MINOT, N.D. –
Brendan Howard impressed with 31 points and nine rebounds, but Minot State University still cruised 83-74 over Montana State University Billings at Minot State Dome Saturday night in non-conference Division II men's basketball. Howard shot 11-for-17 with four 3-pointers to mark the highest single player point total for MSUB this season, but the Beavers shot exceptionally well from long range and extended their lead in the second half to put the game just out of reach.
Kyle Beisch led MSU with 21 points (7-for-19) and five 3-pointers. Beisch recorded 10 rebounds for a double-double and added a pair of steals and three assists. Stephane Manzi also had five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points. As a team, the Beavers hit 15 of 30 tries from 3-point range, including eight in the second half. MSUB trailed by just two at halftime, but Minot State's 3-point pedigree helped them extend their advantage to as many as 16.
"Minot State went off from 3-point range," said MSUB head coach
Mick Durham. "We did a lot of good things both offensively and defensively but couldn't overcome Minot State's threes. We took care of the ball with only seven turnovers and 16 assists. We are still learning and growing and this experience will help."
The Yellowjackets shot 42-percent (27-for-64) from the field and 41-percent (14-for-34) from beyond the arc. Six players saw 10 or more minutes off the bench with freshman
Chrishon Dixon chipping in nine points and four assists for MSUB. Starting guard
Tyler Green connected for 14 points and shot 5-for-13, including 4-for-10 from downtown. Minot State narrowly out-rebounded MSU Billings 38-32 and the teams split 9-9 on the offensive glass.
UP NEXT: After beginning the regular season with three road contests, Montana State Billings (1-2) returns to Billings to face Northwest University (Washington) Thursday, November 21 at 7 p.m. Conference play begins December 5 at Simon Fraser University.
THE BUZZ:
Brendan Howard was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game. Howard became the first player this season to reach 30-points in a game.
Tyler Green scored a season high 34 points last season for MSUB…The 2018-19 season also saw the Yellowjackets start 1-2. The team finished fifth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and fell in the first round of the conference tournament to Western Oregon University.
