BILLINGS, Mont. – Both Yellowjacket basketball teams will be in Alterowitz Gym on Tuesday night as the Montana State University Billings men's squad (4-0) will take the court against Chadron State College (2-2) following the conclusion of the women's game against South Dakota School of Mines. The women's contest will start at 5:30 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: A narrow 75-73 victory on Thursday night gave the Yellowjackets their first 4-0 start since the 2005-06 season when the team started 5-0 and went on to record their most recent 20 win season. MSUB had their worst shooting performance of the season but used a plus-six rebounding advantage to hold of the Marauders in the final seconds in Alterowitz Gym.
 
"We didn't play our best game against Mary and they had a lot to do with that," head coach Jamie Stevens. "The best part about being 4-0 right now is that we still feel that we haven't put our best game together. We've had to win three close games early in the season and I think it will serve us well as we get moving into the conference season."
 
NUMBERS AND NOTES
 
GREEN LIGHT: Sophomore guard Tyler Green has been tremendous from long range in the first four games of the season. Green is shooting 54.3 percent from deep this season and has made 19 of 35 attempts from beyond the arc. His average of 4.8 three-pointers made per game ranks second in the GNAC behind Western Oregon's Demetrius Trammell's 5.3 pace. Green has scored 20 points or more in three of the first four games of the season and leads the 'Jackets with 18.5 points per game which ranks seventh in the conference. The transfer averaged seven points per game in his freshman year at Humboldt State before joining the 'Jackets. He has also shown an aptitude for moving the ball with 3.5 assists per game.
 
INSIDE AND OUT: The Yellowjacket offense has been precise in their attack early in the season with the team scoring 81.4 percent of their points in the paint and beyond the arc. MSUB has scored 328 points this season with 42 percent of their output coming in the lane accounting for 138 points. When they're not getting to the rim the 'Jackets are the third most effective three-point offense in the conference with 39.3 percent of their points coming from deep. So far this season the Yellowjackets have attempted the seventh most shots from behind the three-point line in all of Division II. Western Oregon scores 47.8 percent of their points from three followed by Alaska whose three-point output accounts for 42.5 percent of their total offense. The Yellowjackets have made 45 free throws in the early season meaning that only 16 of their 328 points have come from mid-range shots this season.
 
"If you watch all of our games, we have won each game a little differently," Stevens said of the teams' early success. "We have some guys that can really shoot the basketball well which allows us to run an offense that will result in those good looks from three. We are confident in all of our guys and we've adopted the new age philosophy that we want all of our points to come off of dunks, threes and free throws." 
 
SHARING THE ROCK: Four 'Jackets average two or more assists per game in the early season led by freshman point guard Kobe Terashima with 5.3 per game. Terashima recorded a team-high 12 assists in the win over Yellowstone Christian College when he nearly recorded a triple-double. Starting point guard Kendall Denham is coming off of his best assist total of the season after dishing four dimes in the win over Mary. The 'Jackets have 76 assists on 120 made shots this season, assisting 63.3 percent of their made shots this season. Only the University of Alaska, which has played only two games, has recorded a higher percentage of assists per made shot in the GNAC.
 
IRON MAN: Zack Rollins has imposed his versatility on both ends of the floor for the Yellowjackets this season as he leads the team in blocks, is tied for the lead in steals, is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding and is third on the team in assists. Rollins leads the team in usage rate with his ability to create space off the dribble and find open teammates when the defense collapses in on the drive. He started his MSUB career with a 20 point, six rebound and five assists performance in the season opening win over Cal State Eastbay and has continued to stuff the stat sheet while leading the 'Jackets in minutes played, 27.3 per game.
 
A TALL ORDER: Senior forward Kamal Tall posted a career high 11 rebounds in the matchup with the Marauders. Tall recorded 10 rebounds on two occasions last year, first in a win over Central Washington followed by a two-point loss to Concordia in Portland. He currently leads the 'Jackets with 7.8 boards per game, which ranks sixth in the GNAC.
 
FLYING FRESHMAN: Zharon Richmond has shown an acute ability to finish at the rim with authority in the first four games of the season. The Billings Skyview grad recorded two highlight-reel slams in the win over Mary on his way to scoring 10 points. He also sunk his first collegiate three pointer in the win with a clutch corner three that gave MSUB a two point 72-70 lead with less than a minute remaining.


 
GNAC STANDINGS: The Yellowjackets are one of four Great Northwest Athletic Conference schools to start the season 4-0 as Concordia, Simon Fraser and Western Oregon are tied with MSUB. Alaska Anchorage has played the most games so far this season with a record of 3-2. Every team in the conference has won a game with Alaska currently last in the GNAC at 1-1.
 
Chadron State College Eagles
Tuesday, November 21 | 7:30 PM| Billings, MT
2017-18 Record: 2-2
Head Coach: Houston Reed (2nd Season)
2016-17 Record: 3-23
 
The Eagles are coming off of two wins last week over the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Bellevue University. Chadron narrowly defeated Kearney 72-69 on the road on Wednesday night before earning a 10-point victory in their home opener against Bellevue on Saturday.
 
The 'Jackets defeated the Eagles 89-69 in Chadron last season with Denham and Kamal Tall each scoring 11 points in the victory. The Eagles last defeated MSUB in 2010 in an 87-74 win in Nebraska. The Yellowjackets are 7-1 when Chadron visits Alterowitz Gym and MSUB leads the series 8-5.
 
Dru Kuxhausen is the top scorer for the Eagles so far this season as the freshman guard is averaging 13.5 points per game. Chadron has scored 65.8 points per game to start the season while allowing opponents to average 72.5 points with a 44.1 shooting percentage. In four games this season the Eagles have totaled 66 turnovers and have averaged a negative 5.2 turnover differential while allowing opponents to score 18.5 points per game in transition.
 
Chadron is led by second-year head coach Houston Reed. In his first season with the program, the Eagles finished 3-23 with all three wins coming at home. Reed spent the previous 10 years at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colo. where he finished with a record of 174-140. Reed played at Otero before embarking on a coaching career that started at Rocky Ford High School in Colorado. 
 
HOW TO WATCH: You can watch all Yellowjacket home games and all road GNAC contests via the MSUB Stretch Internet Portal.