Balanced Offense Equals Big Win for Yellowjackets (Mar. 4, 2004)
Box Score
BILLINGS, MT – There were plenty of points to
go around for the MSU Billings Yellowjackets Thursday night as
they used two big halves to down Western New Mexico, 113-79. Five
of the six Yellowjackets in uniform scored in double figures.
Senior guard Dave Carse made a career-high eight 3-pointers and
scored 27 points while handing out six assists. The Jackets
improved to 16-10 overall and 7-8 in the PacWest, dropping the
Mustangs to 7-18, 4-11.
There were four ties and two lead changes in
the first four minutes of the game and the Mustangs led 8-6 on a
Matt Enriquez layup 3:20 into the first half. Trae Fortier tied
the game at 8-8 on a layup, and Carse’s first 3-pointer gave the
Jackets an 11-8 lead with 15:37 left in the half. MSU Billings
didn’t trail again, building a 54-41 halftime lead and outscoring
the Mustangs 59-38 in the second half.
Carse scored 14 of his 27 points in the first
half, hitting 4 of 7 from behind the arc. Fortier came off the
bench to net 13 first-half points and finish with a team-high 28
in the game. He also grabbed ten rebounds for his seventh
double-double of the season.
Senior forward Bill Day scored a career-high
21 points, 13 of which came in the second half. He also had a
game-high 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.
Day was 9 of 12 from the field and also set a new career high for
assists with five.
Senior guard Jerett Skrifvars finished with
19 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He has now scored 1,220 career
points, the tenth most in Yellowjacket history. Skrifvars also
had six rebounds in the game, giving him 559 for his career, tying
Ernie Fortney for seventh in school history.
Freshman forward Jonathan Wiley also set a
career high, pulling down seven rebounds. He blocked three shots,
one short of his career high, and and had three assists and two
steals.
Enriquez led the Mustangs with 29 points on
10 of 19 shooting from the field. Brendon Malone finished with 14
points. Each had seven assists.
Saturday’s non-conference game between the
Yellowjackets and Mustangs will also be Senior Night for Carse,
Skrifvars and Day. All three have been chasing career records
through the latter part of the season. Skrifvars reached his
milestone Thursday, breaking into the top ten in school history
for scoring. He would need 32 points Saturday to move up to No.
9. Carse needs just five points to tie and six points to pass
Russell Stelle for No. 20 on the Yellowjacket career scoring
list. He also needs just four 3-pointers to tie Titus Warmsley
for No. 5 in school history. Day is one blocked shot short of
tying James Washington for No. 9 all-time for career blocks.
Tip off for Saturday’s game will be 7:00 p.m.
at Alterowitz Gymnasium. The three Yellowjacket seniors will be
honored after the game. |
