GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Three Montana State University Billings men's basketball players scored 21 or more points and the Yellowjackets connected on 18 3-pointers Friday night at Brownson Arena, leading the visiting team to an 83-68 victory over host Colorado Mesa University in non-conference action.
 
Senior Jace Anderson led MSUB with 22 points – including making 4 of 9 shots from 3-point range – while Marc Matthews and Preston Beverly had 21 points each. Matthews reached his total on a career-high seven 3-pointers, and also added five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Beverly approached a double-double, leading the team with eight rebounds. The sophomore tied his personal best with four assists, and chipped in two steals.
 
"This was a very good road win for the guys," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "Obviously we played a team that really packed it in and wanted us to shoot threes, and fortunately we shot the ball well. I am really proud of the rebounding effort and defensive effort once again."
 
The trio of Anderson, Beverly, and Matthews hit 15 of the team's 18 treys, the most made by a Yellowjacket team in a game since the 2006-07 season. The second win in-a-row for the 'Jackets upped their record to 3-3

on the season, while Colorado Mesa fell to 1-4 with the loss. 

CMU's Nate Hawley made a three one minute into the game to give the host a 3-2 advantage. It wound up being the only lead of the night for the Mavericks, as the 'Jackets commanded the game from start-to-finish.
 
Consecutive buckets from Matthews and Christian Evans pushed the Yellowjackets' early lead to 15-8, but the Mavericks kept things close midway through the first half. A three by CJ Davis, who scored 12 points in the game, cut the spread to just one point before MSUB heated up again.
 
After pushing his team ahead with four 3-pointers in the early going, Matthews dished a pass to a wide-open Anderson for a corner trey to make it 31-21 with 7:08 left in the first.
 
The fifth three of the half by Matthews gave MSUB its largest lead to that point, as the 'Jackets pulled ahead 42-30 with 2:30 to play. Beverly pushed his point total to 15 by hitting a last-second three, and MSUB carried a strong 45-32 edge into the locker room.
 
Though MSUB controlled the pace for much of the second half and led by as much as 20 points at 56-36, foul trouble shook up the Yellowjackets' lineup and the Mavericks capitalized on a chance to get back into the game.
 
A three by Hawley with 6:34 to play cut the deficit to just five points, as the Mavs trailed 64-59. The 'Jackets responded with an 11-2 run however, including six straight points from Anderson on three foul shots and another three. "We had to fight through some adversity, and the guys surely did that," Stevens said. "We are excited about another opportunity to get better tomorrow."
 
MSUB was never in danger of giving up the lead after Matthews' personal-best seventh three of the night made it 73-61 with 5:06 to play. The 'Jackets took care of business on the glass, out-rebounding the Mavericks 43-26. Evans contributed seven boards off of the bench, and added seven points in 26 minutes.

MSUB finished the game shooting 48.3 percent from the field overall (28-for-58), 42.9 percent from long range (18-for-42), and 75 percent from the foul line (9-for-12).
 
Hawley led CMU with 17 points, while Eimer Lopez had 14 and Tanner Riley and Davis had a dozen each. The Mavericks shot 41.2 percent overall (21-for-51), but could not keep up from 3-point range at 34.8 percent (8-for-23). The home team was also hampered by a free-throw percentage of just 54.5 (18-for-33).
 
THE BUZZ: Anderson was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the 18 threes were the most by an MSUB team since a 19-for-40 performance in a 111-61 win over Texas Permian Basin on Feb. 17, 2007…Matthews topped his previous career-best of six threes in a game, which he set on Nov. 21, 2015 at Black Hills State…MSUB remained undefeated all-time against CMU, improving to 3-0 and 1-0 on the road…all three of the Yellowjackets' victories this year have come on the road.
 
COMING UP: The 'Jackets face a quick turnaround, taking the court again Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. MSUB will challenge Western State Colorado University, which lost to No. 20 Midwestern State 75-63 on Friday.