|
Jackets Grind Out Conference Win (1/6/07)
Box
Score
Game
Photos
BILLINGS, MT – In a rematch of
last year’s Heartland Conference championship game, Montana
State-Billings knocked off St. Edward’s 60-56 in men’s
basketball action Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym. The win
improved the Yellowjackets to 2-8 overall and moved them into
first place in the conference at 2-0. The Hilltoppers dropped
to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the Heartland.
The first half was an
offensive struggle for both sides. A
Troy
Ruff (Custer, MT) tip-in with 12 seconds left in the first
half gave the Yellowjackets a 22-21 lead at the break. The
Hilltoppers had taken a 21-20 lead on a tip-in by Michael Moss
the previous possession. Before Moss’s bucket, the Hilltoppers
had one more turnover (20) in the half than they did points.
The Jackets didn’t fare much better, turning the ball over 15
times in the half.
MSUB answered the second half
bell with torrid outside shooting from freshman
Jeff Miner (Gresham, OR). Miner took over the game,
knocking down six of his career-high eight 3-pointers in the
second stanza. He finished with a game-high 24 points.
“Defensively we did a pretty
good job tonight,” said Yellowjacket head coach Craig Carse.
“To hold a team to 56 points, I’m very proud of the kids. And
Jeff Miner, what can you say? He’s a big time player. He got
to play the two guard more tonight than he has, and that made a
difference.”
The Yellowjacket offense
benefited from the addition of point guard
Eric Cunningham (Phoenix, AZ). After being dismissed
earlier in the year, Cunningham and
Russell Steplight (Olympia, WA) were reinstated to the team
Saturday. Cunningham came off the bench to dish out seven
assists. More importantly, he was instrumental in breaking the
Hilltoppers’ full court press, an Achilles’ heel for the
Yellowjackets through their first nine games.
The Yellowjackets relinquished
the lead just once in the second half and led by as many as 14
with 4:26 to play. St. Ed’s was efficient at extending the game
down the stretch and whittling away at the Jackets’ lead, but
the Hilltoppers missed their last seven 3-point attempts of the
game. St. Ed’s was just 5-of-32 from behind the arc in the
game. The Jackets connected on 10-of-21 from long range.
Miner was the only
Yellowjacket to score in double figures, accounting for over a
third of the team’s points.
Jonathan Wiley (Westlake Village, CA) scored nine points
while battling foul trouble all night.
Tom D’Amore (Tucson, AZ),
Cody Samuelson (Broadus, MT) and Steplight each finished
with six points.
Carl Johnson (Rapid City, SD) grabbed a game-high nine
rebounds, five coming at the offensive end.
The Hilltoppers were led by
Jeff Obersteller’s 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the
field. He also pulled down seven rebounds. Shawn Weinstein,
who entered the game as the top scorer in the Heartland
Conference, was limited to 10 points and just 1-of-10 shooting
from behind the arc. Cornelius Gilleylen came off the bench to
score seven points and grab eight rebounds.
The same teams will meet again
Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Alterowitz Gym in a non-conference
contest. Following Sunday’s game the Yellowjackets will be on
the road for their next four games. |
