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BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) -- Bobby Howard scored nine of his 14 points in the final six minutes as Montana State defeated Utah Valley University in the championship game of the Bobcat 6th Man Club/GranTree Inn Classic at Bozeman on Monday, 70-67, in overtime.
Howard, a Great Falls native, accounted for the last five points of regulation, including a 3-pointer in the last five seconds to force overtime in a game MSU (7-5) trailed by as much as 10 points.
"I missed one early to tie it," said Howard, a sophomore. "I just knew that if I got another one it was going in. Id been struggling early on. Maybe I just needed the added pressure."
Ryan Toolson had a game-high 31 points as Utah Valley (7-5) held a 35-25 lead by halftime.
The Bobcats shot 23.8 percent from the floor and gave up an 11-rebound advantage to the Wolverines in the first half.
Montana State finished the night with a 35.1 shooting percentage, including 6-of-24 from the 3-point line.
But the Bobcats' defensive pressure held the Wolverines without a point for 6 minutes, 20 seconds of the second half. Montana State worked a deep bench to capitalize on Utah Valley's 14 turnovers. MSU's reserves scored 18 points.
Erik Rush finished with 13 points and all-tournament most valuable player honors.
"We did not have a pretty first half," Bobcat coach Brad Huse said. "But they had a lot to do with that. It was really just a grind to get back into it. I think that our pressure slowed them down."
Utah Valley entered the tournament as the No. 1 free-throw shooting team in the country, but hit 17-of-27 against the Bobcats.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
