Kai Johnson scored six of his 23 points late to help No. 2 seed Montana pull away and beat top-seeded Northern Colorado 91-83 in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game Wednesday night. Montana lead by as many as 14 points early in the second half,

Montana (25-9) soared past Northern Colorado (25-9) 91-83 for a Big Sky record extending 12th tournament title and the first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

Montana made 65.2% of their attempts and won the conference title with a 91-83 win over Northern Colorado at Idaho Central Arena for a berth in the NCAA tournament.