DILLON, Mont. - Montana Tech opened the second half on a 12-4 run and held off a late College of Idaho push for an 83-71 win in the season opener for both teams Friday at Straugh Gymnasium.

Tucker Tiddens scored CI's first six points, a three-point play and a 3-pointer, for a 6-2 lead. David Kludt's 3-pointer off the bench put the Yotes up 16-13 with 13:50 left in the half, but Ethan Venema's putback gave Montana Tech a 17-16 lead at 13:02, and CI never led again. The Yotes tied it at 21, 23, 25 and 27. Kairi Shepherd's two free throws pulled CI within 44-43 with 32 seconds left before Brayden Koch hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds to go for a 47-43 halftime lead. Koch had 15 points in the half.

Asher Williams and Sugar Eaton accounted for all 12 Montana Tech points in the opening run of the second half, capped by Eaton's 3-pointer for a 59-47 lead at 17:02. Justin Asi's layup stretched it to 71-58 with 8:14 left.

CI answered with 3-pointers from Kludt, Conner Sheets and Rey Johnston in a little over two minutes, and Kludt's layup off a Dougie Peoples feed cut the deficit to 76-71 with 2:45 remaining. The Yotes did not score again. Asi scored inside, and Montana Tech made 5 of 6 free throws to close on a 7-0 run.

Montana Tech won the boards 42-29 and turned that into a 21-14 edge in second-chance points. It shot 48.3 percent from the field and went 13 of 15 at the line in the second half while CI attempted three free throws after the break.

Koch led Montana Tech with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3 of 6 from long range. Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Eaton scored 12 with four assists, going 7 of 8 at the line. Asi (11) and Venema (10 points, eight rebounds) led a bench that outscored CI's 32-18.

Tiddens led CI with 14 points in 17 minutes, 12 of them in the first half. Reece Sasser-Gunson added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting with five rebounds, Peoples scored 11, and Sheets and Kludt had 10 apiece. Shepherd had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. CI shot 35.9 percent and went 8 of 31 from 3-point range but committed only six turnovers, scoring 13 points off Montana Tech miscues.

The Yotes fell to 0-1.