Box Score
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – DeAndre Chambers (Monroe, NC) and Robert Mayes (Houston, TX) combined for 32 points and Emery Henning (Great Falls, MT) recorded a double-double as the Montana State Billings men's basketball team dominated the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks 74-60 Saturday afternoon at the Patty Center in Fairbanks.
The Yellowjackets improved their record to 4-9 on the season and 2-4 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with the victory. The loss dropped the Nanooks to 3-7 on the season and kept them winless in conference play, 0-4.
“We played one of our more complete games of the season today,” said head coach George Pfeifer. “It was a good rebound win from our game the other night as we didn't let down after they made a run on us. We still have to be patient when running our plays and continue to improve our transition game. We're happy with the win today and anytime you can earn a split on the road in this conference, it's good. Now we must prepare for two important home games against Northwest Nazarene and a talented Central Washington team.”
Mayes had a team-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting and three rebounds. Chambers finished the night with 14 points, two boards and three assists. Henning ended with a game-high 11 boards and 10 points as the junior went 5-of-6 from the field.
After Parish West began the game with a 3-pointer from the right wing, the Jackets ripped off 14-straight points as Chambers collected eight points during the run, including a pair of treys. The Jackets gained a 14-3 advantage and kept the Nanooks scoreless for over three minutes.
UAF then went on a run of their own, cutting the lead to 33-25, using a West jumper from the elbow to spark a 10-0 run over the next two minutes. Henning stopped the bleeding as he received the ball underneath the hoop and went up with his right hand for two of his first half points.
The Yellowjackets would take a 41-27 lead into the half after closing on a 6-0 run with Mayes, Raason Young (Washington D.C.) and Robby Trabing (Buffalo, WY) all contributing points.
The Yellowjackets shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the first half, hitting 16 of their 30 attempts, and converting 4-of-10 3-pointers. The Jackets had one of their better halves from the line, making 5-of-6 attempts. The defense held the Nanooks to just 9-of-26 shooting, including 2-of-6 from the arc.
After trading buckets to open up the second half, West again opened up a run for UAF, knocking down a jumper that started a 12-4 run, cutting the Yellowjacket lead to 51-42 with 12 minutes to go. During the run, MSUB went without a field goal for over four minutes.
MSUB stretched their lead back out to 19 points, 63-44, over a four and a half minute span as Young started 12-4 run when he hit a jumper in the right corner from long range. The run took the clock down to the 7:22 mark before a media timeout was taken.
Both teams continued to trade baskets as the clock worked toward zeros. The Nanooks could get no closer than 12 down the stretch as Jaxon Myaer (Salt Lake City, UT) sunk a pair of free throws as part of his nine points to give the Jackets the winning margin.
For the game, MSUB shot 47.6 percent from the field, but struggled from the arc, hitting only five of their 19 attempts. The Jackets did have one of their best games from the free throw line, converting 9-of-10 free throw attempts.
One of the keys to the Jackets success was holding onto the ball, MSUB was averaging 16 turnovers a game but committed only eight on the day against a Nanook defense that leads the conference in steals. The defense stepped up, creating 20 points off of 12 turnovers. MSUB won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding UAF 36-32 and had 13 second chance points.
West, the nation's leading scorer, led the Nanooks with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Boe Edward's and Jarrett Miller combined for 21 points as both scored in double figures. Brett Barkman had a team-high nine rebounds to go along with his nine points.
The Yellowjackets now return home for a pair of GNAC home games against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and against nationally ranked Central Washington Saturday evening at Alterowitz Gymnasium. Both contests are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. MST.
