BILLINGS, Mont. – Returning from a split on the Alaska road trip, the Montana State Billings men's basketball squad prepares for a pair of quality Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests this weekend at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, entertaining Northwest Nazarene and No.17 Central Washington.
The Yellowjackets (4-9, 2-4) and Crusaders (5-7, 1-4) will tip-off at 7 p.m. on Thursday night during Washington Elementary Night sponsored by Wendy's. Saturday's game also features a 7 p.m. tip against the nationally ranked Wildcats (11-2, 4-1) during a game sponsored by the Montana Army National Guard.
Last week the Jackets earned a split, dropping a 73-52 decision at Alaska Anchorage, and then rebounding with a dominating 74-60 victory over Alaska Fairbanks. Robert Mayes scored 18 points and Emery Henning had a 10-point 11-rebound double-double in the win.
The Jackets have been paced by DeAndre Chambers all season long, scoring 13.0 points per game and 3.4 rebounds. Mayes has been steady in the post, scoring 11.9 points and a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per contest. Jaxon Myaer currently sits fourth in the conference with 4.3 assists per contest while scoring 10.4 points.
As a team the Jackets are scoring 68.8 points per contest and have been shooting 46.0 percent from the field this season, including just 32.0 percent from long range. The Jackets have hit 68.4 percent of their shots from the free throw line as well.
Looking at the Crusaders from Northwest Nazarene, they have lost their last two contests in close games, dropping a seven point decision at home against Anchorage, and then a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Wildcats at home.
NNU has been led by Drew Eisinger, scoring 11.8 points per game, while Brian Barkdoll has led the team in rebounds, averaging 7.8 per game and scoring 10.6 points per contest. Three other players are averaging double figures for the Crusaders who are looking to beat a George Pfeifer team for the first time since he took over the Yellowjacket program.
The Crusaders have shot 48.0 percent from the field this season and have shot just over 36 percent from the arc. They have been shooting 71.2 percent from the line this season, averaging 12.6 makes per contest. NNU has dominated opponents on the board, holding a +6.2 margin over opponents.
The Wildcats continued to hold their No.17 national ranking this week after their 91-86 win over the Crusaders last week in Nampa, Idaho. CWU has won a pair of games since losing a double-overtime thriller against Anchorage at home on Dec. 30.
The Wildcats are scoring 84.5 points per game as a team and holding opponents to just 71.4 points for a +13.2 scoring margin. CWU is shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, including shooting 38.9 percent from deep. Central Washington has shot 74.6 percent from the free throw line, knocking down 17.4 per game.
Jamar Berry leads the Wildcats this season in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game and 4.7 boards per contest. Chris Sprinker has also been a force for CWU, scoring 15.6 points per game and is the teams' second leading rebounder with 5.7 boards per game.
Both games will have live stats and webstream available through the MSUB athletics website at MSUBsports.com. Just click on the webstream or live stats buttons on the home page or on the men's basketball schedule page to view.
