GAME NOTES

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings' men's basketball team welcomes cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College and University of Montana Western Monday and Wednesday.

After playing seven of the last eight contests on the road, the Yellowjackets (5-5, 0-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) play five straight contests in Alterowitz Gymnasium. Montana State Billings plays two of its final three non-conference contests this week, and faces the first of three straight Frontier Conference opponents against Rocky Mountain.

In Monday's “Battle for Billings”, MSUB is seeking a victory over Rocky Mountain after dropping the past three regular season meetings. The Yellowjackets grabbed an 81-77 exhibition win at RMC to open the season, but has yet to grab a regular season win over the Battlin' Bears since a 100-76 decision on Dec. 10, 2005. MSU Billings has won 86 of the 165 all-time meetings with Rocky Mountain, and is 49-29 against the Bears all-time in Alterowitz Gymnasium.

Rocky Mountain College had its four-game win streak snapped with a 50-49 setback at home to South Dakota Mines on Dec. 8. The Hardrockers handed RMC its second home loss this season, a night after falling at Montana State Billings. Rocky Mountain's other home loss this season came on Oct. 31 to MSUB, 81-77. The Battlin' Bears' four losses were a combined 17 points, including the last two by a combined three points. RMC upset the top-ranked team in NAIA Div. I, Concordia-Irvine, 84-81, in Las Vegas on Nov. 9.

Rocky Mountain boasts the seventh-best three-point field goal percentage defense in NAIA Div. I, holding opponents to 27 percent shooting from behind-the-arc. Joel Barndt has grabbed a total of 103 rebounds this season, seventh in NAIA Div. I. Jeremy Nicolas is averaging 14.5 points per outing, and shooting 56 percent from the field. Don Parham is dishing out 4.9 assists per game.

Montana State Billings held off RMC in the exhibition earlier this season. The Yellowjackets and RMC went back-and-forth for the entirety of the game, but it was MSUB that used key late shots and stops to pull away with the win on Halloween in front of a near sell-out crowd at the Fortin Center. It was the second straight season MSU Billings opens its schedule with an exhibition win over Rocky Mountain. Five Yellowjackets finished with double-digit scoring led by 14 points by David Arnold and Sam Johnson. Montana State Billings shot 43 percent from the field in the game, after opening 51 percent in the first half. The Yellowjackets made 12 of their 31 three-pointers, and seven of their 18 free-throw attempts.

On Wednesday, MSU Billings squares off against Montana Western for the first time since an 81-76 Yellowjacket victory on Nov. 22, 2008. It will be the 149th meeting between the teams, with the all-time series split at 74-74.

In the last meeting in 2008, a double-double by Travis Bunker and four starters in double figures helped lead the Montana State Billings to an 81-76 victory over visiting Montana Western at Alterowitz Gymnasium in the 2008-09 home opener. With the victory, the Yellowjackets improve to 1-1 on the year and halted a 13-game losing skid dating back to last season. As a team, the Yellowjackets shot 54 percent in the second half and 48 percent for the game on 27 of 56 from the floor. MSUB drained eight three-pointers and won the game at the free throw line going 9 for 10 in the final minutes. For the game, MSUB was led by a pair of 20 point performances from Michael Hall and Derek Wright, and Mario Burns chipped in 15 in the victory, while Bunker had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

This season, University of Montana Western has been powered by Maazin Butler's 13.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, both team-highs. Butler has scored over 20 points three times this season, including a 31-point effort in a win over Western State. Jake Owsley leads the Bulldogs with an average of 7.6 rebounds per contest. Kris Collins is third in NAIA Div. I in total steals with 33. He is averaging 2.54 per game.

Western enters the matchup with MSUB winning three of its last four, including a sweep over University of Calgary in its last two games on Dec. 7 and 8. UMW will present difficulty for MSU Billings from behind-the-arc for the second straight game, as Montana Western is second in NAIA Div. I three-point field goal percentage defense. The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 26 percent shooting from three-point range.

"This is an important week for our guys," MSUB Head Coach Jamie Stevens said. "Great to be at home for a few games. Would like to finish on good note before Christmas break. Two good teams and a nice challenge for our guys."

Monday and Wednesday's games are both scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tipoffs, and follows the women's games. Monday's games are sponsored by Cellular Plus, and all children in sixth grade or under will be admitted free. Live video and stats will be available on MSUBSports. A live radio broadcast will be available locally on KFHW 101.1 FM.