MSUB men's basketball recap 1/12/16

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, January 12, 2016 First-place Seawolves shut down ‘Jackets 81-61 in Alaska Tuesday

Facing the lone undefeated team in the GNAC, the MSUB men’s basketball team falls on the road 81-61 at Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Great Northwest Athletic Conference leading scorer Sekou Wiggs poured in 21 points and added eight rebounds and six assists to push first-place University of Alaska Anchorage past the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team 81-61 Tuesday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Spencer Svejcar added 19 points for the Seawolves, making all five of his 3-pointers in the opening half for the home team. Christian Leckband (16) was also in double figures for UAA, which remained atop the GNAC standings at 7-0 on the season and moved to 14-4 overall.

With the loss, MSUB dropped to 6-9 on the year and fell below .500 at 3-4 in GNAC play. Marc Matthews got hot in the first half to lead the team in scoring, but all 17 of his points came in the opening 20 minutes. Sophomore Jordan Perry had a solid night with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Emmanuel Johnson (14) and Kendall Denham (12) each also scored in double figures.

“We got beat by a very good team tonight,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “I thought our returners competed hard, and we will focus on getting better.”

A three from the corner by Preston Beverly brought a nearly five-minute dry spell for the ‘Jackets to a stop, as the Seawolves opened the game with 14 straight points including nine on three 3-pointers by Svejcar.

The Seawolves maintained distance moving through the opening period, with the ‘Jackets putting together a small run as time wound down. Perry drilled a three from the left wing, then created a turnover on a steal in the next minute.

Facing a 2-on-1 advantage, Perry made a smooth pass in the lane to Denham who finished the layup and cut the deficit to 11 points at 41-30.

Svejcar hit his fifth three of the first half as the buzzer sounded, giving the Seawolves a 46-32 edge at halftime.

A 9-2 run to open the second half gave UAA its first 20-point lead of the game, as the Seawolves made a statement to the tune of 54-34 three minutes after the break. A layup by Wiggs four minutes later brought UAA’s lead to a peak at 26 points, as the ‘Jackets faced a deficit too large to overcome.

Eight straight points by Perry keyed a 13-0 run by the ‘Jackets, which got MSUB within 14 points at 68-54 with just under eight minutes to go. It was as close as the visitors got the rest of the way, as seven points by four different players over the next two minutes quickly built UAA’s lead back to 20 points.

Overall MSUB made 23 of 59 shots (39.0 percent) from the field and 10 of 28 (35.7 percent) from 3-point range. The ‘Jackets made 5 of 8 free throws and were out-rebounded 41-31. The Seawolves cooled down from long range in the second half, making just 1 of 6 after splashing nine of their first 18 attempts of the ballgame. Overall from the field UAA shot 47.3 percent (26-for-55), and the Seawolves made 19 of 25 foul shots (76 percent).

THE BUZZ: Beverly’s three assists tied his season high…Perry was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the 61 points was the second-lowest total of the season for MSUB…Emmanuel Olufemi continued his streak of posting at least one block in every game this year, as he had two to push his team-best total to 21.

“We are looking forward to Thursday night,” said Stevens. “Another great opportunity awaits us, and we will be resilient.”

COMING UP: MSUB completes its four-game road trip on Thursday, with another 9 p.m. Mountain time tipoff against the University of Alaska Nanooks. Live video and statistics from the Patty Center in Fairbanks will be available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--