BILLINGS, Mont. – Coming off of a big 79-61 win over Black Hills State last Saturday, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team will look to carry the momentum into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play which begins this week with a pair of road contests.
 
On Thursday, MSUB will take on Central Washington at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Wash., before catching Northwest Nazarene at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho on the way back Saturday evening.
 
"We are excited about GNAC play beginning and the guys are looking forward to a fresh start," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "Every road trip in conference play is a tough battle."
 
The games are the first of the 18 slated for conference action this season, which will resume on New Year's Day 2015 after the holiday break. Both games this week will feature live video and statistics, available through www.msubsports.com.
 
MSUB (1-5) earned its first win of the year last weekend, downing visiting Black Hills State on Saturday behind a game-high 23 points from sophomore Marc Matthews. The 'Jackets heated up from the field, shooting 72.2 percent overall in the second half.
 
Overall on the year, Matthews (10.7 ppg) is one of four Yellowjackets to be averaging in double-figures in scoring. Senior Antoine Hosley is leading the way with 14.2 points per game, and Austin Hudson (13.2) and Momir Gataric (12.8) are close behind.
 
Hudson is leading the team in rebounding with 8.0 per contest, and is shooting 51.7 percent from the floor (30-for-58). His five steals are a team high, and he also has three blocks.
 
With five 3-pointers in the team's last game, Matthews now leads the squad in long-distance shooting at a clip of 37.5 percent (12-for-32). Hosley has also been effective from beyond the arc, shooting at 36.0 percent (9-for-25).
 
Sharing duties at point guard so far have been junior Gary Gordon and redshirt freshman Kendall Denham. Gordon is turning in 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, and is shooting a team-best 77.8 percent from the foul line (21-for-27). Denham holds a solid line of 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, and he leads the team in assists with 18.
 
Establishing his presence underneath the basket, junior Emmanuel Johnson has blossomed into the team's second-leading rebounder with an average of 6.2 per game. He is also averaging 6.0 points per game, thanks to a strong mark of 51.9 percent shooting from the floor (14-for-27).
 
Senior Tyler Nelson has also been a contributor in terms of rebounds, averaging 5.3 per game to go along with 4.5 points. Most recently, redshirt freshman Jordan Perry played a key role in helping MSUB to the win on Saturday as he ignited the team with eight rebounds off the bench.
 
As a team MSUB is shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from 3-point range. The 'Jackets have struggled from the foul line with a mark of 58.3 percent, but have outrebounded opponents 38.2-34.2 per game. Offensively, MSUB is averaging 72.7 points per game while allowing 77.0.
 
Thursday, December 4 – 8:30 p.m. MTN – Nicholson Pavilion
Central Washington University Wildcats
2014 Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Greg Sparling, 20th year
 
Saying goodbye to the No. 1 scorer in all of the NCAA Division II a season ago in Mark McLaughlin (27.1 ppg), the Wildcats feature a new-look team this season with more balanced scoring.
 
Junior transfer Gary Jacobs is pacing the squad so far with 12.0 points per game and Joseph Stroud is close behind with 11.6 points and a team-best 5.4 rebounds. While CWU averages just 68.4 points per game, the Wildcats' stingy defense is allowing 70.4 points per game.
 
A key returner for CWU, junior Jordan Russell is averaging 10.6 points per game and is leading the team from 3-point range with a mark of 43.8 percent (14-for-32). Dom Williams has been a strong presence with 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and Joey Roppo has turned in nine assists and is shooting 92.3 percent from the foul line (12-for-13).
 
As a team the Wildcats are being outrebounded 39.2-35.0 per game and hold a subpar assist-turnover ratio of 0.42.
 
"Central Washington is a different team than they have been, but they have been playing really well," Stevens said. "I know for a fact that they are going to play hard, and it looks like they are guarding really well this year as the scores are a little bit lower."
 
The Series: In 19 meetings all-time between the teams, MSUB holds a record of 5-14. The Yellowjackets have won two of the last three meetings, but CWU has taken seven of the last nine games overall.
 
At home MSUB holds a record of 3-5 against CWU but the 'Jackets have fared less well on the road at 1-8. The teams first met in 1965 at the NAIA national tournament in Kansas, with MSUB emerging 63-61. After going 35 years without a game, the two revitalized the series in 2000 and have met twice per season since MSUB joined the GNAC in 2007-08.
 
Last Season: The teams split their games last season, each winning at home. MSUB took care of business at Alterowitz Gym on Dec. 5, 2013, winning 82-67, while the Wildcats sneaked out a 91-88 win at home on March 1, 2014.
 
Hudson notched a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in MSUB's win last season, and scored 23 total points over the two-game stretch. Sophomore Jace Anderson had a career game in the second meeting between the two a year ago, pouring in 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting including 3 of 7 from 3-point range.
 
Saturday, December 6 – 7:30 p.m. MTN – Johnson Sports Center
Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders
2014 Record: 1-6
Head Coach: Dave Daniels, 2nd year
 
Entering conference play having dropped five games in-a-row, Northwest Nazarene will take on Seattle Pacific on Thursday before welcoming MSUB to the Johnson Sports Center on Saturday evening.
 
Similar to the 'Jackets, the Crusaders feature a lineup with four players averaging in double-digit scoring. Erik Kinney is leading the way with 14.6 points per game, and also paces the squad with 7.6 rebounds. Aubrey Ball (12.2 ppg), Mike Wright (11.4), and Kevin Rima (10.7) are NNU's other double-digit scorers.
 
The Crusaders are without 2013-14 GNAC Freshman of the Year Michael Loomis, who played in all 26 games and averaged 12.2 points a season ago. Rima is NNU's lone all-conference returner, as he earned honorable mention as a junior last year. In addition to his 10.7 points, Rima is also averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.
 
Wright has been the team's most consistent 3-point shooter with a mark of 44.1 percent (15-for-34), while Rima is shooting 60.0 percent from the floor overall (27-for-45). Rima also paces the squad with 26 assists and has come up with seven steals on the season.
 
As a team NNU allows 79.4 points per game while scoring 72.9, but the Crusaders outrebound opponents 32.0-29.1. The team is posting solid shooting marks across the board at 49.3 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from long range, and 70.4 percent from the free-throw line.
 
"NNU has a ton of new transfers, and they are probably a little bit in the same position as us," Stevens said regarding the Crusaders. "They have played a really difficult schedule, and I know Coach Daniels does a great job with them."
 
The Series: MSUB holds a slight edge between the teams all-time with a mark of 16-13. At home MSUB is 10-6 and the team will look to pull even at .500 on Saturday as the 'Jackets are 6-7 on the road against the Crusaders.
 
Last Season: In a pair of low-scoring matchups, NNU prevailed twice last season. On Dec. 7, 2013 in Billings, the Crusaders landed a 63-61 triumph and backed it up with a 66-60 win in Nampa on Feb. 27, 2014.
 
Matthews had success shooting in both games last season, scoring 13 points on 3-for-6 from 3-point range last December and adding 11 points on 3-for-6 from long distance in February. Hudson posted a double-double the last time the teams met with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and he also had two assists, two blocks and three steals in the game.
 
For NNU, Rima had big numbers in both games last year, scoring nine points with 13 boards in the first meeting and adding 13 points and six rebounds the second time out.