Yellowjackets Tame Mustangs in Runaway (Jan.
27, 2005)
Box
Score
BILLINGS, MT – If college basketball had a
TKO rule, it would have been applied Thursday night. MSU Billings
started the game with a 13-0 run and never looked back in a 118-70
win over Western New Mexico. The Yellowjackets improved to 11-6
overall and 3-4 in the PacWest, dropping the Mustangs to 6-12,
1-6. MSU Billings will try to even its conference mark Saturday
afternoon when the Jackets and Mustangs play at 2:00 at Alterowitz
Gym.
"Early in the game Buddy
Windy Boy did a wonderful job in the passing lanes," said head
coach Craig Carse. "Lucas Walker did a great job finishing.
When you jump out to a double digit lead it makes the game easier.
It's difficult for anyone to come back from that."
Freshman Lucas Walker (Launceston, Australia) scored eight of the
game’s first 13 points on four layups. Sandwiched between
Walker’s four buckets were a Buddy Windy Boy (Jr., Lodge Grass, MT) 3-pointer and fast
break dunk. A jumper from Walker and a 3-pointer from Cameron Munoz (Jr., Chino, CA) delivered the early knockout
blow, staking the Jackets to a 19-2 lead less than five minutes
into the game.
MSU Billings built a 33 point halftime lead
after Munoz banked in a half court shot at the buzzer. The first
half stats were as unbalanced as the 68-35 score. The
Yellowjackets scored 17 points off 11 Western New Mexico turnovers
and held a 19-2 advantage in fast break points. MSU Billings was
red hot offensively and the Jackets’ defense had the Mustangs on
their heels.
The Yellowjackets shot 57 percent from the
field in the first half and were 12-of-23 from 3-point range.
They finished the game 17-of-38 from downtown and shot 52 percent
from the field. For the game, the Mustangs were just 5-of-26 from
beyond the arc and hit on only 40 percent of their shots from the
field.
Six players scored in double figures for
MSU Billings with three players scoring over 20. Walker finished
with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. He also grabbed five
rebounds, all in just 14 minutes of playing time. Senior Justin Hassell (Brooklyn, NY) netted 24 points with a
game-high eight rebounds. He was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free
throw line.
Munoz scored 23, hitting 5-of-11 from 3-point
range and 4-of-4 from the line. He also pulled down a career-high
eight rebounds, all in the first half, in an all around strong
performance. Munoz handed out four assists and had one steal.
Carlin Hughes (Fr., Perth, Australia) and Windy Boy each
finished the night with 16 points. Hughes scored 14 of his points
in a six and a half minute span early in the first half, making
his first four 3-point attempts. He was 4-of-6 from behind the
arc in the game and also added four assists. Windy Boy was 4-of-7
from 3-point and dished out three of the Jackets’ 24 assists.
Jonathan Wiley (So., Westlake Village, CA) added 11 points on
3-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the line. The
Yellowjackets shot 81 percent from the line as a team. Wiley also
had a game-high seven assists, one short of his career high,
against just two turnovers.
The Mustangs had four players in double
figures, led by Rusty Carter’s 13. Matt Enriquez, Mike Sells and
Adam Grimes each netted 12 points. Western New Mexico turned the
ball over 29 times, leading to 44 Yellowjacket points.
Click HERE for photos of
the Yellowjackets vs. Western New Mexico |
