January 24, 2008

Yellowjackets Snap 18-Game Skid; Earn First Victory, 65-55

     Box Score
     Season Stats 

BILLINGS, Mont. – Behind five players in double figures, the Montana State Billings men’s basketball team ended an 18-game losing streak with a 65-55 victory over Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday evening at Alterowitz Gymnasium.  With the victory, MSUB is 1-16 on the year and 1-5 in conference play.  UAF falls to 4-11 on the year and 1-5 in conference play.

“I am very happy for our guys,” Yellowjacket head coach Craig Carse said.  “Winning reinforces everything and we made a few more baskets than they did.”

This victory is the first for MSUB since a 77-74 victory over Dallas Baptist on Feb. 19, 2007.  It didn’t come easy though as the Yellowjackets had to fend off a furious second half rally by UAF.   

After the Yellowjackets jumped out to a 33-23 lead at halftime, the Nanooks came out of the gates in the second half with a roar.  Two initial free throws by John Brooks (Perris, Calif.) gave MSUB a 35-23 lead with 19:46 left, but over the next eight-plus minutes, UAF all but erased the deficit using an 18-6 run. 

MSUB did not panic and held its composure even when UAF took the lead two times over the next four minutes.  A three-pointer by freshman Cameron Khoury (Alta Loma, Calif.) put the Jackets back up 52-50 with 5:49 left.  Moments later, David Cannamore made the old-fashion three-point-play giving the Nanooks a 53-52 lead with 5:14 to play.

Matteson evened the game at 55 with 3:12 left, but a layup and two free throws by Blaine pushed the Yellowjacket advantage to 59-55 with 1:51 on the clock.  MSUB made its free throws when it counted, going 10 of 12 from the line in the final four minutes to secure a 65-55 victory.

For the game, MSUB was 20 of 46 from the field for 44 percent and was 9 of 26 from beyond the arc.  After missing their only two attempts from the line in the first half, the Jackets went 16 of 23 in the second half from the charity stripe.

Brooks led the Yellowjackets in scoring for the third-straight game.  He was quiet in the second half as he did not attempt a shot, but went 3 of 4 from the line.  Khoury added 13 points and nine rebounds while freshman Brett Taylor (Billings, Mont.) had 11 points.  Blaine and freshman Aaron Terry (Moreno Valley, Calif.) chipped in 10 each. 

UAF was 23 of 67 from the field for 34 percent and went a dismal 3 of 20 from beyond the arc for 15 percent.  The Nanooks were just 6 of 8 from the line.  Free throw shooting proved the difference down the stretch, compared to the Yellojackets’ 16 of 25. 

Matteson had a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds and Kevin Atkins chipped in 13.

The game began as UAF jumped out to an early 4-0 lead.  The Yellowjackets didn’t get on the board until the 17:28 mark on a jumper by freshman Kirk Blaine (Gillette, Wyo.) in the lane.  The Nanooks built a 10-4 lead, but a nice 5-0 mini run by MSUB put it ahead 10-9 with 13:48 to play courtesy of a Brooks 3-pointer. 

The teams went back-and-forth until a layup by Brooks at the 6:35 mark sparked a 14-6 run through the rest of the half.  MSUB had its largest lead of the season at halftime, 33-23.

The Yellowjackets had one of their better shooting halves of the season, going 13 of 27 from the field for 48 percent.  In addition, MSUB was 7 of 17 from deep.  Brooks led the team with 11 points in the opening half on 4 of 8 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

MSUB’s defense held UAF to just 33.3 percent from the field on 10 of 30.  The Nanooks were just 1 of 8 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the line.  UAF out-rebounded the Yellowjackets 20-16.  Colin Matteson led UAF with 12 points and six rebounds at intermission.      

The Jackets complete the home stand against No. 14 Alaska Anchorage on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Alterowitz Gym.  Live video streaming, free live stats, and free internet broadcast can be found on the Yellowjackets web site.