FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, November 11, 2016 First-half lull costs ‘Jackets in 101-86 loss at No. 9 Cal Baptist Friday
MSUB can’t overcome a 30-6 run by Cal Baptist in the first half, as the No. 9 Lancers pull away early and hold on for a season-opening win. RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Zack Lessinger led the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team with 18 points in his collegiate debut, but Michael Smith scored 27 points for host Cal Baptist University as the No. 9 Lancers defeated the Yellowjackets 101-86 in a season-opening men’s basketball game Friday evening at Van Dyne Gym. A strong start for the ‘Jackets came to an end at the 15:40 mark with the score at 12-8, as CBU embarked on a 30-6 run over the next 10 minutes that put the home team ahead 42-14. The 28-point lead was the largest of the night for the Lancers, who improved to 1-0 with their first win of the year. The ‘Jackets are now 0-1 with the loss, and were out-rebounded in the game 47-35. Lessinger, who redshirted in 201516 as a freshman, made 7 of 10 shots from the floor and 4 of 5 free throws in his first career game. “I was very pleased with the way we fought tonight against a great team,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “We got off to a really bad start as we adjusted to their pressure. For the guys to keep fighting the way they did was awesome.”
Also making his collegiate debut, freshman guard Cinco Durr scored 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the field and 5 of 6 accuracy from the foul line. Ryan Chappell scored 13 points, and Preston Beverly added 11 as MSUB’s top scorers. Nearly matching Smith’s total, Kalidou Diouf made 10 of 11 shots and all four of his free throws en route to 25 points for the Lancers. Jordan Heading finished with 16 points, Casey Norris had 13, and Dejon Davis led all players with 16 rebounds. The ‘Jackets never gave up despite the early deficit, and cut the score to as close as 95-86 with 1:54 remaining. Consecutive 3-pointers from Heading and Norris ended the comeback effort however, elevating the Lancers past the century mark in their first win of the year. “We had a chance to cut it to six with over a minute left, and had we made that shot anything could have happened,” Stevens commented on a 3point attempt that rattled out before the Lancers’ ensuing six-point swing. In the first half, Jason Todd finished an easy layup off of a turnover to cap off a 12-2 run, as the Lancers capitalized on MSUB’s poor shooting with a 24-10. By the 10-minute mark in the first half, CBU had scored 10 points off of seven MSUB turnovers. During the early lull, MSUB made just 2 of 14 shots from the field and committed five turnovers – one-third of its total for the game. A three pointer by Beverly in the opening five minutes of the second half was the first shot the ‘Jackets got to fall from long range, as he snapped an 0-for-5 slump for the team to that point. MSUB made just 2 of 12 shots from long range in the game, despite shooting a solid 43.3 percent from the floor overall (29-for-67).
Ryan Chappell scored 13 points in his first-ever college basketball game Friday.
The Lancers meanwhile converted 7 of 20 3-pointers (35 percent), and stayed hot throughout the evening with a fieldgoal percentage of 48.5. CBU also bested MSUB at the foul line, shooting 30-for-36 (83.3 percent) compared with the Yellowjackets’ 26-for-34 (76.5 percent). Christian Evans led MSUB with eight rebounds, while Kamal Tall finished with eight points, five rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal in just 18 minutes. The Lancers’ starters did the majority of the heavy lifting, as just 13 of the team’s 101 points came off of the bench. Smith, the reigning PacWest Conference Player of the Year, made 13 of 14 foul shots, while Norris was 8-for-8 from the line. Chappell matched the Lancers’ leaders as a top foul shooter in the game, making 9 of 10 shots from the line. “Obviously the future is pretty bright. Our top-three scorers were all playing their first college game against a top-10 team in the country,” said Stevens. “We are really looking forward to the chance to get better tomorrow against Holy Names.”
THE BUZZ: Lessinger was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Lessinger, Chappell, and Durr all made their debut for MSUB…MSUB surpassed 86 points just four times all of the 2015-16 season…this was the first-ever meeting between MSUB and CBU…the five rebounds for Tall were a career best. NEXT UP: The season-opening road trip finishes on Saturday for the ‘Jackets, as they take on Holy Names University at 2 p.m. Mountain time at Van Dyne Gym. Live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--