FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, October 27, 2016 Beverly, Matthews earn preseason all-GNAC honors
MSUB men’s basketball stars Preston Beverly and Marc Matthews are named to the preseason all-conference team on Thursday. PORTLAND, Ore. – Reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Preston Beverly and senior Marc Matthews of the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team have each been named to the preseason allconference squad announced by the GNAC office on Thursday. Beverly is a sophomore forward from Wildomar, Calif., and Matthews is a senior guard from Sierra Vista, Ariz. Both players were honorable mention all-GNAC selections a season ago. “This is very nice recognition for both guys, and any time you can receive all-league accolades in the GNAC it is quite an honor,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. Proving himself as the top freshman in the GNAC a season ago, Beverly averaged 13.0 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game in his debut season as a collegiate player. He started 14 games and played in all 28, and tied for the
second-most double-doubles in the GNAC with seven. He scored a season-high 26 points on two occasions, scored in double figures in 19 games, and scored 20 points or more seven times. Beverly shot 42.6 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from 3-point range, and held 71.8 percent accuracy from the foul line. Beverly was one of five players in the GNAC who were unanimous selections to the preseason all-conference team this year. “For Preston to be a unanimous pick and only a sophomore shows what kind of player he is and can hopefully be,” Stevens said. “He has a little target on him now and will have to respond well when opponents focus on ways to stop him.” Matthews, a four-year starter in the program, ranked second on the team in scoring and No. 13 in the GNAC with 14.0 points per game last year. He led the Yellowjackets in total points (392) and 3-pointers made (67). Matthews led the GNAC in free-throw percentage and posted the sixth-best single-season mark in MSUB history at 85.53 percent (65-for76). The senior guard also averaged 3.7 rebounds per game, and ranked third on the team with 56 assists during the 2015-16 season. “Marc has a chance to finish his career in style if he has the kind of year we think he can,” Stevens said. Suki Wiggs of the University of Alaska Anchorage was tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year, and was also a unanimous selection along with Beverly. Jeffrey Parker of Western Washington University, Tanner Omlid of Western Oregon University, and Bangaly Kaba of the University of Alaska were the other three unanimous picks to the preseason all-conference team. Beverly was one of just two sophomores selected to the preseason all-conference team, and was joined by Trey Dreschel of Western Washington University. The Yellowjackets open their season with home exhibition games against Carroll College (Nov. 2) and Montana Tech (Nov. 4). The team’s first regular-season contest is set for Nov. 11 at California Baptist University in Riverside, Calif., at 5 p.m. Mountain time. The ‘Jackets were picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll, after completing the 2015-16 season with a record of 11-17 overall and 8-12 in the GNAC for eighth place. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--