MSUB men kick off 4-game GNAC road trip this week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, January 5, 2015 MSUB men kick off 4-game GNAC road trip this week

Currently sitting in a tie for third place in the GNAC standings, the Yellowjackets hit the road for four straight conference games beginning in Idaho on Thursday.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Having won three straight games overall and three of its first four to begin the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season, the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team is back in action this week as the Yellowjackets kick off a four-game road trip on Thursday in Idaho.

MSUB (6-6, 3-1 GNAC) will challenge Northwest Nazarene University (4-6, 0-4 GNAC) at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho in a 7 p.m. tipoff Thursday. The ‘Jackets will then take on Central Washington (7-2, 2-2 GNAC), which is also the winner of three straight, on Saturday at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Wash., at 8 p.m. Mountain time. Both games will feature live video and statistics, available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

With school and classes remaining on hold with winter break until Jan. 19, the Yellowjackets will not return to Billings before heading to Alaska on Sunday for two more GNAC games the following week. The ‘Jackets will take on the University of Alaska Anchorage in a special Tuesday game, set for Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. Mountain time at the Alaska Airlines Center. MSUB will wrap up the 11-day venture with another 9 p.m. Mountain time tipoff in Fairbanks on Jan. 14 against the Nanooks.

“We are trying to focus mainly on this week, on Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “Coming back after Christmas we had a really busy week with three games, and now it is time to go back to work.”

Eight of MSUB’s final 12 games of the 2015-16 season are at home, after having opened the year with just four of its first 16 at Alterowitz Gym. The ‘Jackets are coming off of GNAC victories over Western Washington University and Simon Fraser University last week, as MSUB took care of business at home. MSUB defeated WWU 77-75 last Saturday, after picking up a 94-83 win over SFU two evenings earlier.

JOHNSON SHOWING SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Senior forward Emmanuel Johnson has been playing his best basketball of the season as of late, playing at least 30 minutes in each of MSUB’s games last week. Against the Vikings, Johnson had his best single-game performance of the season to date, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds with three assists and a block. He had 14 rebounds and six assists total in the two wins, while making 8 of 13 shots from the field.

Johnson is now averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on the year.

CAREER HIGH FOR MATTHEWS: Keying a 20-2 run that opened the second half and ultimately determined the game on Thursday, junior Marc Matthews made 9 of 15 shots including 5 of 7 from the arc for a career-best 27 points on Thursday against the Clan. Matthews made all four of his free throws, and also picked up four rebounds, two steals, and an assist in his best game of the season. Matthews continues to lead the team with 14.8 points per game, which also ranks No. 11 in the GNAC. He also ranks second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 91.7 (22-for-24) and in 3-point accuracy at 48.5 percent (32-for-66).

“In the second half we were getting more rebounds and stops and that was turning into buckets on the other end,” Matthews said of the team’s win on Thursday. “Jace I thought played great, and we kept giving the ball to EJ and Preston inside and they were scoring at will.”

“Marc got us going and had a really nice game, and he shot the ball extremely well,” Stevens said. “That second half against Simon Fraser really got us going for the weekend.”

Junior Marc Matthews.

BEVERLY INTO DOUBLE FIGURES: Scoring a season-best 26 points in two of his last three games, true freshman Preston Beverly has upped his season scoring average to 10.7 points. Beverly also ranks No. 12 in the GNAC in rebounding with 6.4 per game, and has notched a pair of double-doubles this season. He has shown proficiency in overall shooting as of late, shooting 46.2 percent (25 of 54) over his last four games. Even better from the foul line, Beverly has made 18 of his last 22 free throws (81.8 percent), and was a perfect 10-for-10 on Sunday in an exhibition game at Carroll College though the shots did not count towards his stat line.

“The fact that Preston has been to the line 10 times in three games is a good sign,” Stevens said. “Hopefully he can continue that pace of getting to the line because he is a good free-throw shooter.”

PERRY EFFECTIVE AGAINST VIKINGS: Eating up 33 minutes on Saturday, sophomore Jordan Perry put up a solid seven points and nine rebounds with an assist, a block, and a steal to help the ‘Jackets win their third straight. Perry started both games last week, and had four total assists to go with 10 rebounds. On the season, he is averaging just under double figures with 9.5 points and is also picking up 4.3 rebounds per game.

DENHAM MATCHES SEASON HIGH: Playing 29 minutes against the Clan, sophomore point guard Kendall Denham tied his season high in scoring with a dozen points on Thursday. Denham led the team with four assists against the Vikings, and made 5 of 9 shots on the weekend while also grabbing five boards.

‘JACKETS SUFFER BIG LOSSES: Junior guard Jace Anderson was perhaps the most outstanding performer on the weekend for MSUB, scoring 18 points in each of the Yellowjackets’ victories and earning GNAC Player of the Week honors on Monday. With 40 seconds left in Saturday’s game however, Anderson went down with a knee injury that will prove to keep him sidelined for the remainder of the 2015-16 season. Anderson ranked second on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, and led the Yellowjackets with 33 assists and 13 steals while averaging 25.9 minutes.

The ‘Jackets will also be without freshman forward Christian Evans for the rest of the season, as he has been ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the 2015-16 year. Evans ranked third on the team in scoring with 11.5 points and third in rebounding with 5.4 having played in 10 games and started eight so far.

MSUB senior forward Momir Gataric, who was ruled out for the season after injuring his knee last year at home against Western Washington, announced that he will not return to the program in 2016-17. Gataric was a 2015-16 preseason all-GNAC selection, after averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in his first year with the team as a junior in 201415.

Junior Jace Anderson.

INTERNATIONAL REINFORCEMENTS: Despite the Yellowjackets’ personnel losses, they have gained three key players who will each have an impact the rest of the season. Junior forward Emmanuel Olufemi, a transfer from Miles Community College and a Lagos, Nigeria native, was cleared through the NCAA to join the team on Dec. 11 and has played in all four games since. Olufemi’s 6-foot-9 frame has filled a major presence for MSUB already, as he is averaging 6.5 rebounds and leads the team with 13 blocks in 15.3 minutes per game.

Two more new players were also cleared to join the ‘Jackets last week, with Sven Jeuschede of Roesrath, Germany and Kamal Tall of Leuven, Belgium suiting up for the first time against Simon Fraser. Jeuschede scored his first points of the season on a 3-pointer against the Vikings, and he had three rebounds and a pair of assists over his first two games. Tall, standing 6-foot-8, also saw action in both games and had five points and a rebound against the Clan.

Jeuschede figures to help fill the void left by Anderson, as he and Denham will see increased minutes the rest of the way.

“You could tell from the early action that Sven is ready to go,” said Stevens. “He is a guard who can play in this league, and we are obviously going to need his minutes now.”

“It was great to be out there, and it had been hard for me just to practice,” Jeuschede said of his long awaited debut with the ‘Jackets. “I have had to adjust a little bit to the American style of play, but I am getting more and more comfortable in these games.”

Overall on the season the ‘Jackets are averaging 75.5 points per game and allowing 80.7, and are grabbing 34.8 rebounds while allowing 37.2. MSUB is leading the conference with a mark of 39.4 percent from 3-point range, and holds a solid mark of 74.0 percent from the foul line which ranks third in the GNAC. Overall from the field the ‘Jackets are shooting at 44.1 percent. MSUB’s average of 9.2 made 3-pointers per game ranks second in the conference behind Saint Martin’s (9.3).

Thursday, January 7 – at Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders – 7 PM 2015-16 Record: 4-6, 0-4 GNAC Head Coach: Scott Flemming, 1st season The Crusaders are yet to win a conference game under first-year head coach Scott Flemming, and have lost four straight and six of their last seven overall.

Last week, NNU fell in overtime against Concordia University 87-83, before losing to Western Oregon 75-53 in a pair of home games. The Crusaders previously lost GNAC games at Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks, making three of their four conference losses against teams with a combined 11-1 GNAC record.

The Crusaders have four players averaging in double figures in scoring, with Bouna N’Diaye leading the way at 15 points per game. Mike Wright (14.6 ppg) and Detwon Rogers (14.0 ppg) are close behind, and Joel Devastey is at 10.8 points with a team-second best 5.3 rebounds.

NNU’s four everyday starters have carried the team, with Wright ranking second in the GNAC with 5.4 assists per game and Rogers collecting a team-best 5.4 rebounds. All four have also been effective shooters, ranging from 37.6 percent to 51.8 percent and all making more than 40 field goals on the year.

As a team the Crusaders average 74.3 points and allow 78, and are out-rebounded by opponents 41.3-35.1. NNU is shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from long distance, and 73.5 percent from the free-throw line.

The Series: MSUB holds a narrow 16-15 advantage in the 31 historic meetings between the teams, but the Crusaders have won the last four contests dating back to the 2013-14 season. MSUB is 6-8 alltime in games played in Nampa.

Last Time Out: The ‘Jackets suffered a narrow 59-57 setback on the road last season against the ‘Saders, a game in which Perry had eight points in 20 minutes. NNU stormed to a 91-67 win at Alterowitz Gym last year, as 20 points from Johnson and 13 from Perry were not enough last February.

Saturday, January 9 – at Central Washington University Wildcats – 8 PM MTN 2015-16 Record: 7-2, 2-2 GNAC Head Coach: Greg Sparling, 20th season Similar to the ‘Jackets, the Wildcats have won three straight games en route to a 7-2 start to their season. Most recently, CWU became the first NCAA Division II team this season to defeat No. 3 Western Oregon University in an 81-77 victory in Ellensburg on Thursday. The Wildcats then held on for an 85-80 win over Concordia University, to pull their conference record even at 2-2.

Under seasoned head coaching veteran Greg Sparling, Joseph Stroud has forced his way into the top-5 in the GNAC in scoring with 17.1 points per game. The senior forward also ranks third in the conference in field-goal percentage at 62.4 percent, and leads the field with 2.8 blocks per game and 25 total on the season.

Complementing Stroud are Gary Jacobs (15.8 ppg), Joey Roppo (13.4 ppg), and Devin Matthews (11.1 ppg), who are all scoring in double figures. Freshman Naim Ladd is a hair under double digits with 9.4 points per game, and has seen action in all nine games.

Stroud leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game, and Jacobs is close behind with 6.4. Matthews’ 6.4 assists per game leads the GNAC, and Roppo is the squad’s top long-range shooter at 44.6 percent (25-for-56).

As a team CWU averages a league-best 90.8 points per game, but ranks ninth in scoring defense allowing 81.0. The Wildcats out-rebound opponents 42.4-36.7, shoot 48.8 percent from the floor, 37.3 percent from 3-point range, and 71.3 percent from the line.

The Series: MSUB is 5-16 alltime against the Wildcats, and has only won one time in 10 contests at Nicholson Pavilion.

CWU has won the last three games and nine of the last 11 overall dating back to the 2010-11 season.

Last Time Out: In a 104-99 overtime loss at home, 2014-15 senior Antoine Hosley set a GNAC single-game scoring record with 50 points. Johnson chipped in a dozen points and Denham had four assists. MSUB fell 88-79 on the road last year, a game in which Matthews scored 17 points and just missed a double-double with nine boards.

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