Box Score
PHOTO GALLERY

BILLINGS, Mont. – The University of Montana Western men's basketball team cruised to a 78-57 victory at Montana State University Billings in non-conference action Wednesday.

The Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 Frontier Conference) have now four of their last five games and led for the entirety of the 149th meeting with MSU Billings. There were no ties in the game as well. Prior to Wednesday's win, Montana Western last won at MSU Billings on Feb. 28, 1979, 67-66, in the Frontier Conference playoffs.

UMW held the Yellowjackets to a season-low 33 percent shooting from the field, while it made 41 percent of its shots. A stifling Western zone defense limited MSUB's points near the basket, and drew 41 MSU Billings' three-point attempts. Montana State Billings made 10 of those shots from behind the perimeter.

The Yellowjackets took just 16 shots inside the three-point line, but had a 12-10 points in the paint advantage. The Bulldog defense also forced 21 turnovers, and turned those errors into a 21-7 points off of turnovers advantage. UMW finished with 11 steals.

Tyler Miller led four Montana Western double-digit scorers with a game-high 15 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-for-4 from behind-the-arc. Gabe Rucker scored 13 points and had a game-high eight assists. Kris Castro and Grant Fink both added 11. Vince Turk grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Maazin Butler and Jordan Overstreet both had three steals.

The Bulldogs made nine of their 22 three-point shots, and 23 of their 29 free-throw attempts. UMW outrebounded Montana State Billings, 36-33. Western had 14 assists to its 10 turnovers.

Montana Western scored the game's first eight points. A David Arnold three-pointer at the 10:50 mark of the first half closed the gap to 17-15. It was as close as the Yellowjackets came all night. UMW responded with an 11-0 run, capped by a pair of Rucker free-throws. A Fink jumper with 2:16 remaining in the first half gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the opening stanza, 39-22. Western took a 41-25 advantage into halftime.

Twenty of Montana State Billings' 25 shots in the first half came from behind-the-arc. MSUB went 4-for-20 in the first half from three-point range. The Yellowjackets were held to 28 percent shooting from the field, and was outrebounded, 24-13.

Just over two minutes into the second half, MSUB closed within 11 points. But, Montana Western scored eight unanswered points in a minute. A Connor Woodill jump-shot at the 12:59 mark of the second half gave the Bulldogs their first 20-point lead, 59-38. Two Fink free-throws gave UMW a 24-point advantage, the largest deficit under MSUB Head Coach Jamie Stevens, with 4:14 remaining in regulation.

The Yellowjackets (6-6, 0-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) were led by Cameron Cusworth's 14 points. The senior made four of his 11 three-point attempts. Omar McDade had a team-high six rebounds and three steals, Kalob Hatcher dished out four assists, and Jarrell Crayton blocked two shots.

“All credit goes to Montana Western,” Stevens said. “They came in here ready to go. They absolutely pounded us. They beat us in all areas. Coaching, any stat, and any part of a program they beat us. All credit goes to them. Congratulations to those guys. We're looking forward to going into the break.”

Montana State Billings has a break for the holidays, and returns for its final non-conference game of the season against Carroll College (0-10, 0-1 Frontier Conference) Dec. 29. The Yellowjackets eased past Carroll in an exhibition contest, 91-72, on Nov. 3, in Helena. This matchup will count for MSUB and be an exhibition for the Saints, and be played in Alterowitz Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Live video and stats will be available on MSUBSports.com.

MSUB – MONTANA WESTERN POSTGAME NOTES
- Montana Western now has a 75-74 one-game advantage over MSUB all-time.
- The Bulldogs have won 26 of the 75 all-time meetings in Billings.
- Prior to Wednesday's win, the last UMW victory at MSU Billings was on Feb. 28, 1979, 67-66.
- Montana Western's 24-point lead was the largest deficit the Yellowjackets have had under Jamie Stevens.
- Montana State Billings shot a season-low 33 percent.
- MSU Billings shot a season-high 41 three-pointers.
- The Bulldogs made nine three-pointers, a season-high for an MSUB opponent.
- MSU Billings made a season-low 19 field goals.
- Montana Western committed 10 turnovers, matching a season-low for a Yellowjacket opponent.

Montana Western vs MSU Billings
12/19/12 7:30 p.m. at Billings, Mont.
At Billings, Mont.
MONTANA WESTERN 78, MSU BILLINGS 57
MONTANA WESTERN (10-4,1-0 Front.)
Tyler Miller 5-7 2-2 15; Gabe Rucker 3-4 5-6 13; Grant Fink 2-6 7-8 11; Kris
Castro 3-7 4-6 11; Kris Collins 3-8 0-0 8; Maazin Butler 2-9 1-2 6; Vince
Turk 3-6 0-0 6; Connor Woodilll 2-4 0-0 4; Jordan Overstreet 0-4 2-2 2;
Austin Mailey 0-0 2-3 2; Zach Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 23-29 78.
MSU BILLINGS (6-6, 0-2 GNAC)
Cusworth,Cameron 5-12 0-0 14; Hatcher,Kalob 2-5 2-2 7; McDade,Omar 2-10 1-2
6; Johnson,Sam 2-4 2-3 6; Desin,Danny 2-7 0-0 6; Arnold,David 1-7 2-2 5;
Trabing,Robby 2-2 1-2 5; Crayton,Jarrell 1-3 1-2 3; Wallace,Devon 1-2 0-0 3;
Hook,Jimmy 1-1 0-0 2; Nelson,Tyler 0-0 0-0 0; Ridgeway,Brian 0-4 0-2 0.
Totals 19-57 9-15 57.
Montana Western...............   41   37  -   78
MSU Billings..................   25   32  -   57
3-point goals--Montana Western 9-22 (Tyler Miller 3-4; Kris Collins 2-5;
Gabe Rucker 2-3; Kris Castro 1-2; Maazin Butler 1-5; Jordan Overstreet 0-2;
Connor Woodilll 0-1), MSU Billings 10-41 (Cusworth,Cameron 4-11; Desin,Danny
2-7; Wallace,Devon 1-2; Hatcher,Kalob 1-4; Arnold,David 1-5; McDade,Omar
1-7; Ridgeway,Brian 0-3; Johnson,Sam 0-2). Fouled out--Montana Western-None,
MSU Billings-None. Rebounds--Montana Western 36 (Vince Turk 9), MSU Billings
33 (McDade,Omar 6). Assists--Montana Western 14 (Gabe Rucker 8), MSU
Billings 11 (Hatcher,Kalob 4). Total fouls--Montana Western 18, MSU Billings
22. Technical fouls--Montana Western-None, MSU Billings-TEAM 2. A-200