Butte, Mont. – OUAZ Men's Basketball battled throughout but fell 76–68 to No. 11 Montana Tech on Friday night in the opening game of the Tip-Off Classic. The Spirit came out strong, trading baskets with the nationally ranked Orediggers through the first half before Montana Tech used a late surge to secure the win.

OUAZ shot 43 percent from three-point range in the opening half and trailed by just one at the break, 43–42. Zeke Viuhkola led the Spirit offense with 18 points, connecting on three triples and going 7-for-9 from the free-throw line. Carter Gittens added 12 points, while Max Mkpa controlled the paint with 11 rebounds. Hunter Richardson provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Despite shooting just under 33 percent from the field overall, the Spirit held their own on the glass, finishing with 39 rebounds against one of the NAIA's top-ranked teams.

OUAZ (1-1) will wrap up play at the Tip-Off Classic tomorrow at 5 p.m. (MST) when they take on Montana Western. Stay up to date on all things OUAZ Athletics at ouazspirit.com and follow the Spirit on Twitter (X) at @OUAZSpirit and Instagram at @ouazspirit.