BILLINGS, Mont. – Matt Borton scored 15 points and Mitch Penner added 13 as visiting Seattle Pacific University defeated Montana State University Billings 60-44 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball matchup Saturday evening at Alterowitz Gym.
 
Despite trailing 35-26 at halftime, MSUB opened the second period strong and pulled to within four points on a layup by Jordan Perry that made the score 39-35 with 16:55 left. The 'Jackets stayed within striking distance over the next five minutes, as a jumper by Antoine Hosley made it 41-37.
 
Borton finished a layup to cap off an 8-3 SPU run however, which gave the Falcons enough distance to close out the game over the final eight minutes.
 
"Again I was really proud of our guys' effort tonight," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "We just ran into a really physical team in Seattle Pacific. Credit to them in how they guarded and how they rebounded."
 
SPU (15-4, 7-2 GNAC) connected on 5 of 13 shots from 3-point range, three of which came out of the hand of Borton. The senior was 6-for-11 overall shooting on the game, and came up one rebound shy of a double-double with nine.
 
Penner was also strong on the boards with eight to go along with his 13 points. Senior guard Riley Stockton finished the evening with eight rebounds and six points, and Cory Hutsen had eight points and a team-best three assists.
 
For MSUB (4-15, 2-7 GNAC) Emmanuel Johnson was the leading scorer with eight points, and he also grabbed three rebounds en route to being named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game. Senior Tyler Nelson had a strong game for the 'Jackets with seven points and five boards, and Perry finished with six points and five rebounds.
 
The Yellowjackets were held to just 34.0 percent shooting from the field (16-for-47) and 25.0 percent from the perimeter (3-for-12). From the foul line MSUB was 9-for-12 on the game.
 
The Falcons were able to control the pace of the game early on, jumping out to a 10-3 lead and moving ahead 17-7 midway through the first.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Johnson with two minutes remaining in the first half helped keep the Falcons' lead below double-digits, as he answered layups by Borton and Garrett Swanson of SPU.
 
MSUB couldn't find a way over the hurdle in the second half, as pulling within four points on two occasions proved to be the closest the 'Jackets came to cutting into SPU's lead.
 
The 44 points were the fewest of the season for the Yellowjackets, who entered the game averaging 70.6 per contest. SPU entered the game allowing 63.1 points per game, and held the fifth-best scoring margin in the NCAA Division II at plus-18.8. The Falcons also had the second-best rebounding margin in Division II at plus-13.6, and bettered that mark by winning the battle on the boards 38-21 over the 'Jackets.
 
The 'Jackets picked up just two offensive rebounds while SPU had 11, but MSUB limited its turnovers to just eight and allowed just two points off of them. Marc Matthews chipped in seven points for the 'Jackets, and Momir Gataric had four with two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
 
"We can't wait to get back to work Monday and start getting ready for Western Oregon," Stevens said.
 
COMING UP: Back on the road next week, the Yellowjackets make the turn into the second half of their conference schedule against Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. MSUB faces WOU on Jan. 29 and SMU on Jan. 31, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. Mountain time for both tilts.