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Pioneers Hold Off Furious United Tribes Rally for Late Victory

Pioneers Hold Off Furious United Tribes Rally for Late Victory
Posted: Jan 30, 2026

Pioneers 104... United Tribes 102

A 16-point 2nd half lead was almost not enough for the MCC Pioneers on Thursday night in Bismarck, ND. The Pioneers built a 57-41 lead 2:00 in to the 2nd half. That lead was not nearly enough as the Thunderbirds rallied to take a 4-point lead with 7:50 remaining and the game remained close to the end. With 2.8 seconds remaining and the score tied 102-102, Jace Hill (Sophomore - Columbia Falls, MT) drove to the basket and his layup to take the lead rolled off the front of the rim but he was fouled on the play. Hill hit the first of 2 free throw attempt and missed the 2nd, but Josh Gosar (Freshman - Pinedale, WY) snagged to offensive rebound with 0.4 seconds remaining and was fouled and hit the first free throw for a 104-102 Pioneer win. 

In the 1st half, the Pioneers built a 13 point 1st half lead only to see the Thunderbirds rally back and cut the lead to 4 points before the Pioneers went to the locker room with a 50-41 lead. MCC scored the first 7 point of the half for their biggest lead of the game. 

Azenio Cossa (Sophomore - Maputo, Mozambique) led MCC with 26 points (11-21 FG, 1-2 3's, 3-3 FT) to go along with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. Hill finished the game with 19 points (6-12 FG, 4-6 3's, 3-5 FT), while contributing 9 assists and 6 rebounds. Shad Boyce (6'8 Freshman - Winifred, MT) came up with a double double that included 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-3 FT) and 10 rebounds. Uwami Chongo (6'8 Sophomore - Maputo, Mozambique) corralled 9 rebounds on the night. 

MCC got strong shooting performances off the bench from Randy Otieno (6'6 Sophomore - Calgary, Alberta) and Owen McPartland (5'10 Freshman - Butte, MT). Each player hit 3 3-point field goals and had 11 points. 

Inside the Box Score 

  • The Pioneers shot 39-73 (53%) from the field and 14-29 (48%) from 3-point range. MCC was 12-19 at the free throw line. 
  • The T-Birds shot 39-81 (48%) from the field and 13-31 (42%) from 3-point range. UTTC was 11-15 at the free throw line. 
  • The Pioneers outrebounded the T-Birds 43-32. MCC had 9 offensive boards and UTTC had 8.
  • MCC had 15 turnovers compared to just 9 for UTTC. 
  • There were 8 ties and 9 lead changes in the game. 
  • The Pioneer bench outscored UTTC bench 29-14.

MCC finishes up the first round of MonDak Conference play at 4-2 and are 11-13 overall. United Tribes fell to 1-5 in league play and 11-12 overall. The Pioneers travel to Glendive on Sunday for a matchup with Dawson at 4:00 PM MST.