MSUB men roll to 75-54 win over NNU at home

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, February 6, 2016 MSUB men roll to 75-54 win over NNU at home

Marc Matthews scores a game-high 25 points and the Yellowjacket men cruise to a 75-54 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at Alterowitz Gym. BILLINGS, Mont. – Marc Matthews made 10 of 18 shots from the field for a game-high 25 points and led the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team to a loud 75-54 Great Northwest Athletic Conference win over Northwest Nazarene University Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym. Preston Beverly chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds, while Emmanuel Olufemi had 13 points, six boards and four blocks for MSUB. The Yellowjackets won for the second time in their last three games, and improved to 8-14 overall and 5-9 in GNAC play with the win.

“They are a talented team, and we knew that we needed to be prepared,” commented MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens.

“Our guys played well. Not only did we knock down shots, but we felt like we were prepared for NNU.” The Crusaders fell to 7-13 overall and 3-11 in conference play with the loss. Gonzo Santana was the lone Crusader in double figures, as he scored 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the field.

MSUB hustled out to a 10-3 start and never trailed in the game. The Crusaders cut it to one point at 13-12 midway through the first half, but the ‘Jackets quickly built their largest lead to that point in the game at 32-17 over the next seven minutes.

A trey by Sven Jeuschede helped MSUB cruise into halftime leading 37-24. NNU shot just 29.4 percent from the field in the first half, and only attempted one free throw. The ‘Jackets, meanwhile, shot a solid 45.2 percent in the opening period and made 5 of 6 foul shots.

MSUB kept its foot on the gas to open the second, building a 19-point lead within the first three minutes. The advantage peaked at 25 points on a trey by Beverly with 9:17 to play, and MSUB was never in danger of giving up the lead down the stretch.

Matthews had two dunks in the span of two minutes, one on a steal he created and the other on a long-court assist from Jordan Perry. “It felt really good to get a win tonight,” Matthews said. “It feels good being back home and being in front of our fans.”

The ‘Jackets out-rebounded the Crusaders 45-35 in the game, and had 13 assists compared with 11 for NNU. Overall MSUB shot 44.6 percent from the field (29for-65), 32.1 percent from 3-point range (9-for-28), and made 8 of 11 free throws (72.7 percent).

MSUB freshman Preston Beverly dribbles the ball against NNU’s Detwon Rogers Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym.

The Crusaders made 21 of 59 shots on the game (35.6 percent), 7 of 24 from downtown (29.2 percent), and hit just 5 of 11 foul shots. Mike Wright had a game-high five assists, while Santana added four steals to his stat line. Santana and Marko Lepovic tied for the team high with five rebounds apiece, and Bouna N’Diaye had a pair of blocks.

Beverly came up one rebound shy of a double-double for the second straight night, and for the third time overall this season. “Everybody stepped up tonight,” Beverly said. “If we all put up good numbers, contribute, and share the ball, that’s the way to be successful.”

Jeuschede hit two threes in the game, as he contributed a season-high eight points and had two rebounds in 18 minutes.

Kendall Denham and Perry had three assists apiece, and the latter was one of three players with six rebounds in the game. Cade Alcorn snagged three boards in 13 minutes, and Kamal Tall added a pair in four minutes.

The Yellowjackets avenged a tough, 98-96 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 7, and inched ahead in the all-time series 17-16.

“We just want to build on this win and keep building with this young group of guys,” said Stevens. “We have six games left to go and we know that Tuesday night is going to be a tough match.”

THE BUZZ: Matthews earned St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game honors…it was Matthews’s sixth 20-point game this year and he came up two points shy of his career-high of 27 reached on New Year’s Eve against Simon Fraser…Olufemi has had at least one block in all 13 games he has played this year, and has multiple blocks in 10 of those games.

NEXT UP: MSUB has two more home games next week, as the Yellowjackets face University of Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday and the University of Alaska on Saturday. Tipoff for each game is set for 7 p.m. at Alterowitz Gym, with live video and statistics available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

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