NAMPA, Idaho – Kevin Rima scored 16 points and added eight rebounds, fueling a second-half comeback for Northwest Nazarene as the Crusaders defeated visiting Montana State University Billings 59-57 Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play inside the Johnson Sports Center.
 
Trailing by just two points with five seconds remaining, a last-ditch 3-point attempt by Antoine Hosley was off the mark as time expired and the Crusaders (2-7, 1-1 GNAC) escaped with the narrow victory.
 
Erik Kinney had a double-double for NNU with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and shot 5-for-11 from the floor overall. Rima was 6-for-12, and the Crusaders shot 44 percent overall in the game (22-for-50). Mike Wright had four of NNU's eight assists on the game, and also contributed eight points and a rebound.
 
For MSUB (1-7, 0-2 GNAC) senior Austin Hudson had a team-high 15 points and came up one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Hudson was 5-for-10 from the field and shot 5-for-7 from the foul line.
 
"This was a tough loss for our team," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "We just couldn't make enough plays in the second half and it's hard to win close games without making free-throws and layups. I thought our effort was really good again but we just need to find a way to win close games."
 
Hosley finished with a dozen points for MSUB, and Momir Gataric was also in double figures with 10. Redshirt freshman Jordan Perry was effective all-around for MSUB, with eight points, four rebounds and a pair of assists on the evening.
 
On the game MSUB was outrebounded 34-27, and NNU's mark of 44 percent from the field topped MSUB's 40.9 percent. The Crusaders shot a strong 73.3 percent from the foul line (11-for-15), compared with a mark of 59.1 percent by the Yellowjackets (13-for-22).
 
MSUB held a slight edge in bench points, 22-21, but NNU heavily outscored MSUB in the paint 28-12. The Crusaders also generated five steals in the game, and overcame a six-point halftime deficit in their first conference win of the season.
 
Cruising to an early 8-0 lead, the Yellowjackets established command and built their advantage in the opening minutes of the first half.
 
Kendall Denham knocked down a big three in the corner on a pass from Perry, and the 'Jackets moved ahead 24-18 with less than 10 minutes until halftime.
 
The 'Jackets maintained distance as time wound down in the first, and took a 38-30 edge into the break.
 
Slowly working back into the game, NNU cut into the deficit and eventually tied the score at 44-44 on a jumper by Rima with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
 
MSUB temporarily regained the lead, but a three-point play converted by Rima pushed the 'Saders ahead by four at 52-48. Todd Helgesen followed with a finish two possessions later, giving NNU its largest lead of the night at six points, 56-50.
 
A 3-pointer by Pol Oliver with 3:30 left distanced the Crusaders further, making the spread 59-52. Hudson knocked down a pair of free-throws, and a three by Perry cut the deficit to two points with just more than two minutes remaining.
 
The Yellowjackets failed to tie the score again however, and NNU converted enough chances in the waning minutes to seal the win.
 
AHEAD: The 'Jackets return home to play the University of Montana Western in a nonconference game on Dec. 12. MSUB will also play its alumni game the following evening.