Yellowjackets Blitz Wildcats in Home Finale (Feb. 26, 2005)
Box
Score
BILLINGS, MT – There was no secret as to what
the game plan was for Montana State-Billings this week: shoot
3-pointers. MSU Billings hoisted up 51 threes Saturday night,
knocking down a season-high 19 in a 124-92 win over Johnson &
Wales.
The Yellowjackets started the game with
back-to-back 3-pointers from Buddy Windy Boy (Jr., Lodge Grass, MT) and Carlin Hughes (Fr., Perth, Australia) in the first 40
seconds. Behind that 6-2 start, MSU Billings never trailed in the
game.
The Wildcats (14-15) were able to get within
two points, 14-12, four minutes into the game. Starting with a Justin Hassell (Sr., Brooklyn, NY) free throw at 14:49, the
Jackets went on a 10-2 run over a span of three minutes and never
let the Wildcats within 10 points the rest of the game. The
Yellowjackets scored 30 points in the final 10 minutes of the
first half to build a 60-40 halftime advantage.
The second half was run-and-gun basketball at
both ends of the court. The Yellowjackets outscored the Wildcats
64-52 in the second half, hitting 9-of-27 from beyond the arc.
MSU Billings shot 48 percent from the field in the game, while the
Wildcats hit at a 49 percent clip.
Hassell was playing his final home game for
the Yellowjackets and gave one of the best performances of his
career. He scored a career-high 33 points on 10-of-19 shooting
from the field. He knocked down 13-of-17 from the free throw
line, moving him to No. 10 all time in school history with 274
made free throws. Hassell capped the night with his PacWest
leading tenth double-double of the season, grabbing 12 rebounds.
Four Yellowjackets combined for 105 of the
team’s points. Windy Boy finished the night with 28 points,
hitting 8-of-17 from 3-point range. Cameron Munoz (Jr., Chino, CA) added five 3-pointers and
Hughes hit four from long range. Munoz finished with 24 points
and six assists.
Hughes gave a glimpse of the future for the
Yellowjackets. The freshman point guard posted a triple-double
with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists. The 16 assists tied
the school single game record held by Jamie Stevens (vs.
Concordia, 11/26/98). The last Yellowjacket to record a
triple-double was Jerett Skrifvars, who had 24 points, 13
rebounds, and 11 steals against Great Falls (2/5/04).
Off the bench, the Jackets’ Drew
Arnold (Fr., Tempe, AZ) scored nine points and grabbed a
career-high 12 rebounds. He was 4-of-6 from the floor. Cody Samuelson (So., Broadus, MT) and Kerington Youmans (So., Atlanta, GA) added five points
apiece. Samuelson also had six rebounds.
The Wildcats were led by a game-high 36
points from Donald Whitfield. He was 14-of-22 from the field and
5-of-9 from the line. Mike Gomez finished with 26 points, hitting
10-of-19 from the floor. Will Butler added 16 points and a
team-high eight rebounds. The Wildcats were out rebounded 58-34
in the game.
The win pushed the Yellowjackets’ season
record to 18-8 with one game remaining. They travel to Western
New Mexico for their final PacWest Conference game next Thursday.
Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game can be heard live on AM
970 KBUL in Billings and on the internet at www.msubillings.edu/athletics.
Click HERE for photos of
this game. |
