BILLINGS, Mont. – Coming off of a strong 111-104 victory over Simon Fraser last Saturday, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team returns home to Alterowitz Gym this week to host Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Alaska Anchorage.
 
The Yellowjackets welcome the Nanooks to town on Thursday with the Seawolves making the long journey to Billings on Saturday. Both games will be part of doubleheaders with the MSUB women's basketball team, and will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Live video and statistics will be available for both games at www.msubsports.com. Children age sixth grade and under will be admitted free of charge.
 
Five of the Yellowjackets' next seven games overall will be at home, with a trip west to face Western Oregon and Saint Martin's interrupting home games against Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser over the next three weeks.
 
For MSUB (3-13, 1-5 GNAC) junior guard/forward Momir Gataric recently earned GNAC Player of the Week honors, after totaling 45 points and shooting above 72 percent from the field in the Yellowjackets' two games last week.
 
Gataric is averaging 12.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and his 31 assists and 30.9 minutes per game each rank second on the squad.
 
Marc Matthews and Antoine Hosley also had big numbers for the 'Jackets last week, and the two have been MSUB's other top scorers this season along with Gataric. Hosley had 17 points against the Clan on Saturday and tops the squad with 13.1 points per game. The senior's 19 3-pointers are second-most on the team this season, and his free-throw percentage of 72.1 leads the team.
 
Matthews, the team's leading marksman from beyond the arc, has knocked down 24 threes and is averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Against SFU last Saturday Matthews approached a triple-double with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
 
MORE ON MOMIR: Gataric has now posted his two best single-game scoring efforts in his past two outings, scoring a season-best 25 against Western Washington last Thursday and following with 20 points against SFU Saturday. Over his past four games, he is averaging 18 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting a red-hot 64.3 percent from the floor. He has also converted eight of his last nine free-throws, and six of his last 10 3-pointers.
 
ANDERSON FROM THE ARC: Scoring in double figures for the third time this season in the win over SFU, sophomore Jace Anderson finished with 11 points and had three rebounds. Anderson has now connected on 12 of his last 21 shots from long range, and is shooting a GNAC-best 48.5 percent from beyond the arc and 44.2 percent overall this season.
 
FRESHMAN FINDING FOOTING: Also trending upwards for the 'Jackets has been freshman guard Jordan Perry, who has scored in double figures in two of his past three games. Against SFU Saturday, Perry had a team-best and personal season-high 21 points, knocking down 8 of 13 shots from the floor. He has also generated seven steals and six assists over the same time span, and upped his season scoring average to 5.9 points per game.
 
STRONG AND STEADY: Senior forward Tyler Nelson has continued his consistency, and is the only Yellowjacket to have started every game this season. He has provided a boost with 4.9 rebounds per game, and has committed just 15 turnovers in 16 games and only one in his last five.
 
DENHAM ON POINT: Stepping into a key role as the starting point guard for the 'Jackets, freshman Kendall Denham leads the team in minutes with 33.2 per game and in assists with 61 (4.4 per game). With just 30 turnovers on the season, Denham ranks No. 6 in the conference in assist-turnover ratio at an even-2.0. His assist average is the No. 5 mark in the GNAC, and his 13 steals are a team-high.
 
CAREER DAY FOR ADAMS: Posting his first career double-digit scoring performance on Saturday, sophomore Luke Adams connected on 6 of 7 shots, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds to contribute to MSUB's victory. His scoring and rebounding numbers were both season highs, and he also had a block against the Clan.
 
JOHNSON REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Leading the team in rebounding with 5.2 per game, junior Emmanuel Johnson grabbed four boards and had two assists, a block and a steal last week against WWU. Johnson has emerged into a regular starter for MSUB, scoring 6.7 points and shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
 
STRONG 'D' FROM 3: Matching up well with the NCAA's leading 3-point attempting team last Saturday, the Yellowjackets were able to limit Simon Fraser to just 26.3 percent (10-for-38) from long distance. MSUB continues to lead the conference in defending 3-pointers, holding opponents to just 32.5 percent from downtown on the season.
 
Thursday, January 15 – 7:30 p.m. – Alterowitz Gym
University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks
2014-15 Record: 5-8, 2-3 GNAC
Head Coach: Mick Durham, 4th season
2013-14 GNAC Finish: 3rd (18-10, 12-6 GNAC)
 
As a team Alaska Fairbanks is one of five teams shooting above 70 percent from the foul line. The Nanooks rank No. 8 in the GNAC in scoring at 70.3 points per game and No. 8 in scoring defense, allowing 73.9 points per game. The numbers compare evenly to MSUB, which is even with UAF in scoring at 70.3 points per game and ranks just behind UAF in points allowed at 76.4.
 
UAF is also the second-best team in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 37.2, another key factor that will come into play against MSUB's conference-leading 3-point defense.
 
Facing in-state rival Alaska Anchorage last week, the Nanooks had a four-game winning streak snapped in a 76-64 loss to the Seawolves. The defeat came after big home victories over Western Washington and Simon Fraser, as UAF is out to a 2-3 start to the conference portion of its schedule.
 
Offensively the Nanooks are being led by Ashton Edwards, whose 14.5 points per game rank eighth in the GNAC. Edwards also has a team-high 42 assists on the season, and leads the team from 3-point range with 35 conversions in 81 attempts (43.2 percent).
 
Ruben Silvas is also in double figures for UAF, averaging 12.2 points and hauling in a team-best 5.7 rebounds. Edwards and Silvas also rank third and fourth in the conference in free-throw percentage at 87.2 and 86.7, respectively. Silvas's field-goal percentage of 60.6 is No. 4 in the conference.
 
Another strong post player for UAF is Serbia native Almir Hadzisehovic, who is scoring 9.3 points on 49.5 percent shooting and grabbing 4.5 rebounds.
 
From 3-point range, Adam Griffin is shooting 38.5 percent (25-for-65) for 8.8 points, and Kyle Tomlinson is shooting 34.6 percent (18-for-52) from the arc. Griffin is also connecting from the foul line at a clip of 78.6 percent.
 
Eric Fongue has been a key bench player for fourth-year head coach Mick Durham, averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18.1 minutes.
 
The Series: The Yellowjackets hold an all-time 39-23 record against the Nanooks and are a strong 26-4 at home against the conference foe. UAF has held the upper hand as of late however, winning the past four games and five of the last six overall dating back to the 2012-13 season. MSUB and UAF have twice met in the first round of the GNAC Championships, with the Nanooks prevailing on both occasions to end the Yellowjackets' season in each of the last two years.
 
Last Time Out: Nelson picked up eight rebounds in 16 minutes but the Nanooks stifled MSUB's offense in a 69-59 victory to knock the 'Jackets out of the GNAC Championships on March 5, 2014. It was the third win of the season for UAF over MSUB, as the Nanooks won in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Feb. 6 88-74 after a 79-70 win in Billings on Jan. 11.
 
Matthews scored 10 points and had five boards in the road loss last season.
 
Saturday, January 17 – 7:30 p.m. – Alterowitz Gym
University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
2014-15 Record: 8-7, 4-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Rusty Osborne
2013-14 GNAC Finish:  5th (17-13, 10-8 GNAC)
 
Alaska Anchorage enters Thursday's game against Seattle Pacific with a five-game winning streak, including three-straight victories over GNAC opponents. After running away with a 108-86 win over Simon Fraser on Jan. 1, UAA held off visiting Western Washington in a 62-60 nail-biter on Jan. 3. After last week's 76-64 win over the Nanooks, UAA is positioned No. 2 in the GNAC standings with a conference record of 4-1.
 
Reigning second-team all-GNAC selection Brian McGill tops the squad and is No. 3 in the GNAC in scoring with 16.4 points per contest. He is shooting 53.9 percent from the floor, 41.3 percent from 3-point range and 77.8 percent from the foul line, and his 91 assists (6.1 per game) rank No. 2 in the conference.
 
Travis Thompson, a first-team all-GNAC pick in 2013-14, is putting up 15.6 points per game which is good for fifth-best in the GNAC. His 44 made 3-pointers are the most in the GNAC, and his percentage of 44.0 from the arc ranks No. 8 in the conference.
 
Kalidou Diouf (12.2 ppg) and Dom Hunter (10.0) are also scoring in double figures for the Seawolves, and the former's 5.8 rebounds per game pace the squad. Diouf's field-goal percentage of 65.9 is the second-highest mark in the conference and it ranks No. 11 across all of the NCAA Division II.
 
Also posting big numbers for the Seawolves is Christian Leckband, who is shooting 50.7 percent from the field and averaging 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds.
 
As a team UAA ranks No. 2 in the GNAC in free-throw percentage at 73.5 and No. 3 in field-goal percentage at 48.1. The Seawolves' mark of 36.8 percent from 3-point range is good for third-best in the conference, and the team is No. 2 in rebounding margin at plus-6.9.
 
The Series: UAA holds the upper-hand with an all-time 39-29 mark against MSUB, but the Yellowjackets are 29-5 at home against the Seawolves. The series has been fairly even over the past three seasons, with each team winning three games. MSUB defeated then-No. 15 UAA 74-70 to win the 2012 GNAC Championship tournament, before losing to the Seawolves 80-68 in the first round of the NCAA West Region Championships a week later.
 
Last Time Out: MSUB won both games between the two last season, starting off with a 75-67 win at home on Jan. 9, 2014 and taking care of business in Anchorage, Alaska, with a 75-62 win on Feb. 8.
 
Matthews had 13 points and a pair of steals in the Yellowjackets' road win over the Seawolves last season.