Montana State Basketball

```html

Bobcats Make History, Advance to NCAA Tournament

MSU Men's Basketball Earns First-Four Berth

BOZEMAN, Mont. – In front of a national television audience on ESPN2, Montana State men's basketball put an exclamation point on the regular season with a thrilling 78-74 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday night to secure the program's first Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship in 23 years. The Bobcats will now face Grambling State in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio.

With the win, MSU improves to 25-8 overall and earns the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats have now won four consecutive conference tournament championships, the most in the history of the Big Sky Conference.

"I'm just really proud of our guys," said MSU head coach Danny Sprinkle. "They've worked so hard all season long and they deserve this. It's a great feeling to be back in the NCAA Tournament."

The Bobcats were led by senior guard Tyler Hall, who scored a game-high 24 points. Hall was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

"It's an amazing feeling," said Hall. "I'm so proud of my team. We've been through a lot this season, but we never gave up. We're going to go to Dayton and represent the Big Sky Conference."

```