BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State sophomore Casey Durham’s half-court prayer at the buzzer was answered as the Bobcats shocked Portland with a 70-68 victory Monday night at Worthington Arena.

Portland senior guard Darren Cooper, who finished with a game-high 24 points, put the Pilots on his back with 21 second-half points including a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.0 seconds remaining to give the Pilots (4-7) their first lead since the 10:58 mark of the first period.

Durham, the son of MSU head coach Mick Durham, took the ensuing inbounds pass after a timeout, took two dribbles and then launched the desperation game-winner from the midline with Pilot sophomore guard Jeremiah Dominguez on his right hip. It was his only field goal of the game as he finished with six points on 1 of 6 shooting.

“I was proud of our second half energy and composure,” Portland head coach Michael Holton said. “To make the three-point shot in the closing seconds and then have the other team come down and throw one in from half court is tough, but we have to come away from this game stronger and I believe we will.”

The Bobcats (4-6) led by as many as 16 points midway through the second half and held a seven-point lead at 67-60 with 2:58 remaining. Cooper cut the lead down to four with a three-point play off a drive to the hoop 13 seconds later and after a defensive stop, Dominguez fed Donald Wilson for an easy layup with 1:56 remaining.

Neither team would score again until the Pilots had the ball under their own hoop with eight ticks remaining in regulation. Out of the timeout, Portland isolated Cooper at the top of the arc and he converted the clutch trey.

“Darren continues to play extremely well and his confidence has grown along with his physical conditioning,” Holton said of Cooper, who battled a respiratory infection early in the season. “He has developed into a go-to guy and I was happy to see him take and make the big shot at the end.”

Portland falls to 0-6 away from home, while the Bobcats improved to 3-0 at home on the season. MSU gained a 40-24 rebounding advantage and 15-6 edge in second chance points. The Bobcats also controlled the paint with a 26-8 scoring edge.

The Pilots countered by going with a small lineup for most of the second half with Dominguez providing a spark.

“Jeremiah played a crucial role in getting us back in the game,” Holton noted of the 5-foot, 6-inch Salem, Ore. native. “He gave us a chance to win tonight with energy off the bench.”

Dominguez finished with a season-high 10 points and added four assists and four steals in 27 minutes of action. Senior guard Pooh Jeter finished with 15, while Wilson added 10.

Marvin Moss finished with 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting for the Bobcats. Derrick Edmonds contributed 13 off the bench and Al Beye added 10.

MSU erupted out of the gates with a 9-0 run in the first two minutes of the game. The Bobcats gained their biggest lead of the half at 34-18 on a jumper from Carson Durr with 2:30 remaining in the first half. The Pilots countered with eight of the final 10 points of the period to make it a 36-26 halftime deficit.

Portland will return to friendly confines of the Chiles Center on Thursday, Dec. 22 to host the Oregon Ducks at 7 p.m. The game will be televised in the Portland metro area on KPDX-TV (UPN 49) as well as KVAL in Eugene.