SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Trailing 36-29 after a difficult first half of play, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team needed to turn the tide quickly against Holy Names.
 
And they did just that.
 
Riding off the momentum provided by Carrington Wiggins' ability to get to the free throw line to end the first half, the Yellowjackets (1-1, 0-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) opened the second half on a huge 23-0 run in order to take back the lead against the Hawks (0-2, 0-0 PacWest) during game two of Cal State University San Marcos' Hoops Classic on Saturday afternoon.
 
"We really got off to a tough start, and then towards the end of the first half, we found a group that really played well together," Durham said. "We rode them pretty much the whole second half. We had a great start to the second half and we did a good job holding on at the end."
 
Senior guard Damen Thacker (18 points, 8 rebounds) came through at the charity stripe, finishing 8-8 when the Hawks played the foul game to keep their hopes alive. Fellow senior guard Brent Finn also chipped in double-figures with 14 points, a bulk of which came as MSUB sparked its huge second-half start. For his second solid game in as many days, Nicholas Sebastiao came off the bench for the second-straight game, nearly earning a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
"We made our free throws and defended well again," Durham said. "It was a good first win for this group."
 
QUICK HITS

• MSUB improved its shooting in all phases during the second half by connecting on 40% of its field goals, 37.5% of its threes and 88.24% of its free-throws to close the game.
• The 'Jackets outrebounded (32-31) and committed less turnovers (15-16) than the Hawks.
• Holy Names was led by Edward Gray's 25 points on 9-15 shooting.

MSUB overcame its slow start to the game with a pair of free throws from Damen Thacker, then a corner three from Carrington Wiggins, which made the score 11-6, Holy Names before the first media timeout. But a 5-0 run from the Hawks prompted MSUB to call timeout, as Durham turned to his bench for a spark.
 
The Yellowjackets' guards kept driving and drawing contact, however, which would eventually pay off later in the first half. MSUB got its next six points from the charity stripe, thanks to Thacker, Wiggins and Nicholas Sebastiao drawing whistles.
 
Better yet, the Hawks' offense stalled. As MSUB chipped away at the free-throw line, Bilal Shabazz connected on his first three of the day after swarming a Hawks' guard and forcing a turnover. An 8-0 HNU run starting with 7:37 to go put MSUB behind 26-14, but Thacker and Wiggins came through to pull within double-figures after the final media timeout.
 
With his team trailing 30-18, Wiggins caught fire. The Michigander finished an acrobatic layup through contact with 2:23 to go and converted the ensuing free throw to make the score 30-21, HNU. Anders Epperly came off the bench and slit a pair of free throws, then Finn's first three of the game made the score 34-24 with under a minute to go. Then Wiggins ended the first half on a personal 4-0 run to pull the 'Jackets within single digits.
 
But the work was far from over.
 
Finn delivered to open the second half. A three on MSUB's first possession gave the 'Jackets momentum, then on the next possession, Finn's steal led to two free throws as he was fouled hard in transition. He sank both, then MSUB was in business. Thacker went coast-to-coast to tie the game at 36-all, then three steals from Jimmy Brown, Sebastiao and Wiggins led to seven MSUB points. Sebastiao stepped into a three with 15:29 to play, giving MSUB its first double-digit lead of the night at 46-36. Four points from Wiggins and a baseline jumper from Finn put the 'Jackets ahead 16 points with 13:03 to play – an improbable feat given how muddled the first half of play was for both teams.
 
Holy Names finally got on the board with a bucket from Thacker's former teammate Babacar Thiombane with 12:22 to play, but MSUB's lead was too much to overcome. Although HNU freshman Edward Gray was the hot hand late in the second half, MSUB countered at the free-throw line, or by forcing more turnovers. Thacker and Sebastiao were clicking late in the game, as both combined for 12 of MSUB's final 14 points down the stretch to clinch the win.
 
However, MSUB had to withstand one more surge from the Hawks, which turned the Yellowjackets' 12-point lead to single digits several times in the final three minutes. Despite added pressure from HNU, Thacker went 4-4 from the free-throw line and Sebastiao made both of his free throws in the final two minutes to help MSUB hold on for the win.
 
KEY STATS

• MSUB outscored Holy Names 25-11 in points off turnovers, which proved to be the difference-maker.
• The 'Jackets out-shot the Hawks 87.1% to 73.7% from the free-throw line.
• Carrington Wiggins was the St. Vincent Player of the Game for being a steady scoring presence for the 'Jackets and leading them with 21 points.

 
UP NEXT: MSUB takes on Holy Names tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. MT. Livestream and live stat links can be found at the men's basketball schedule page on msubsports.com.