FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, February 23, 2017 ‘Jackets lose heartbreaker at Concordia 79-77
Drew Martin’s putback layup with 0.4 seconds left hands MSUB a gut-wrenching 79-77 defeat on Thursday night in Portland. PORTLAND, Ore. – Drew Martin broke a deadlock with a put-back layup with 0.4 seconds left, then deflected the ensuing inbounds attempt away as the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 79-77 loss at Concordia University Thursday night at LCEF Court in a crucial Great Northwest Athletic Conference game. The Yellowjackets (14-13, 9-10 GNAC) would have clinched a berth into the GNAC Championships with a win Thursday, but remain alive in the hunt for a spot in the conference tournament with their final regular-season game scheduled for Saturday at Western Oregon University. Overcoming a deficit of as much as 14 points, MSUB fought back into the game and tied the score at 77-77 with 58 seconds left on the first three of the game by senior Marc Matthews. Freshman Zack Lessinger had the assist on the play, and blocked Martin’s shot on the next possession to set the ‘Jackets up with a chance to take the lead.
CU’s Christopher Edward grabbed a rebound after a missed shot by Kendall Denham however, and the ‘Cavs quickly called a timeout to draw up their final possession. Leading scorer Jarrett Gray, who finished with 20 points, was entrusted with what appeared to be the final shot as the clock wound below five seconds. But Martin reacted quickly to the miss, and tipped home the game-winner as the crowd burst into celebration. “This was a great college basketball game, and I couldn’t be more proud of how hard our guys fought,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “They did everything we asked them to do, fought back when we got down, and we had a chance to win. Concordia had some momentum going that we just couldn’t overcome.” The Cavaliers (14-13, 10-10 GNAC) stayed alive in the hunt for the postseason with the win, and finished the regular season with four straight wins and five in their last six games overall. Preston Beverly led MSUB with 25 points Thursday, but Drew Martin (left) tipped in the game-winner for host Concordia with just 0.4 seconds on the clock.
“If you look at the last few weeks, Concordia has won every close game,” Stevens said.
Preston Beverly led MSUB with 25 points, and had eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal against just one turnover in 37 minutes. Kamal Tall reached career highs in both scoring (19 points) and rebounding (10 boards) as he achieved his first-ever double-double in the defeat. Momentum shifted in the form of a 15-0 run by the ‘Cavs that ate up the final four minutes of the first half and the first 60 seconds of the second half. The ‘Jackets went from a 32-28 lead to a 45-32 hole during the dry spell, during which the team went 0-for-9. The scoring drought forced MSUB to work its way back into the game for the entire second half, as it took a 16-7 push over the final nine minutes of play to bring the score even for the first time since the end of the opening period. It was an otherwise solid night shooting for the ‘Jackets, who hit at a clip of 42.2 percent overall (27-for-64), but made just 6 of 16 threes (37.5 percent). MSUB was stellar from the foul line at 17-for-19 (89.5 percent), and Beverly was a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. The ‘Cavs won despite cooling off to just 38.9 percent shooting in the second half, after hitting at a mark of 55.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Overall CU shot 46.2 percent from the floor (30-for-65), made 5 of 9 treys (55.6 percent), and hit 14 of 18 foul shots (77.8 percent). The ‘Cavs also won the battle off the glass, outrebounding MSUB 41-35. Edward led CU with 10 boards, and Martin (16 points), Latrell Wilson (14 points), and Taylor Harris (12 points) were the other leading scorers in addition to Gray. The sophomore finished the regular season with his two best career performances in scoring, after a 26-point effort in CU’s win over Western Oregon on Tuesday.
Sven Jeuschede scored 10 points for the ‘Jackets off the bench, hitting a pair of threes and also grabbing four rebounds. Denham finished with a balanced six points, five rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals in 38 minutes. Lessinger also had seven points in 13 strong minutes off the bench. RACE TO LACEY: After Thursday’s GNAC action, MSUB is in a three-way tie for sixth place with Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. Saint Martin’s is in fourth at 10-9, and Concordia is in fifth at 10-10, with the potential for all five teams to end up tied at 10-10. The final three berths into the tournament will come down to Saturday’s results with SMU at Western Washington, NNU at Alaska, Central at Alaska Anchorage, and MSUB at WOU. THE BUZZ: Tall was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Concordia swept the season series after a 92-82 win over MSUB on Dec. 3, 2016 at Alterowitz Gym…MSUB is now 3-2 all-time against the Cavaliers. NEXT UP: The regular season ends Saturday with an 8 p.m. Mountain time tipoff at Western Oregon University. Live video and live statistics will be available online through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--