Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont. –The Montana State University Billings Men's Basketball lost their final regular season game to Central Washington University, 91-88 Saturday night. 

MSU-Billings had already clinched a Great Northwest Athletic Conference playoff spot Thursday night and will be the sixth seed in the post season tournament.  The Yellowjackets will face the University of Alaska-Fairbanks in the first round of the GNAC tournament on Wednesday Mar. 5th.  

In the CWU game, MSUB was led by Jace Anderson who had a career high 17 points in a career high 23 minutes of play.  Chase Miller scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting including 2-3 from three point range. Austin Hudson and Connor Donaldson each added 11 points while Danny Desin chipped in 10. 

Kalob Hatcher followed up his 10 assist night against Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday (Feb. 27) with another remarkable 10 assists in tonight's game against CWU.  He added nine points as well and going into tonight was fourth in the NCAA Division II Nationally in assists per game averaging 7.6.

CWU was led by Marc McLaughlin's 33 points.  He is currently number one in the nation Div. II and leading the GNAC in scoring averaging 26.8 points per game.  JB Pillard was the other Wildcat in double figures finishing with 13 points and three rebounds.  The Wildcats had an astonishing 42 free throw attempts, converting 36 of them.    

The Yellowjackets led by one point at half time, 37-36 paced by Donaldson and Miller who each had nine points. 

Neither team gained any separation in the second half with a total of six ties and eight lead changes throughout the game.

With four and a half minutes left in the game, Hatcher made it a two point game on an old fashion three point play, a layup and a foul to make it 74-72 in favor of CWU.

From their CWU extended their biggest lead of the night going on a 10-1 run making it 84-73 with two and a half minutes left in the game. 

Then with 35 second remaining, CWU up 90-81 the remarkable almost happened.  MSUB scored seven points in 35 seconds to cut the CWU lead to three, but time finally ran out on MSUB and CWU got away with the 91-88 win.   

The Yellowjackets shot 44.4 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three point range (10-31).  The Wildcats shot 48.0 percent including 33.3 percent from behind the arc (7-21).

Each team turned the ball over 13 times, but MSUB was able to score 19 points off of turnovers while CWU only managed 10.  MSUB also had more second chance points then CWU, 25-3.  The Yellowjackets scored 36 points in the paint compared to CWU's 30 and received more bench production then CWU outscoring them 42-23 in that category. 

"We can't beat anyone if we give up 42 free throw attempts," head coach Jamie Stevens said.  Late in the game we just could make enough play to win the game.  Moving forward the goal at the start of the year is to extend your season as long as possible and fortunately, we get to go to the GNAC tournament.  Everyone is 0-0 and we have a big test against Fairbanks who beat us twice this year.  Our guys have played up to the competition this year but we have also played down to it.  We will have to play really well and we will play hard and we will have to make so plays late." 

MSUB next plays in the first round of the GNAC tournament against Alaska-Fairbanks.  UAF has beat MSUB twice this year, 79-70 in the first meeting in Billings then again in Fairbanks 74-88.   The game is scheduled to be played at 12:00 PM PT.  For stats and live video visit GNACSPORTS.COM.   For ticket information, visit MSUBSPORTS.COM-"Jacket Fan Zone" or the GNAC website as well.  


Newspaper Box Score
Montana State Billings vs Central Washington
03/01/14 7:30pm at Ellensburg, WA
At Ellensburg, WA
CENTRAL WASHINGTON 91, MONTANA STATE BILLINGS 88
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (12-14, 8-10 GNAC)
Anderson,Jace 5-10 4-4 17; Miller,Chase 5-7 0-0 12; Hudson,Austin 4-9 3-4
11; Donaldson,Connor 4-10 2-2 11; Desin,Danny 4-7 0-0 10; Hatcher,Kalob 3-7
3-3 9; Mesghna,Jonathan 3-14 2-2 9; Wallace,Devon 3-5 0-1 7; Nelson,Tyler
1-3 0-0 2; Adams,Luke 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-72 14-16 88.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON (12-14, 8-10 GNAC)
McLaughlin,Mark 7-17 18-20 33; Davis,Kevin 4-6 5-5 14; Pillard,JB 5-9 2-3
13; Russell,Jordan 2-4 3-3 9; Budinich,Jeff 2-4 3-4 8; Peake,Jalen 1-3 2-2
5; Vaughn,Julian 2-2 0-0 4; Roppo,Joey 1-2 2-3 4; Dawn,Terry 0-2 1-2 1;
Rodgers,Marc 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-50 36-42 91.
Montana State Billings........   37   51  -   88
Central Washington............   36   55  -   91
3-point goals--Montana State Billings 10-31 (Anderson,Jace 3-7; Miller,Chase
2-3; Desin,Danny 2-5; Wallace,Devon 1-2; Donaldson,Connor 1-3;
Mesghna,Jonathan 1-9; Nelson,Tyler 0-1; Hatcher,Kalob 0-1), Central
Washington 7-21 (Russell,Jordan 2-3; Peake,Jalen 1-3; McLaughlin,Mark 1-6;
Budinich,Jeff 1-1; Pillard,JB 1-3; Davis,Kevin 1-1; Rodgers,Marc 0-1;
Dawn,Terry 0-2; Roppo,Joey 0-1). Fouled out--Montana State
Billings-Mesghna,Jonathan; Wallace,Devon, Central Washington-Pillard,JB.
Rebounds--Montana State Billings 38 (Hudson,Austin 7), Central Washington 31
(Davis,Kevin 11). Assists--Montana State Billings 20 (Hatcher,Kalob 10),
Central Washington 11 (Russell,Jordan 4). Total fouls--Montana State
Billings 26, Central Washington 13. Technical fouls--Montana State
Billings-TEAM, Central Washington-None. A-1009