BILLINGS, Mont. – A special broadcast is on tap this weekend for the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team, as the Yellowjackets will square off against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Seattle Pacific on the ROOT SPORTS network, on Saturday at 4 p.m. Mountain time.
 
Saturday's game can be viewed on Charter channel 23, Dish Network channel 426 and on DirecTV channel 687. Channels for other cable providers can be found by visiting www.rootsports.com, clicking on 'Northwest' and then 'Channel Listings' to find ROOT SPORTS.
 
"Our guys are excited about the opportunity to be on ROOT SPORTS and play against a very good SPU team," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "Our record is not great but I am proud of how the guys have continued to work hard and get better as the year has gone on. I expect our guys to come out on Saturday and for our final two home games the following week, and play with the same effort and enthusiasm as they have for the whole year."
 
The MSUB Alumni Association will host a watch party at Hooligan's in downtown Billings, where pizza will be provided starting at 3:30 p.m., a half hour before tipoff. To RSVP to the watch party, please contact the MSUB Alumni Association by calling 406-247-5780 or emailing: sbrockel@msubillings.edu.
 
After Saturday's tilt against SPU, the Yellowjackets will wrap up their 2014-15 season next week with home games against Northwest Nazarene (Feb. 26) and Central Washington (Feb. 28).
 
The Yellowjackets (5-20, 3-12 GNAC) are looking to snap a three-game losing skid in what will be their final road contest of the season Saturday. Most recently, MSUB dropped a pair of road games against Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks, losing to the Seawolves 82-68 last Thursday and to the Nanooks 87-65 on Saturday.
 
Marc Matthews posted career numbers against UAA, scoring a personal-best 25 points. The sophomore added 20 points against UAF on Saturday, and earned honorable mention GNAC Player of the Week for his scoring outburst last week.
 
On the season Matthews is now averaging 9.8 points per game and shooting an even 40.0 percent from the floor. He is also kicking in 2.9 rebounds per contest.
 
Jace Anderson had his second 20-point game of the year on Saturday, making 4 of 8 3-pointers and shooting 7-for-13 overall from the floor against the Nanooks. Anderson has upped his scoring average to 8.3 points per game, and his percentage of 44.0 from long distance ranks seventh in the GNAC.
 
Junior Emmanuel Johnson had a big game against UAA on Thursday with 17 points and five rebounds, and he improved his season averages in those categories to 7.9 and 5.1, respectively. Senior Tyler Nelson also upped his rebound numbers to a team-best 6.0 per game, after grabbing a career-high 12 against the Seawolves. Nelson's rebounding average ranks ninth in the GNAC.
 
As a team MSUB is outscored 76.9-69.4 on the season and holds a nearly-even rebounding margin at minus-0.2. From the field MSUB shoots 44.5 percent, from 3-point range 34.7 percent and from the foul line 64.0 percent.
 
The 'Jackets are coming off one of their best free-throw shooting performances of the season, as the team sank 22 of 26 shots – including a perfect 12-for-12 line from Matthews – against UAA on Thursday. Overall in the two games in Alaska, MSUB shot 81.8 percent from the foul line.
 
ROOT SPORTS/GNAC Game of the Week
Saturday, Feb. 21 – 4 p.m. MTN – Royal Brougham Pavilion
Seattle Pacific University Falcons
2014-15 Record: 18-7, 10-5 GNAC
Head Coach: Ryan Looney, 6th season
2013-14 GNAC Finish: 12-15, 8-10 GNAC
 
With a GNAC Championships berth already secured, the Falcons are looking to build off of a pair of big road wins last week against Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage. SPU defeated the Nanooks 74-64 last Thursday and slipped past the Seawolves 73-72 in overtime on Saturday.
 
The victories snapped a three-game losing streak by SPU, which lost home games to Western Washington and Simon Fraser the week before.
 
Recently named GNAC Player of the Week, Cory Hutsen continues to lead the team in scoring with 15.8 points per game. The mark ranks sixth in the GNAC, and the senior is also grabbing 4.3 rebounds and shooting 58.1 percent from the field in 28.9 minutes.
 
Also scoring in double figures for SPU are Mitch Penner and Matt Borton, who are averaging 13.7 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Penner is hauling in 5.4 rebounds per game and is second on the team in assists with 53. Borton's 6.6 rebounds per game rank second on the squad and fifth overall in the GNAC.
 
Leading the team in rebounding with 6.7 and scoring 9.5 points per game is senior guard Riley Stockton. The nephew of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton has 100 assists on the season, and his average of 4.0 per game ranks fifth in the conference.
 
From long range, Shawn Reid is a force for the Falcons, shooting a GNAC-third best 46.4 percent to help account for his 9.5 points per contest.
 
Brendan Carroll and Bryce Leavitt have each seen action in starting roles this season as well. Carroll is averaging 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15 starts, and Leavitt is shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 84.2 percent from the foul line in 10 starts and 14.1 minutes per game.
 
The Falcons boast the top scoring defense in the conference, holding opponents to 65.1 points per game. That combined with a GNAC-fourth best 80.2 points offensively gives SPU the top scoring margin in the conference at plus-15.1.
 
SPU also has the top field-goal percentage at 51.5, and the second-best field-goal percentage defense allowing opponents to shoot a stingy 43.2 percent. The Falcons' rebounding margin of plus-12.2 is more than twice as high as the next-closest team in the conference, and it ranks second in all of the NCAA Division II.
Last Time Out: Seattle Pacific picked up a 60-44 victory over the 'Jackets in Billings on Jan. 24, holding MSUB to its lowest point total of the season. Borton finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and Penner added 13 points and eight boards for the Falcons, and no Yellowjacket reached double-digits in scoring in the loss.
 
The Series: MSUB is now 30-36 all-time against the Falcons, including marks of 21-9 at home and 8-26 on the road. SPU has won five of the last six meetings between the teams, with a big 72-70 road win by MSUB last season halting a four-game SPU winning streak in the series.