BILLINGS, Mont. -- After an 11 day layoff since their last game and the Christmas holiday thrown in the mix, the Montana State Billings men's basketball team will look to regain their focus and style of play as they prepare for a pair of conference road tests at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon this week.
 
The Yellowjackets (6-4, 1-1 GNAC), who are currently one of four teams with a 1-1 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, are looking to re-open conference play with a strong start as they must finish in the top six to earn a berth in the GNAC tournament in March.
 
MSUB was last in action on Dec. 16, as they cruised past a hot Dickinson State team 82-66 at home and then won an exhibition contest against the alumni the very next day, 104-82. In the game with the Blue Hawks, Jaxon Myaer led the way with 14 points as Chase Richards recorded nine boards in the contest. The Jackets pulled away late as they shot 44.3 percent from the floor and recorded 15 steals.
 
This season the Yellowjackets are shooting 42.8 percent (284-664) from the floor and have connected on 33.8 percent (88-260) of their shots from long distance. The Jackets actually rank 25^th nationally with an 8.8 3-point field goal average this season.
 
MSUB is outscoring its opponents by 6.8 points per game on average this season as they are averaging 82.0 points per game. The Jackets' aggressive style of play has led to a +4.9 turnover margin, which ranks 20^th nationally, as they are forcing opponents into 22.3 turnovers per game.
 
Through 10 games, Antoine Proctor leads the team in scoring with 19.1 points per game and is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game and a team-best 25 steals. Jaxon Myaer and Taylor Stevens are also scoring in double figures this season as Myaer is averaging 12.9 points and has a team-high 47 assists, while Stevens is averaging 11.7 points and is averaging 4.2 boards.
 
On the rebounding front, Robert Mayes leads the team with 7.3 rebound per contest and is averaging 9.4 points per game and is tied with a team-high 10 blocks this season. P. Richards is averaging 7.2 points per game and his fast-paced style has led to 3.9 rebounds this season.
 
The Yellowjackets will be taking on a Saint Martin's team Thursday night that is 5-6 on the season and 1-1 in the conference. SMU is coming off a 69-52 victory over Pacific Lutheran just before the holiday break after Roger O'Neill led the team with 17 points and Brok Pendleton pulled down 15 boards.
 
Jeremy Green leads the team with 17.7 points per game this season and is second on the team in rebounds at 7.2 per game. O'Neill is second in scoring with 14.6 points, while Pendleton is averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds.
 
The Saints have outshot their opponents this season with a 46.1 percent shooting percentage on the floor, but have struggled behind the arc with just a 27.7 3-point percentage. SMU is being out rebounded by a 4.3 margin, but are forcing 0.6 more turnovers per game, forcing 175 this season. Pendleton is helping the defense with a team-best 28 blocks as the Saints have 29 more blocks than the opposition.
 
Saturday's game at Western Oregon pits the Jackets against one of the league's top teams so far this season as the Wolves are currently 9-2 this season and 2-0 in the GNAC with one of their losses coming at Division I Washington State (42-66).
 
WOU has been led by four players averaging double figures as Blair Wheadon leads all scorers with 14.6 points per game and has a team-high 23 steals. Second in scoring is Kyle Long who is averaging 12.6 points and has a team-high 33 assists, while Kolton Nelson averages 11.3 points and 5.0 boards, and Tarance Glynn is averaging 10.0 points and team-high 9.5 rebounds.
 
The Wolves are shooting 46.6 percent from the field this season and hold a +2.4 rebounding margin over opponents. WOU also holds a +2.6 turnover margin and are outscoring the opposition by 8.5 points per contest.
 
Both contests can be seen on the web through each school's website, but only Western Oregon will have live stats available on their website. There are also links on the schedule page available at msubsports.com that will take fans to appropriate links for all of the action.