MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Will Bynum scored 22 points and Bobby Howard added 17 as Montana State clinched the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky Conference tournament with a 73-67 victory against Montana on Saturday night.
Howard had 12 rebounds for the Bobcats (15-13, 10-6 Big Sky), who tied Montana for third in the league standings but earned the higher seed due to sweeping the season series.
Tournament play begins on March 6 with the Bobcats hosting sixth-seeded Portland State and No. 5 Northern Arizona at fourth-seeded Montana. The semifinals and finals are in Ogden, Utah, on March 9-10; top-seeded Weber State and No. 2 Northern Colorado earned byes to the semis.
Anthony Johnson led Montana (19-9, 10-6) with 31 points, and Derek Selvig had 14.
