‘Jackets come up short against Nanooks 66-61

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, February 13, 2016 ‘Jackets come up short against Nanooks 66-61

MSUB receives 21 points from Emmanuel Johnson but can’t withstand a 28-point effort by Alaska’s Travante Williams in a 66-61 loss Saturday evening at Alterowitz Gym. BILLINGS, Mont. – Travante Williams led all scorers with 26 points to propel visiting University of Alaska to a hard-earned 66-61 win over Montana State University Billings Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball action at Alterowitz Gym. Despite trailing by double digits early on in the second half, MSUB got within a single point on two different occasions in the final 20 minutes but could not break through. A layup by Jordan Perry with 2:14 remaining capped off a 9-2 run by the ‘Jackets and made the score 58-57 in favor of the Nanooks.

Williams took command and drained back-to-back threes over the next minute however, effectively putting the game out of reach. “The game basically came down to their best player making two big-time shots in the last couple of possessions,” commented MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “This was a very evenly-played game, and both teams had a chance to win.”

Williams, who entered the game as the third-leading scorer in the GNAC with 18.6 points per game, connected on 9 of 18 shots from the floor but was 0-for-3 from long distance until his clutch triples at the end of the game. He also finished with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals to help pull Alaska into a tie for third place in the GNAC standings with Seattle Pacific at 11-5 in conference play. The Nanooks are now 17-7 overall.

After scoring a team-high 22 points in Fairbanks, Alaska the last time the two teams met, Yellowjacket senior Emmanuel Johnson poured in a team-high 21 points on 5 of 14 shooting and 9 of 10 accuracy from the foul line. Johnson grabbed seven rebounds as well, and had two assists and a block in 32 minutes.

Marc Matthews was right on his season average with 14 points, and also had six rebounds as he played all 40 minutes for the ‘Jackets. Preston Beverly led the team with eight rebounds, and Kendall Denham chipped in eight points and a team-best three steals. “I thought our defense was sound and we had several guys play well, but we just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch,” said Stevens.

MSUB (9-15, 6-10 GNAC) made just 20 of 62 shots (32.3 percent) in the game including 4 of 16 (25.0 percent) from 3-point range. The ‘Jackets were outstanding from the foul line, making 17 of 18 shots as four different players went 2-for-2 to complement Johnson’s 9-for-10 effort from the line. The ‘Jackets also out-rebounded the Nanooks 43-39, and each team had 13 turnovers in the game.

MSUB junior Marc Matthews fires a pass to the wing while being guarded

by Alaska’s Almir Hadzisehovic (35) and Joe Slocum during Saturday night’s 66-61 loss to the Nanooks at Alterowitz Gym.

Matthews dovetailed the beginning and end of the first half with 3-pointers, hitting shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 seconds and closing five seconds of the first period. MSUB’s 3-2 lead after a layup by Williams was its only advantage of the game, as the Nanooks rallied to a 16-7 edge over the first 10 minutes of the game.

Two straight layups by Matthews and Emmanuel Olufemi brought the ‘Jackets to within two points at 19-17, and a pair of free throws by Johnson with 3:58 before halftime got MSUB within one point. The ‘Jackets made just 1 of 3 shots and committed three turnovers in the final four minutes however, while Alaska made 3 of 6 shots during that time frame and led 30-24 at the break.

Overall on the game the Nanooks shot a solid 40.7 percent from the field (24-for-59), but mirrored MSUB from 3-point range at a mark of 4-for-16. Alaska made 14 of 20 foul shots, and one third of its 39 rebounds came on the offensive end which led to 17 second-chance points.

Almir Hadzisehovic brought down a game-high 10 rebounds, while Isaac Ladines had six for the Nanooks. The ‘Jackets limited Alaska’s players offensively with the exception of Williams, as no other player had a double-figure scoring total.

Perry finished the game with six points and six rebounds, and freshman Cade Alcorn offered a positive effort with three rebounds and a steal in nine minutes off of the bench.

THE BUZZ: Johnson was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Johnson now has three 20-point games this season and is averaging 11.4 points per game…Olufemi kept his season-long streak of a block in every game alive, as he recorded one on the evening.

NEXT UP: MSUB hits the road next week to challenge Saint Martin’s University on Thursday, before the ROOT SPORTS GNAC Game of the Week at Seattle Pacific University Saturday. Thursday’s game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. Mountain time at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, Wash., while Saturday’s television game is set for a 10 p.m. Mountain time tip at Brougham Pavilion in Seattle.

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