FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, November 21, 2016 ‘Jacket men hit road for 3 games over Thanksgiving week
MSUB’s men’s basketball team plays three games on the road this week, taking on Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, and Western State Colorado. BILLINGS, Mont. – A busy week lies ahead for the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team, as the Yellowjackets hit the road for three non-conference games over the Thanksgiving holiday. MSUB (1-3) starts off with a 6 p.m. matchup at Chadron State College on Tuesday evening at the Chicoine Center. Tuesday’s game will feature live video, a live radio broadcast, and live statistics, available here. The ‘Jackets will then make their way back towards the Magic City, stopping in Grand Junction, Colo., for two more games. On Friday, MSUB will challenge Colorado Mesa University at 7 p.m., before taking on Western State Colorado University on Saturday at 3 p.m. Both games in Colorado will feature live video and live statistics, available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.
“We have played good defense most of the year, we are just in a situation right now where offensively it has been a struggle,” said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. “This is going to be a good week for us as a team, as we will have the chance to be together over Thanksgiving. These are three games against tough Division II opponents, and it is all preparation for December 3rd when we have our first GNAC game.” The Yellowjackets are coming off a pair of losses last week, most recently falling to Cal State East Bay 54-50 on Saturday. MSUB also lost at Rocky Mountain College last Tuesday, dropping the crosstown rivalry game 78-73 at the Fortin Center. BEVERLY BETTER THAN EVER: One of the bright spots for the ‘Jackets last week was the performance of sophomore forward Preston Beverly, who put together one of his best games yet on Saturday against the Pioneers. Scoring 25 points and adding a career-high 14 rebounds, Beverly notched his first double-double of the year and the eighth of his young career at MSUB. The sophomore was unstoppable at times against the Pioneers, attacking the rim and shooting from the perimeter at an equally effective pace throughout the game. The big performance came after an 18-point, eight-rebound effort against the Bears on Wednesday, and Beverly ranks seventh in the league in scoring with 18.5 points and eighth in rebounding at 7.5 boards through the first four games of the year.
Sophomore Preston Beverly picked up his eighth career double-double on Saturday.
“I just feed off of my teammates and everybody’s energy, and I’m just trying to let the game come to me,” Beverly commented on his strong start to the season. “We just need to close out these tight games at the end.”
EVERYDAY EVANS: Leading the team with 30.5 minutes per game, sophomore Christian Evans is the only player to command the boards at a higher clip than Beverly. Averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, Evans has also contributed an average of 9.8 points and has two double-doubles this year. SHOOTING SLUMP: The Yellowjackets have gotten off to a slow start shooting this season, and will look for a boost in accuracy this week to bump their scoring average higher. MSUB ranks last in the GNAC in field-goal percentage (37.7) and in 3-point field-goal percentage (23.6), and has made just 10 of its last 50 3-pointers (20.0 percent). From the foul line however, it has been a different story as the ‘Jackets lead the GNAC with a percentage of 80.4 (82-for-102). Through four games, MSUB is averaging 74.2 points per game while allowing 78.2, figures that each rank eighth in the GNAC.
Tuesday, November 22 – at Chadron State College Eagles – 6 PM Chicoine Center | Chadron, Nebraska 2016-17 Record: 0-2 Head Coach: Houston Reed, 1st Season 2015-16 Record: 7-19, 5-17 RMAC The Eagles are off to an 0-2 start this season, under first-year head coach Houston Reed. CSC suffered a heartbreaking 78-77 loss at Bellevue University last Tuesday, before falling to Northern State 94-74 in its 2016-17 home opener on Friday. Veteran returner Warren Gordon has gotten off to a hot start, scoring 43 points in the first two games of his senior campaign. After leading the team with 12.4 points last season, the Eagles will continue to depend on the guard’s leadership on the offensive front. Darius Polley and Jordan Perry have also been effective early on, with 24 and 26 points, respectively, through the team’s first two games. Perry is a 6-foot-6 returning forward, who averaged 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds last year. Polley followed Coach Reed from his previous school at Otero Junior College, where he averaged 8.0 points and 2.0 assists. Austin Hall is another transfer who brings well-rounded play to the team, leading the squad with a dozen rebounds and an average of 9.5 points through two games as a 6-foot-6 forward. The Series: MSUB holds a narrow 7-5 edge in the all-time series, which originated with a pair of games in 1956. The teams have split the last four meetings, and have not played since 2011. MSUB has never won at Chadron State, holding an 0-4 record on the road. Last Time Out: The ‘Jackets defended their home court with a 98-94 overtime win at Alterowitz Gym on Nov. 11, 2011. Antoine Proctor led MSUB with 27 points, while Jaxon Myaer scored 18 and had nine assists. Friday, November 25 – at Colorado Mesa University Mavericks – 7 PM Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colorado 2016-17 Record: 1-3 Head Coach: Andy Shantz, 4th Season 2015-16 Record: 21-9, 16-6 RMAC Colorado Mesa picked up its first win of the season last week, defeating Dine College 120-33 on Friday at home. The Mavericks followed with an 85-78 loss to Wayland Baptist University the following evening, and are 1-3 to start the year. Reigning all-RMAC guard CJ Davis has built off of his 12.8 points per game last year, scoring at a clip of 18.3 through the first four games of his junior season. He is a premier 3-point shooter, hitting at a clip of 44.4 percent (16-for-36) this year. Also averaging double figures are James Sylvester (11.8 ppg), Connor Nichols (10.8 ppg), and Eimer Lopez (10.3 ppg). Sylvester is a 5-foot-10 senior guard, who transferred from Coppin State and will close his career with the Mavericks. Nichols is looking to build off of a productive freshman campaign in which he was a key player off the bench, averaging 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds and playing in all 30 games last year.
Lopez is another returning all-conference player, after averaging 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds as a junior in 2015-16. As a team CMU is averaging 85.5 points per game while allowing 72.0, and is being narrowly out-rebounded by opponents 37.3-37.0. The Series: The ‘Jackets are 2-0 against the Mavericks, but the teams haven’t met since the 2001-02 season. This will be the first road game against CMU for MSUB. Last Time Out: MSUB won two games in three days against the Mavericks, winning 77-65 on Nov. 17, 2001 and 98-91 two days later at Alterowitz Gym. Danny Phillips scored 35 points in the two wins for the ‘Jackets, while Brian Cook totaled 22 rebounds. Saturday, November 26 – vs. Western State Colorado Mountaineers – 3 PM Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colorado 2016-17 Record: 1-1 Head Coach: Bradd Schafer, 3rd Season 2015-16 Record: 6-22, 5-17 RMAC Facing the same two teams as the Mavericks last week, the Mountaineers emerged from their season-openers with the same two results. WSCU defeated Dine College 118-46 on Saturday, after an 89-78 loss to Wayland Baptist on Friday. The team will face Midwestern State University on Nov. 25 at 3 p.m. before challenging the Yellowjackets the following afternoon. Five players are averaging in double figures after the opening weekend, with junior forward Collin Smith leading the way with 17.0 points per game. A transfer from Black Hills State University, Smith has also pulled down nine rebounds. Zach Madlom scored 15 points in his first game of the year, while Brady Subart has scored 23 with 12 rebounds in two games played. Branden Cosby-Lee is averaging 11.0 points, and Patrick Sniff leads the team with 16 boards so far. Sniff, a 6-foot-8 junior forward who transferred from Irvine Valley College, also scored 10 points in each of his first two games. The Mountaineers out-rebounded their first two opponents by an average of 44.0-33.0, and are shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from the arc, and 70.6 percent from the foul line. The Series: MSUB is 2-1 all-time against WSCU, in a series that has been on hiatus since 1994. The ‘Jackets won both games at home, while the Mountaineers won the lone neutral-site game between the two. Last Time Out: WSCU picked up an 84-80 win on Dec. 3, 1994, when the teams met at the Southern Colorado Classic. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--