Butte, Mont.- Winning on the road is never easy, especially in the Frontier Conference. So even though it wasn't pretty, the Montana State University-Northern Lights will take the 71-63 victory it got over Montana Tech Thursday night.

Both the Lights and the Skylights took on Montana Tech in Butte as part of a Frontier Conference basketball doubleheader Thursday night.

In the nightcap, the Lights rallied in the second half to pull out an eight-point win.  The Lights, who knocked off Providence Tuesday night in Havre, found themselves trailing by four points at the end of the first half against Montana Tech. However, a strong defensive effort in the second half and a strong showing from Ryan Reeves and Caulin Bakalarski, allowed Northern to erase the deficit and build a 67-63 lead with less than a minute to go.

Tech had the ball and attempted a 3-pointer with around 30 seconds left, which would have cut the Lights' lead to one, but it missed and Bakalarski found himself at the free-throw line. He made both free throws and on the ensuing possession, stole the ball and scored to put the final margin at 71-63.

"I am extremely proud of our guys for the character they showed when we probably shot our lowest field goal percentage of the season," Lights head coach Shawn Huse said. "Our bench stepped up big as they mostly have all year. It's hard when the hoop seems as difficult as No. 18 at Pro Putt. But we had guys come through when needed, and again, I could not be prouder."

The Lights limited Montana Tech to just 40 percent shooting and 30 points in the second half. MSU-N also outrebounded the Diggers 38-31, which helped the Lights overcome 17 turnovers. Bakalarski was the leading scorer in the win with 19 points. He also had seven rebounds and two steals, both team highs. Reeves added 14 points but grabbed just two boards before fouling out.

Trent Molesworth led Montana Tech with 17 points for the Orediggers, who fell to 0-3 in the Frontier.

The Lights are now 3-1 but have five tough road games ahead.

STORY BY CHRIS PETERSON, Havre Daily News