remaining after Montana Tech’s Hayden Diekhans calmly knocked down two free throws. Out of a final inbounds play, the Battlin’ Bears freed Nesbit on the perimeter, and the guard delivered, knocking down the game-winning 3 as time expired to stun the Orediggers and send Rocky through with a one-point win.
Nesbit finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and added three rebounds and two assists to pace Rocky Mountain. He had been a factor from the opening minutes, hitting an early 3-pointer to help the Bears build a 6-2 lead, and later scored the tying layup with five seconds left in regulation to knot the game at 73-73 and set up the frantic finish.
Montana Tech led 35-33 at halftime after a late first-half surge keyed by Diekhans, who hit two free throws in the final minute to give the Orediggers the edge at the break. The Orediggers shot efficiently overall, going 23 of 45 from the field (51.1 percent) and 7 of 19 from 3-point range, and they converted 22 of 28 free throws (78.6 percent). Rocky countered with volume and balance, matching Tech’s 23 made field goals while attempting nine more shots and outrebounding the Orediggers 30-21, including a 9-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
Montana Tech appeared to gain control midway through the second half. Guard Asher Williams, who led the Orediggers with 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting and three 3-pointers, knocked down a 3 to push Tech’s lead to 59-53. In the closing minute, Williams hit a free throw and teammate Camdyn LaRance added two more to move Tech in front 72-69. But Rocky answered when Carter McCoy threw down a dunk to cut the deficit to 72-71, and after Tech briefly extended the lead behind Diekhans’ late free throws, Nesbit twice responded with drives and perimeter shooting to pull Rocky back even and, ultimately, ahead.
Diekhans finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists for Montana Tech while going 8 of 9 at the foul line, repeatedly coming up with key plays in both halves. Williams added four rebounds and one assist. For Rocky Mountain, Royce Robinson supplied critical support with 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds, hitting 7 of 9 from the line as the Bears went 20 for 26 at the stripe (76.9 percent). Rocky also forced nine Montana Tech turnovers while committing nine of its own in a game that featured multiple lead changes down the stretch.
Rocky Mountain outscored Montana Tech 43-40 in the second half to overcome the Orediggers’ narrow halftime advantage, closing with the decisive final possession.
With the victory in a tightly contested Frontier Conference tournament match up, the Battlin’ Bears advance to the championship game versus the winner of MSU-Northern and Carroll (Mont.). The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (Central Time)/7:30 p.m. (Mountain Time) and will be on live broadcast via SWX Local Sports.
Montana Tech (22-8 overall record) awaits to hear from the NAIA Selection Show Thursday evening if they will receive an at-large invitation to the 64-team field national tournament.