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BILLINGS, Mont. – It was a tight game throughout Thursday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium, but a Mason King 3-pointer at the 1:31 mark proved to be the game-winner and helped lift the University of Alaska Fairbanks over the Montana State Billings men's basketball team 70-68.

The Yellowjackets fall to 5-14 on the season and 3-9 in the GNAC with the loss, while the Nanooks improved to 7-11 on the year and 4-7 in the conference, staying ahead of the Jackets by a game and a half in the conference race.

“Tonight was a tough loss for us,” said head coach George Pfeifer. “We were playing well in the first half and were making things happen for most of the second half, but we couldn't close out the game in the final three minutes. We were up six, but Fairbanks did a good job of creating pressure on the ball and forcing us into bad situations. We have to re-group and prepare for another tough game against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.”

MSUB held a six point, 65-59 lead with 3:42 to go in the game after Jaxon Myaer (Salt Lake City, UT) connected on two of his 16 points from just inside the arc. The small run put together by the Nanooks began when the nation's leading scorer, Parrish West, stole an errant Yellowjacket pass and took it in for an easy lay-in and two of his game-high 35 points.

Parrish then made another steal when Raason Young (Washington D.C.) was trapped and threw the ball into his waiting hands. West then went to line and hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to two, 65-63.

After the Jackets turned the ball over for the third time in three possessions, King spotted up for a three in the right wing with 2:28 to go to give UAF their first lead since the 13:03 mark in the second half.

That lead was short lived as the Yellowjackets moved down the floor and Emery Henning (Great Falls, MT) drew a foul to go to the line for a pair of free throws. Henning connected on both for two of his team-high 20 points, giving the Jackets a 67-66 lead with 2:12 remaining.

After another MSUB free throw gave them a two-point lead, 68-66, King hit a giant trey from the corner off a missed free throw to put the Nanooks up by one. Neither team could hit any type of shot over the final minute and a half as West capped the scoring with a free throw with six seconds left to post the final score.

Henning's 20 points were paired with a game-high 12 rebounds as the Yellowjacket big man shot 9-of-11 from the field. Myaer's 16 points were coupled with nine assists, while Tyler Barnes (Portland, OR) had 12 points and seven rebounds in the game.

MSUB shot 45.6 percent from the floor, including hitting 50.0 percent of shot from the arc. The Jackets were 10-of-17 from the free throw line and managed to out rebound the Nanooks 40-35 in the game. They also outscored UAF 31-24 in the paint and won the bench battle 12-4.

West's 35 points came on 11-of-25 shooting, going 11-of-16 from the line and collecting eight boards. The Nanooks also had a solid game from Brett Barkman who had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

UAF shot 41.0 percent from the floor for the game, but were a dismal 35.7 percent in the second half. They also shot poorly from the arc, hitting only 26.7 percent of their shots, including going 0-for-7 in the first half alone. The Nanooks did manage to shoot 69.6 percent from the line.

The Nanooks really made their own opportunities throughout the night, forcing 14 Yellowjackets turnovers which led to 20 points on the other end.

The game saw six ties during the game and 17 lead changes throughout the evening. MSUB's last field goal came at the 3:42 mark in the second half, while UAF last scored a field goal with 1:31 to go.

The Yellowjackets are back in action on Saturday night during Hall of Fame night at MSUB. The Jackets will host Alaska Anchorage at 7:30 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game, which begins at 5:15 p.m. The game can be viewed on the web at msubsports.com.