DICKINSON, N.D. – Dickinson State was unable to withstand a late surge by (RV) Montana Western, falling 78-73 in a Frontier Conference matchup Friday night at Scott Gymnasium.

The Blue Hawks (5-9, 3-5 Frontier) led by as many as 11 in the first half and took a 39-28 advantage into the break, but the Bulldogs (11-3, 6-2) shot 60.7 percent from the field in the second half and outscored DSU 50-34 to steal the win.

Cordell Stinson and Griffyn Doughty led Dickinson State with 16 points apiece. Stinson added a team-high seven rebounds, while Doughty went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Quincy Linton and Nate Visentin each contributed eight points off the bench. The Blue Hawks shot 50.9 percent from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc, finishing just 3-of-16 (18.8 percent).

Kyle Gruhler paced Montana Western with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Emanuel Steward added 21 points and four assists. The Bulldogs capitalized on DSU's mistakes, scoring 31 points off 18 Blue Hawk turnovers.

Dickinson State got off to a strong start, hitting 64 percent of its shots in the first half. A 10-2 run midway through the period gave the Blue Hawks control, capped by a three-pointer from Britton Cranston just before the halftime buzzer to extend the lead to double digits.

Montana Western answered after the break, opening the second half on a 15-6 run to pull within two. The Bulldogs tied the game at 57-57 on a Gruhler layup with 9:31 remaining and took their first lead of the night less than a minute later on two free throws from Doughty.

DSU briefly regained the lead with 4:02 left after a Steward layup made it 67-66, but the Bulldogs closed on a 12-6 run, including six straight points from Gruhler and a pair of free throws by David Young in the final seconds.

The Blue Hawks held a 36-23 edge on the glass, including 14 offensive rebounds, but could only convert for one second-chance point. Montana Western, meanwhile, turned the ball over just 11 times and finished 8-of-18 from long range.

David Young added 10 points for the Bulldogs, while Billy Carlson and Jacob Ankeny chipped in nine each.

DSU's bench produced 20 points, led by Linton and freshman guard Isaiah Vargas, who hit a second-half three. Stinson and Visentin combined to shoot 9-for-17 from the floor, while Jake Daniel grabbed six rebounds and handed out one assist in 28 minutes.