FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, January 3, 2017 MSUB men host GNAC foes CWU, NNU this week
Carrying momentum from seven wins in its last eight games, MSUB’s men’s basketball team continues league play and starts a four-game home stand by hosting Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene this week. BILLINGS, Mont. – Off to a 3-1 start in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team returns home to begin a stretch of four straight contests at Alterowitz Gym starting on Thursday. The Yellowjackets (8-4, 3-1 GNAC) welcome conference opponents Central Washington University (7-3, 2-2 GNAC) and Northwest Nazarene University (5-5, 2-2 GNAC) this week as they look to build on their current string of four straight wins and seven victories in their last eight games. Thursday’s game against the Wildcats tips off at 7 p.m. and will be featured live on ESPN Radio 910 KBLG in Billings, and online at www.espn910.com. Saturday’s matchup against the Crusaders is also set to begin at 7 p.m. Live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will also be available for both games, through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.
“The thing I’m most excited about is how unselfish they are right now, and they are playing really well together,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “The last eight games we have shot it really well, and the guys are just playing free. Our focus now is on getting better in practice and the game coming up on Thursday.” The ‘Jackets are coming off their first GNAC road sweep in program history, defeating Simon Fraser University 107-66 last Thursday and picking up their first-ever win at Western Washington University by beating the No. 19 Vikings 100-93 on New Year’s Eve. The big performance helped MSUB collect GNAC Team of the Week honors announced on Monday. SHARP SHOOTING EARNS MATTHEWS ANOTHER GNAC HONOR: Picking up his second GNAC Player of the Week honor this season, senior Marc Matthews led the ‘Jackets with 48 points last week and made 10 of 18 shots from 3-point range. Four straight games of 20 points or more has lifted Matthews’ scoring average to 15.8 points per game, bumping him into the top-10 in the GNAC in scoring. The senior’s best singleseason scoring average to date has come thanks in large part to his proficiency from the arc, as he ranks second in the league with 3.2 threes per game (38 total in 12 games). He has also made 14 of 15 foul shots, and is shooting 46.6 percent overall from the field this season. “We just have to take this momentum we have and carry it over to Thursday,” Matthews commented regarding the team’s big week. “I have been really focusing on the defensive end and making sure that I’m guarding the ball well. If I do those things well, then I know it will carry over to the offensive end.” Matthews moved to No. 20 in MSUB history with 1,046 career points, and remained No. 9 in school history with 174 3-pointers over his four seasons. 2016-17 GNAC Men’s Basketball 3-Point Field Goal Leaders Rk. Name School 3s Per Game 1. Dom Hunter CWU 40 4.0 2. Marc Matthews MSUB 38 3.2 3. Naim Ladd CWU 28 2.8 4. Suki Wiggs UAA 32 2.7 5. Trey Ingram SMU 29 2.6 Senior Marc Matthews is second in the GNAC with 38 made
BEVERLY REMAINS AMONG GNAC LEADERS: Sophomore forward threes and an average of 3.2 per game this year. Preston Beverly has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season, and enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 17.8 points per game. He remains as the only player in the conference in the top-5 in both scoring and rebounding, as his boards average of 8.3 per game leads the team and is fourth-best in the league. In addition to his prowess around the basket, Beverly posted a new personal best with five assists in the win over the Vikings. He is averaging 2.4 assists, and is hitting from the field at a clip of 50.0 percent.
DENHAM’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Matching a career-high with 10 assists against the Clan, junior guard Kendall Denham added 17 points to record his first-ever double-double in a Yellowjacket uniform last week. He added 10 points Saturday for his first backto-back double-digit scoring games of the year, and totaled six steals in the two games. Denham has been an elite foul shooter this season, ranking fourth in the conference with a percentage of 88.2 (30-for-34). ANDERSON HEATS UP: Despite scoring just four points in the win over Simon Fraser, senior Jace Anderson saved one of his best performances of the year for Saturday’s victory. Knocking down a season-high five 3-pointers, Anderson scored 18 points in 25 minutes and is approaching double figures again in scoring at 8.5 points per game this year. SVEN A STRONG STARTER: Since assuming a starting role seven games ago, sophomore Sven Jeuschede has made the most of his minutes. Showing drastic improvement in his shooting from a season ago, Jeuschede is hitting on 44.9 percent of shots from the floor and ranks fifth in the GNAC at 46.9 percent from 3point range. He is also a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore Sven Jeuschede is one of the top shooters in the league this season, hitting at a clip of 46.9 percent from the arc.
TALL SHOWING CONSISTENCY: One of three players to start every game this year, junior big man Kamal Tall continues to have an effective presence under the basket. Playing upwards of 20 minutes for the third time this year last Saturday, Tall hauled in six rebounds and posted a pair of blocks to help in the win
over Western Washington. CINCO MATCHES SEASON BEST: Following the theme of his teammates, freshman guard Cinco Durr matched his season high in scoring with 15 points against the Clan, and then came up with a season-best four steals against the Vikings last week. His 16 steals are the most on the team, and he is averaging 5.8 points per game in his first collegiate season. LESSINGER TOUGH AROUND THE RIM: Complementing Tall in the paint, redshirt freshman Zack Lessinger worked his way into the rotation to score eight points and block two shots against WWU, while adding four rebounds in 16 solid minutes off of the bench. Shooting at a mark of 58.6 percent has earned Lessinger increased playing time as well, as his 31 total minutes last week were his most in a weekend series this year. AS A TEAM: An average of 91.1 points per game over the last eight games has elevated MSUB to the fourth-best scoring margin in the GNAC, as the ‘Jackets are at plus-7.0 and out-score the opposition 84.8-77.8. The team also enters this week leading the league from the foul line at 77.1 percent, ranking fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage at 37.3 percent, and fifth in overall field-goal percentage at 46.1 percent. MSUB is in the middle of the pack at fifth in rebounding margin with a mark of plus-4.0. The team’s average of 13.0 offensive rebounds per game is second-best in the GNAC.
Thursday, January 5 – Central Washington University Wildcats – 7 PM Alterowtiz Gym | Billings, MT | ESPN Radio 910 KBLG Game of the Week 2016-17 Record: 7-3, 2-2 GNAC Head Coach: Greg Sparling, 22nd Season 2015-16 Record: 18-8, 13-7 GNAC (5th place) The Wildcats split their first two conference games coming out of the holiday break, suffering a 98-77 loss at Western Oregon on Thursday before defeating Concordia University 80-73 on Saturday. Overall the ‘Cats have won three of their last four games. CWU will host Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday evening, as the Yellowjackets’ two opponents for the week square off in Ellensburg, Wash., before heading to Billings. After transferring from Alaska Anchorage, senior guard Dom Hunter has taken the GNAC by storm as he leads the league with 26.9 points per game. Hunter is shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 43.0 percent from long distance, and a stellar 89.5 percent from the line. He is also averaging 3.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Naim Ladd and Jawan Stepney are two of CWU’s other offensive weapons, averaging 15.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Ladd, a sophomore this season, leads the team with 3.1 assists per game but is coming off of his two lowest scoring performances of the year with eight points against WOU and just five at Concordia. Fuquan Niles leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game, and is also chipping in a solid 7.8 points. As a team CWU averages 89.9 points per game while allowing 85.2, and is getting out-rebounded by the opposition an average of 42.9-36.4 boards per game. The Wildcats shoot 45.1 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from 3-point range, and 73.8 percent from the free-throw line. The Series: CWU has control over the all-time series with an 18-5 record against the ‘Jackets. MSUB is 3-7 all-time in home games against the ‘Cats. The ‘Jackets have lost five in-a-row and 11 of the last 13 games played between the teams. Last Time Out: CWU won both games between the teams last year, picking up an 87-75 win in Ellensburg and handing MSUB a tough 88-79 overtime loss in Billings last February. Matthews had 17 points and Beverly added 13 in the road loss, while the latter led all players with 21 points in the defeat at home. Saturday, January 7 – Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders – 7 PM Alterowitz Gym | Billings, MT 2016-17 Record: 5-5, 2-2 GNAC Head Coach: Scott Flemming, 2nd Season 2015-16 Record: 8-18, 4-16 GNAC (10th Place) Mirroring CWU’s performance last week, NNU defeated Western Oregon 64-59 but lost to Concordia 70-55 as the team is off to a 2-2 start in league play. The Crusaders have lost five of their last seven games overall and will travel to Ellensburg Tuesday to face CWU in advance of Saturday’s game in Billings.
Veteran Bouna N’Diaye is among the team’s leaders in scoring with 15.1 points per game, and is also contributing 5.2 rebounds. He is one of the top 3-point shooters in the league, hitting at a mark of 45.2 percent (19-for-42). Newcomer Maurice Jones, who transferred from Saddleback College (Calif.), is leading the team in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). Kaileb Rodriguez is also a double-figure scorer for the Crusaders, averaging 12.9 points per game and a solid 6.5 rebounds. Jayden Bezzant is another strong shooter from the arc at 45.0 percent (18-for-40), and is turning in 9.9 points per game. Though the Crusaders are a low-scoring team at just 73.0 points per game, their stingy defense concedes just 70.2 as they have kept their scoring margin positive. NNU also holds a narrow advantage in rebounding at 36.0-35.8. The Crusaders are shooting 47.8 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from long range, and just 59.1 percent from the foul line. The Series: In an even overall series, MSUB holds a narrow edge at 17-16. The ‘Jackets are 11-7 at home against NNU, but the Crusaders have won five of the last six games between the teams. Last Time Out: NNU outlasted MSUB 98-96 in a shootout in Nampa, Idaho last January, but the ‘Jackets snapped a fivegame losing streak in the series with a convincing 75-54 win at home last February. Denham had a career-best 25 points in the road loss, and Matthews matched the mark with 25 points in the victory at home. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--