Yellowjackets Let Halftime Lead Slip Away in Loss at Western Oregon (Dec. 16, 2003)
Box Score

BILLINGS, MT – A five-point halftime lead and 20 second-half points from Trae Fortier weren’t enough to get the Yellowjackets their first road win of the season as MSU Billings fell 94-88 at Western Oregon on Tuesday.  Fortier scored a game-high and season-high 35 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the field.  The junior forward from Los Angeles also made a season-high four 3-pointers in improving his season scoring average to 20.4 points per game.

The Wolves (6-2) jumped to a 10-2 lead just three minutes into the game, but the Yellowjackets battled back and took their first lead at the 11:52 mark of the first half on a 3-pointer from Alex Galloway.  Galloway scored eight points in the game and grabbed five rebounds.

MSU Billings built its lead to as much as eight late in the first half before settling for a 49-44 advantage at the break.  A pair of Fortier free throws with 3:28 remaining in the half made the score 39-31 in favor of the Jackets.

Western Oregon’s Sean Kelly and Robert Day helped erase the Yellowjackets’ lead in the first five minutes of the second half.  Kelly scored 12 of his 35 points during that stretch, including a jumper that tied the game at 54-54 with 15:30 to play.  Day finished with a triple-double of 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Yellowjackets held their last lead of the game with 5:56 left in the game after a Buddy Windy Boy 3-pointer gave MSUB a 77-75 lead.  Three of the game’s 13 ties came in the final five and a half minutes.  A pair of Kevin Tyner free throws with six seconds left sealed the victory for the Wolves.

Seniors Jerett Skrifvars and Dave Carse scored 13 and 12 points respectively and combined for a dozen assists.  Skrifvars was 7-of-8 from the free throw line and Carse was a perfect 4-of-4.  Cameron Munoz added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.  He was 3-of-5 from 3-point range and maintained his PacWest leads for field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game. 

The Yellowjackets, now 3-2, will return to Alterowitz Saturday to host St. Martin’s College.  It will be the third of five-straight games against teams from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  MSUB will host second-ranked Humboldt State on December 29 and Western Oregon on January 3.