MSUB Men's Basketball Recap 12/3/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, December 3, 2015 ‘Jackets win first GNAC game of season 76-59 over Cavs on road

Freshman Cade Alcorn notches his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds, and the Yellowjackets cruise to a 76-59 win over Concordia on the road Thursday.

PORTLAND, Ore. – True freshman Cade Alcorn posted the first double-double of his young college career as he scored a dozen points and added 13 rebounds to help the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team to a 76-59 victory over host Concordia University Thursday evening at Cavalier Court.

Alcorn was one of four ‘Jackets to score in double figures, as junior Jace Anderson led the way with 13 points. Kendall Denham finished with a dozen points in 15 minutes, and Jordan Perry added 10 and nine rebounds. Emmanuel Johnson had nine rebounds and Preston Beverly grabbed eight, as the ‘Jackets won the battle on the boards 52-37.

With the win MSUB improved to 3-4 on the season and is now 1-0 in GNAC play. Concordia meanwhile fell to 1-7 and dropped its second conference game of the week after a loss to Western Oregon on Tuesday.

“We got off to a slow start, and Concordia came out and played really hard defensively,” commented MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “To have two true freshmen in Cade and Preston really step up, especially in the second half and give us some big plays was big.”

Both teams got off to slow starts offensively, with Anderson scoring the first four points of the game for the ‘Jackets.

Eight points from John Erickson helped CU push ahead to an eight-point lead with 10 minutes to go before halftime, but a steal by Perry and layup by Beverly helped MSUB keep pace.

Anderson drilled a deep three with time winding down on the shot clock, and Alcorn made a pair of foul shots to bring MSUB within one, 30-29 with three minutes to play in the first. The ‘Jackets held onto the edge moving into the locker room, leading 35-32 at the break.

Alcorn scored six straight MSUB points on layups and took a charge all in the opening two minutes of the second half, as the ‘Jackets maintained momentum. “My teammates really dished me the ball well tonight, and I just stepped up and did what Coach Stevens and Coach Schmit have been telling me to do,” Alcorn said. “It’s awesome being a freshman and being on the court. It’s a whole different level than what I was used to in high school and travel ball.”

A layup by Beverly with 11:20 remaining in the game gave MSUB its first double-digit lead of the game at 10 points, and the ‘Jackets kept their foot on the gas from there. An Alcorn layup completed an 11-1 run and pushed CU to call a timeout to stop MSUB’s offensive burst.

The Cavs made a final push, cutting the deficit to 10 points inside of four minutes to play. Johnson made a layup, and Evans took a charge on the other end that led to a five-point run to help MSUB hang onto the lead.

A Kendall Denham three from the corner iced it for the ‘Jackets, as the sophomore put his team up 72-56 with 1:17 to play.

Overall the ‘Jackets shot 40.6 percent from the field (28-for-69) but made just 5 of 17 3-pointers. MSUB also struggled from the foul line, making 15 of 23 shots. The Cavaliers struggled on field goals throughout the night, making just 19 of 59 shots (32.2 percent). CU hit 4 of 16 3-pointers and 7 of 24 from the foul line.

Marc Matthews finished with eight points for the ‘Jackets, while Perry led the team with four steals.

“Now we move forward, and we can’t wait for Saturday’s challenge against Western Oregon,” Stevens said.

THE BUZZ: Alcorn was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 2-0 alltime against the Cavaliers…last time the teams met in 1998, now-head coach Stevens set an MSUB single-game record for assists with 16…Denham played for the first time in four games, after missing time with an injury.

NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets remain on the road for another GNAC contest on Saturday against Western Oregon University. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Mountain time in Monmouth, Ore., and live video and statistics will be available.

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