GAME NOTES

BILLINGS, Mont. – Friday night the Montana State University Billings' men's basketball team welcomes South Dakota Mines in a non-conference matchup. The Yellowjackets return to Alterowitz Gymnasium after a nearly 9,000-mile trip from Billings to Hawaii to Alaska, and back to Billings.

The game, which is sponsored by the Montana Army National Guard, pits a pair of teams heading in different directions. After winning three straight games to win the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort Thanksgiving Tournament at Hawaii-Hilo, the MSU Billings' men have dropped its last three contests, including last weekend's Great Northwest Athletic Conference opening games. The SDMT men lost two of its first three games, but have reeled off five consecutive victories.

“Obviously, we are playing a pretty hot team at the moment,” MSUB Head Coach Jamie Stevens said. “They are on a big winning streak and we will need to play with more energy than we have played with lately if we hope to win. We really need to use this game and the entire month of December to get our team playing better.”

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the teams, but the first since in 62 years, The Hardrockers grabbed the last win, 53-49, on Jan. 6, 1950. South Dakota Mines has won five of the six all-time meetings, including the last four. SDMT is currently a NCAA Div. II Independent program in search of a conference, and are two years out of NAIA competition.

South Dakota Mines' six wins this season have been by an average of nine points. AJ Trennepohl leads the Hardrockers with an average of 11.8 points per game. Caleb Shockman is right behind with an average of 11.5 points per outing, and he is grabbing a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game. Luca Nolan has started all eight contests and leads the team with an average of 2.4 assists per game.

SDMT averages 65.4 points per game as a team, while giving up 64.4. The Hardrockers are shooting 31 percent as a team from behind the arc, but are holding opponents to 29 percent.

Both teams have been outrebounded so far this season. South Dakota Mines' rebound margin is -1.5, compared to Montana State Billings' -5.4. The Yellowjackets +5.88 turnover margin is first in the GNAC, while SDMT's turnover margin is -0.9.

Montana State Billings is currently last in the conference in field goal percentage offense and field goal percentage defense. The Yellowjackets' free throw percentage (.616) and defensive rebounds per game (20.0) are also last in the GNAC. But, in comparison, MSUB was 5-3 after eight games last season before making its run into the postseason. MSU Billings' sits at 4-4 currently.

Newcomer Kalob Hatcher has been a bright spot for the Yellowjackets this season. The transfer from Irvine College is third in the conference in assists per outing (4.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2). He leads the team with 1.5 steals per game.

Jarrell Crayton currently leads the team at 15.3 points per contest. The senior has scored 122 points in his first eight games as a Yellowjacket. He is seventh in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in scoring. Crayton is shooting 51 percent from the field this season. He is adding 5.4 rebounds per contest. The transfer from Boise State University is also 10th in the GNAC in blocks per outing. He has reached double-digit scoring in his last six games, including a pair of 20-point performances.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday. A reminder that all children in sixth-grade or under are admitted free to the game. Live video and stats from the game are available on MSUBSports.com.