Montana St. 56, Montana 54

Will Bynum scored 15 points, including a decisive three-point play with seven seconds left, to lift Montana State to a 56-54 win over Montana in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Saturday night. Divaldo Mbunga added nine points and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Bobcats (13-16, 6-10 Big Sky), who avenged two losses to the Grizzlies earlier this season and won their first league tournament game since 1999. Montana State trailed 30-29 at halftime, but used a 12-0 run in the middle of the second half to take a 50-42 lead. Trailing 53-52 with 22 seconds left, the Grizzlies (17-12, 11-5) held on for the last shot. But Bynum stole an Anthony Johnson pass and converted a three-point play with seven seconds remaining to seal the win. Johnson led the Grizzlies with 19 points, followed by Jordan Hasquet with 12. The Bobcats shot 38 percent from the field and outrebounded the Grizzlies 40-29, including 18 offensive rebounds.