BILLINGS, Mont. –The Montana State University Billings Men's Basketball team will return home to Alterowitz Gym to welcome two Great Northwest Athletic Conference foes: The University of Alaska-Anchorage and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

The Jackets kicked off the New Year on the road against Saint Martin's University and Western Oregon University. They went 1-1 on the trip, defeating SMU 66-50 led by Jonathan Mesghna who had a career night scoring 24 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

The following game MSUB dropped a tight game against WOU 98-90 in double overtime. MSUB finished with six players scoring double figures. Chase Miller scored a career high and team high 18 points going 4-8 from behind the arc. Kalob Hatcher scored 16 points and had a game high seven assists. Both Devon Wallace and Connor Donaldson scored 15 points while Jonathan Mesghna and Austin Hudson added 10 points.

Nearing the halfway point in the season, the Jackets are currently 6-6 overall and 2-2 in GNAC play. That is good enough for sixth place in the conference with a lot of basketball yet to be played. The top six finishers qualify for the GNAC tournament in March.

"Obviously, this is an important week for us," head coach Jamie Stevens said. "Not only are we playing two really good teams, but we also need to rebound from last Saturday which was a game we really feel we should have won."

The Jackets are 7th in scoring in the conference averaging 73.3 point per game and are third in the conference in scoring defense allowing opponents to score an average of 70.8 points per game.

Mesghna leads the Jackets in points and rebounds per game. He is 13th in the GNAC in scoring averaging 14.3 points per game and 9th in rebounding averaging 6.5 per contest. Mesghna is also 6th in the conference in three point shots made per game with 2.4.

Hatcher is currently 13th in Division II nationally and second in the GNAC in assists per game averaging 6.5. He also averages 10.8 points per game. Hudson is currently putting up the best single season field goal percentage in MSUB history converting on 68.1 percent of his shots. The MSUB single season record of 65.2 was set by Harvey Munford in 1964.

The Seawolves (9-5, 2-1 GNAC) are led by four players averaging double digit figures in scoring and have the ability to shoot opponents out of the gym. They boast four of the conference's top 15 scorers and three of the top five. As a team they are third in the in the nation in three point field goals made per game making an average of 13.8 per contest.

Travis Thompson is the GNAC's second leading scorer averaging 21.5 per game and second in three point shots made per game at 4.0. The only man ahead of him in that category is his teammate Kyle Fossman who averages 4.1 three point shots made per game and fourth in the conference in three point field goal percentage converting 46.7 percent. His 17.9 points per game is good enough for fifth highest in the GNAC as well.

Brian McGill is fourth in the conference averaging 18.0 points per game and leads the GNAC in assists per game at 7.1 which is also seventh nationally. Teancum Stafford is 14th in the GNAC in scoring with 14.2 points per game and is fourth in rebounding averaging 8.1.

UAA is coming off a weekend in which they went 1-1. The first game was a matchup against then ranked number 15 nationally, Western Washington University. WWU won the game 104-89. Stafford had 23 points and six rebounds. The Seawolves also got 22 points apiece from McGill and Fossman, McGill also dished out nine assists.

The Seawolves rebounded nicely as they put a 107-77 drubbing on Simon Fraser University. UAA shot 45.9 percent from three point range and made 17 three point shots. All five UAA starters finished the game with double figures in scoring.

The Jackets are 27-39 all-time against the Seawolves, but are 21-9 when playing at home at. Anchorage escaped Alterowitz with a 71-69 victory last season.

The Nanooks (7-4, 2-1 GNAC) are led by Ronnie Baker who averages 16.7 points per game which is seventh in the GNAC. Andrew Kelly averages 12.1 points per game and is second in the conference in rebounding pulling down an average of 8.7 per game. Sergej Pucar averages 12.4 points per game for the Nanooks and Joel Slocum averages 11.0 points per game while leading the GNAC is steals per game with 1.8.

UAF kicked off 2014 with a pair of victories. They began by beating Simon Fraser 67-58. UAF had four players score in double figures, led by Baker and Slocum who scored 14 each.

Then the Nanooks pulled off the upset of the season so far beating then number 15 nationally, Western Washington 65-61. Kelly had a double-double in the game, Pucar scored 18 while Slocum and Baker each scored 14.

The Jackets will meet the Nanooks for the 60th time and carry a 39-20 all-time advantage in the series. MSUB split the series last season with both teams successfully defending their home courts. Then the teams played each other in the first round of the GNAC tournament. The Nanooks came out victorious defeating the Jackets 87-73.

"Anchorage is explosive and very difficult to guard," Stevens said. "Their ability to shoot the ball is a problem. Fairbanks is very balanced and are playing well after what they did to Western Washington. Both games will be tough and we will need to play well to win."

The game against UAA is on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:00 PM and the game against UAF is on Saturday, Jan. 11th at 7:00 PM. Stats and live video for both games can be found at MSUBSPORTS.COM.