BILLINGS, Mont. – After clinching the playoffs on the final night of the regular season, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team earned the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 seed Western Oregon University in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference quarterfinals Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Bellingham, Washington.
 
Tickets to the Championships are available at gnachooptickets.com. Fans in Billings are also encouraged to attend the Yellowjacket watch party, where the game can be viewed live on multiple screens at 406 Kitchen and Tap Room.
 
The Yellowjackets have made the conference tournament four times in the last 10 seasons but have not won a playoff game since their conference title drive in 2011-12. This year, the Jackets come in with a 10-10 conference record and face the defending GNAC post-season champion Wolves at Carver Gymnasium in the first game of the single elimination tournament.
 
Western Oregon was the only team MSU Billings failed to solve in the regular season. WOU defeated MSUB 81-65 in Billings on January 10, then soundly defeated the Yellowjackets 97-65 in Monmouth, Oregon on February 9.
 
"Western Oregon really had their way with us by winning three of the four halves we played," lamented MSUB head coach Mick Durham. "We have to find ways to score this third time and execute better than we have against them. We're excited to be in and playing a third time on a neutral court. I do believe we've continued to get better as the year went on. It should be an exciting tournament."
 
Though they will be solid underdogs, the Yellowjackets have at least six players capable of producing big numbers against any opponent. Junior guard Tyler Green was one of the top three-point shooters in the league this season and was named second team all-conference after averaging more than 15 points per game. Senior Zack Rollins led the team in scoring as a junior and followed with another strong campaign this season, scoring 14 points per contest. Rollins along with freshman Brendan Howard were tabbed all-conference honorable mention ahead of this week's quarterfinal game.
 
The Yellowjackets scored 79.5 points per game (fourth) and allowed 76.4 points to their opponents (seventh). MSUB was middle of the pack in most statistical categories, including fourth in field goal percentage (.469), third in 3-point field goal percentage (.377), sixth in offensive rebounding (35.6 rpg), and seventh in defensive rebounding (35.6 rpg).
 
For much of the season, Melvin Newbern Jr. was at the top of the league in rebounds. The transfer junior ended with 7.6 rebounds per game for third place after missing two games due to injury in late January. Newbern Jr. led the 'Jackets with 35 steals and had 10.9 points per game along with 51 total assists.
 
Sven Jeuschede is one of three Yellowjackets to start every game. The senior guard/forward out of Roesrath, Germany has been a calming force on the floor. He averaged 26.8 minutes and 5.2 points while chipping in 2.5 rebounds and 42 assists. Of the top seven Yellowjacket minutes munchers, Jeuschede committed the least number of turnovers and continues to provide stability to a team with proven offensive flair.
 
 
Tyler Green led MSU Billings in scoring until Saturday, when Brendan Howard posted 25 points against Alaska Fairbanks to finish the season with 436 total points, a measly one point ahead of Green's 435. Howard had seven games of 20 points or more, six of which came in the season's second half.
 
The Yellowjackets picked up their first road weekend sweep when they needed it the most. Thursday night, MSUB downed the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves 67-56. Kobe Terashima had 16 points and 11 rebounds to record his second career double-double, first of the year. Howard and Newbern Jr. also chipped in 11 points apiece and MSUB shot 44-percent.
 
Saturday, the Yellowjackets overwhelmed Alaska Fairbanks 92-65 and never trailed in the contest to clinch the post-season. Howard led the way with 25 points and seven rebounds while Rollins posted 19 points and seven boards. MSU Billings enters the GNAC tournament having won two straight games and three of the last five.
 
AGAINST THE BEST: Although MSUB struggled during the regular season against Western Oregon, they have seen success against the league's most accomplished teams. At home, the 'Jackets nearly upset top ranked Saint Martin's but fell 76-74 after SMU came back from an 18 point first half deficit. MSUB led by 27 points at home game against Northwest Nazarene but allowed the Nighthawks to take a 22-1 run to tie the game and eventually defeat the 'Jackets in overtime.
 
MSUB dominated Seattle Pacific at home 92-63 but split the season series with the Falcons after losing 76-67 at Brougham Pavilion. Should the Yellowjackets find a way past WOU in the quarterfinals, all bets may are off on the road to the GNAC championship given past results.
 
BENCH REPORT: Coach Durham heavily relies on his top six players which include Jeuschede, Newbern Jr., Green, Howard, Rollins, and Zharon Richmond; but other players have shown spurts of productivity off the bench all year. None was more obvious than Kobe Terashima's double-double to help MSUB over Alaska Anchorage in a must-win situation.
 
Terashima averaged almost 28 minutes per game as a freshman. This season he has provided a reprieve for starters in foul trouble. In 17.4 minutes a game, the sophomore had 35 field goals for 113 points to go along with 71 assists. A 45-percent shooter, Terashima runs the point effectively and can shoot or dish the basketball from anywhere on the court.
 
 
Center Seth Chrisiaens was a junior transfer from North Idaho College and is tied for the team lead with 26 blocked shots, despite nine minutes of playing time per game. Christiaens is 6-foot-11 and can easily dunk if players can get the ball in to him in the low post. Look for Terashima, Christiaens, and Jordan Lehrer to see time on the court in the quarterfinals.
 
NEW-BERN STRATEGY: Melvin Newbern Jr. has been a regular game changer for the 'Jackets if he manages to stay out of foul trouble. The junior from Minneapolis, Minnesota has a team leading four double-doubles including a 22 point, 11 rebound performance against Black Hills State in November. Multiple first half fouls have cost Newbern Jr. valuable minutes in the second half of the season but opposing teams know any time he is on the floor, he remains a dangerous threat on both ends of the court. Newbern Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds on January 10 against Western Oregon.
 
THREE POINT PEDIGREE: In the first dozen games of the season, it appeared the Yellowjackets would live and die by the 3-point shot like they did in 2017-18. Instead, the team featured a healthy mix of inside and outside shooting over the course of time. Three-pointers accounted for 41-percent of all shots and the 'Jackets remained fourth in the GNAC in 3-point shot attempts and third in 3-point percentage (.377). Green accounted for more than a third of all MSUB long-range attempts.
 
There are a couple of reasons Western Oregon soundly defeated MSU Billings in men's basketball this season. Though arguably not as dominant as last season when they made a run to the west region final, the Wolves lost just one game at home and had benchmark wins over No. 25 Northwest Nazarene (81-66) and No. 15 Western Washington (96-88).
 
Like the 'Jackets, Western Oregon scores by committee with multiple offensive threats on the court at once. Four starters average over 10 points per game and Riley Hawken leads the Wolves with 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. Hawken leads the GNAC with two steals per game and junior guard Dalven Brushier is averaging 11.3 points as is senior forward Kaleb Warner.
 
Brushier dinged the 'Jackets for 19 points in the first meeting between the two teams and Western Oregon outshot MSUB 47-percent to 40-percent. The second go-around, it was Warner who paced the Wolves with 18 points. Brushier also scored 14 points. The Yellowjackets shot 4-percent better but allowed Western Oregon to score at a 54-percent clip, which became insurmountable.
 
The Wolves secured a playoff spot by winning three of their final four games, including a critical home victory over Northwest Nazarene. A defensive minded program, Western Oregon leads the league in scoring defense (65.7 points allowed per game), steals (8 per game), and turnover margin (+5.58) while also topping the GNAC in scoring margin (+12.1).
 
Hawken is fifth in the GNAC in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and Brushier is eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.430) with 43 makes on the year. Western Oregon has recovered well after losing several key contributors off their 2017-18 squad. WOU has reached the post-season seven straight years.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The 2019 GNAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will be held March 7-9 at WECU Court at Carver Gymnasium on the campus of the Western Washington University. The top six teams in the final GNAC regular season standings will advance to the single-elimination tournament in both genders. The winner of the GNAC Championships will earn the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Championships.
 
All games will be held at WECU Court at Carver Gymnasium on the Western Washington University campus. The tournament will be held in conjunction with the 2019 GNAC Women's Basketball Championships.
 
Online Ticket Sales: Tickets are available for online purchase beginning Feb. 15 at www.gnachooptickets.com.  The championships will be comprised of five separate sessions -- afternoon and evening sessions on Thursday and Friday, and an evening session on Saturday.
 
Session 1 -- Thursday (noon and 2:15 p.m., women's quarterfinals).
Session 2 -- Thursday (5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., men's quarterfinals). 
Session 3 -- Friday (noon and 2:15 p.m, women's semifinals). 
Session 4 -- Friday (5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., men's semifinals). 
Session 5 -- Saturday (5:20 p.m. and 7:35 p.m., women's final and men's final).
 
Ticket Prices: 
Reserved Session Pass (2 games):  $16 adults, students/youth/seniors
Reserved Tournament Pass (all games):  $56 adults, students/seniors/youth
General Admission Session Pass (2 games):  $11 adults, $7 for students/seniors/youth
General Admission Tournament Pass (all games):  $42 adults, $22 for students/seniors/youth
To receive the senior rate an individual must be at least 60 years old.  Children 5 and under are free.