BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team will take a quick dive into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play as they travel to take on Simon Fraser University and Western Washington University.   
 
MSUB (4-2, 0-0 GNAC) will play SFU (5-1, 0-0 GNAC) on Thursday followed by WWU (4-3, 0-0 GNAC) on Saturday. All GNAC teams play two league games this week before crossing back over into non-conference play for the rest of December. With the New Year comes the remaining GNAC games and the ever sought after conference tournament bids. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: The 'Jackets defeated Adams State University on back to back nights.  MSUB won game one 86-75 and game two 95-81. Both games MSUB came from behind for the win.
 
Brendan Howard posted back-to-back double-doubles with a 17 points 11 rebound effort night one, followed by a 27 and 10 night in game two. 

Tyler Green had a breakout weekend as he dropped 28 points in game one and 27 the following night. 
 
Freshman point guard Chrishon Dixon contributed a combined 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the two games.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: As a team, the Yellowjackets are averaging 76.3 points per game while allowing opponents to score 77.0. 
 
Four games in and MSUB currently leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with 26 blocked shots (4.3/game), is third in rebounds with 237 (39.5/game) and third in field goal percentage defense at .428.

In addition, MSUB is 15th in Division II with 13.3 personal fouls per game and 19th in fewest fouls with 53.
 
Individually, Howard leads the GNAC and is 23rd in Division II with 23.0 points per game. With three double-doubles, Howard is 30th in Division II for double-doubles.
 
He is second in rebounds averaging 8.8 per game, and holds a 58.3 field goal percentage which is good enough for 10 in the conference.
 
Last week, Green was 14th in the GNAC in scoring but after his 55 point explosion in two games, he has leaped to the number six spot overall averaging 18.2 points/game. He is currently second in the league in three point shots made per game with 3.33.
 
Dixon has crept into the top 40 (no. 37) and is third on the team averaging 9.8 points per game.  
 
Clarence Daniels II and Stevie James are both averaging 6.0 points per game and Sam Elliott leads the team with 5 blocks.
 
"We are excited to get league games going," said head coach Mick Durham. "We have tried to gear our pre-season toward these two games and I feel like we have gotten better each week. This trip is against two very solid and veteran teams that cause problems with their size. We have to not let the boards be a factor which is a tall task."
 
Scouting Simon Fraser University
Game Day: Thursday, December 5-8:00pm MST
2019 Record: 6-1, 1-0 GNAC, 3-0 home, 0-0 away, 3-1 neutral
2018 Record: 15-14, 9-11 GNAC, 11-5 home, 4-7 away, 0-2 neutral
Head Coach: Steve Hanson (3rd season)
 
SFU is off to a hot start to the season with their only loss coming at the hands of the University of California San Diego 95-70 in the season opener. From there, the Clan have won six in a row including an early season GNAC victory over rival Western Washington on Tuesday, 77-74.
 
SFU is the number one scoring offense in the league averaging 89.1 points/game while surrendering 76.6/game. Their +12.6 scoring margin is number one in the GNAC and the Clan is the number one offensive rebounding team averaging 13.7/game.
 
Bosting four players in the top-20 in scoring, Jasdeep Singh leads SFU and is the conference's second leading scorer averaging 19.1 points/game, Wilfred Balata is currently fourth averaging 18.3, Othniel Spence is 13th with 14.1 per game and Michael Provenzano checks in at number 20 with 11.6.
 
Julian Roche is the Clan's leading rebounder averaging 8.0/game and Provenzano is second in the GNAC in assists averaging 5.0/game.
 
Last season, MSUB and SFU split their two games with both teams successfully defending their home court. In Burnaby, Canada SFU was victorious 112-107 in and thrilling overtime game. In Billings, MSUB won handily 83-60.
 
Scouting Western Washington University
Game Day: Saturday, December 7- 8:00pm MST
2019 Record: 4-4, 0-1 GNAC, 3-2 home, 1-1 away, 0-1 neutral
2018 Record: 15-15, 9-11 GNAC, 8-5 home, 4-7 away, 3-3 neutral
Head Coach: Tony Dominguez (7th season)
 
Perennial powerhouse WWU is coming off a 15-15 2018-19 campaign which saw them on the outside looking in come playoff time, a spot they are very unfamiliar with as they had 10 consecutive seasons of advancing to the playoffs prior.
 
WWU is 4-4 to start the year including dropping their opening GNAC match to SFU 77-74. WWU carries the third ranked offense in the GNAC averaging 80.0 points/game and gives up an average of 76.1 to opponents. The Vikings are third in the GNAC in three-point percentage (.381), second in rebounding margin (+5.4) and blocked shots (4.3 per game).
 
Pre-season player of the Trevor Jasinsky is currently tied for second in the GNAC averaging 19.1 points/game and is the only Vikings in the top-20. Jalen Green is tied for 21st with 11.6 points/game and D'Angelo Minnis is averaging 11.3.
 
Logan Schilder leads WWU with 6.5 rebounds/game and is fourth in the GNAC with a field goal percentage of 61.5. Jasinsky leads the Vikings with 30 assists (3.8/game).

MSUB claimed victory twice over WWU last year. First in Bellingham Wash., the 'Jackets won in overtime 81-72 then defeats the Vikings in Billings 94-90. It was the first time in program history that MSUB earned the season sweep of WWU.

Live stats and video can be found at msubsports.com.