FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, January 14, 2017 Win streak reaches 3 as MSUB men hold off Alaska 99-94
Preston Beverly scores a career-high 28 points and MSUB’s men’s basketball team uses a strong start and gutsy finish to hold off the University of Alaska 99-94 Saturday night. BILLINGS, Mont. – Preston Beverly notched his fourth double-double of the year with a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds, elevating the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team to a gutsy 99-94 win over Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent University of Alaska Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym. Marc Matthews added 22 points and fellow senior Jace Anderson made all nine of his shots – including four free throws – to chip in 16 points in the win. Sven Jeuschede scored 14 points and hauled in seven rebounds as well. The Yellowjackets won their third straight game, seventh in their last eight, and for the tenth time in their last 12 games dating back to early November. MSUB remained in a tie for second place in the GNAC standings at 6-2 in league play, and is 11-5 overall with the win.
“I thought Alaska was unbelievable tonight, and even when we got up big early we knew that they would come back,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “It was a really good college basketball game, and I’m just glad that our guys made more plays than they did.” The Nanooks fell to 7-10 with the loss and are now 2-6 in the GNAC, as a career-high 30 points from senior Brandon Davis weren’t enough to overcome a slow start. Zach Pederson scored 19 points, Bangaly Kaba had 18, and Nahjee Matlock added 11 points and seven assists for the visitors. In a game that featured a dozen lead changes, the first didn’t occur until 18:15 left in the second half as the ‘Jackets commanded the pace of play early. MSUB screamed out to leads of 12-1 and 20-3 to start the game, as Alaska started the night 0-for-8 from the field and found itself in a 17-point hole just five minutes in. The Yellowjackets’ lead reached 19 points after a Senior Jace Anderson made all nine shots he took Saturday night, including four three by Jeuschede made it 27-8 with 12:02 before clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds of MSUB’s 99-94 win over Alaska. the break, but Davis scored nine of his team’s points in a 12-3 run that made it 30-20. The Nanooks continued to chip away, and by halftime MSUB’s advantage had shrunk to one point at 40-39. “We came out on fire and were hitting our shots, but coach told us before the game that this was going to be a grind,” said Beverly, who tied a career-high with nine field goals for the sixth time. “We let that big lead slip in the beginning, and we knew we couldn’t take anything for granted.” After their ice cold start, the Nanooks shot 53.8 percent from the field for the rest of the game, and converted 11 of 24 threes (45.8 percent). The teams fought back-and-forth for the lead throughout the second half, and the ‘Jackets never trailed by more than three points. With 2:10 left in the game and his team up 87-84, Beverly hit his biggest shot of the night as his trey from the wing doubled MSUB’s advantage. “Beverly just had a monster three that he hit to get us up six,” Stevens said, provoking a reminder of Matthews’ game-winning shot on Thursday against Alaska Anchorage. “Some of the plays our guys made down the stretch were outstanding, and it was similar to the strong finish we had on Thursday.” A three by Kaba with 1:03 to play cut the score to 91-89, but MSUB went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line the rest of the game to hold off the Nanooks. The teams finished even with 38 rebounds apiece, and MSUB committed 13 turnovers compared with 11 by the Nanooks. Both teams relied heavily on their starters, as UAF had just 16 points off of the bench and MSUB had just 13.
Kamal Tall tied a career high with eight rebounds, and made all three of his field goals for six points. Kendall Denham was crucial off of the bench for MSUB, with nine points, four assists, and three rebounds in 28 minutes. “As long as we keep having success, we need to keep trying to check off goals, and getting a home sweep was big,” Stevens commented on the team’s second 2-0 weekend in GNAC play this season. “We are excited about the way we are playing right now, but we know there is a lot of season left to go.” THE BUZZ: Beverly was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the sophomore also tied his career high with four blocks and two steals…it was Beverly’s fourth double-double of the season and 11th of his career…the Yellowjackets snapped a three-game losing skid in the series with UAF, which stands at 41-26 overall in MSUB’s favor. NEXT UP: MSUB returns to the road next week, heading to Lacey, Wash., to challenge Saint Martin’s University in the GNAC Game of the Week on ROOT SPORTS. Thursday’s matchup between the Yellowjackets and Saints tips off at 10 p.m. Mountain time, and will be televised live throughout the western United States. MSUB will continue to Seattle next Saturday to challenge Seattle Pacific University in an 8 p.m. Mountain time tipoff at Brougham Pavilion.
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