MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team went to triple overtime with Western Oregon University, scraping out a 91-88 victory in Great Northwest Athletic Conference Play.
 
The Yellowjackets (19-5, 13-1 GNAC) played 15 minutes of extra basketball in an electric matchup against the Wolves (9-11, 6-7 GNAC), with both teams hitting clutch basket after clutch basket. With 28 lead changes and 19 ties in the game, both teams played some of their toughest basketball all season, with late made free throws by Bilal Shabazz and Carrington Wiggins proving to be the difference. MSUB ended up victorious in the eighth triple overtime matchup in GNAC history, and the first since 2019.
 
Shabazz had a game high 31 for the 'Jackets, collecting ten rebounds to earn himself a double-double. He also had three assists and a pair of steals. Wiggins had 20, with four boards and four steals. Behind them, Jalen Tot scored 13 points, all in the second half and overtimes, and had three assists. Abdul Bah also had 13, with four rebounds and four assists. Steven Richardson scored ten points with five rebounds, playing impressive defense on the other end. Emmanuel Ajanaku held down the middle, with seven rebounds and a block.
 
With 11 lead changes, and a trio of ties, the first half was a high intensity, back and forth affair, a precursor to what kind of game this would be. Neither team was able to gain much separation as they traded baskets and leads. MSUB shot 46.2% from the field, compared to just 37.5 from Western Oregon. But the Wolves outrebounded the 'Jackets 20-13, converting those extra opportunities into second chance points. While MSUB spread its scoring fairly evenly in the opening half, WOU benefitted from the hot hand of Cameron Cranston, who scored 14 in the first half. The Wolves ended the half on an 8-0 run, taking a 31-29 lead into the halftime break.
 
The opening of the second half was when Shabazz took over. After scoring a game tying layup, Shabazz hit three consecutive three pointers to push MSUB to a seven-point lead as Western Oregon called a timeout. Out of that timeout, the teams went back to trading leads and big shots. The 'Jackets thought they sunk the dagger when Wiggins made a twisting layup with just five seconds to go. But after quickly traveling the distance of the court, Daisone Hughes was fouled on his layup to beat the buzzer. He missed the first free throw, before hitting the second, sending the game to overtime number one.
 
As much difficulty as the two teams had finding separation in regulation was only amplified in the overtime periods. Western Oregon shot 83.3% in overtime one, but the 'Jackets hung tight by making 5-8 from the free throw line. And while MSUB outshot the Wolves in the next two overtimes, WOU went deep into it's bench, using their fresh legs to make an impact on the boards. The game was seemingly a montage of clutch baskets, with crucial free throws and layups by the Yellowjackets being matched by thunderous slams and jump shots from the hosts. But with 41 seconds left in the third overtime, Bah's step back shot gave MSUB an 89-88 lead, which they would hold onto for the rest of the proceedings. Following a miss and foul by Western Oregon, Shabazz and Wiggins hit free throws to ice the game, and time would expire before the Wolves could get off their last second attempt.
Cranston scored 32 to lead Western Oregon in scoring, going 14-28 from the field. John Morrill-Keeler was the only other Wolf in double figures with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ten different players scored for Western Oregon, with twelve seeing the court.
 
THE BUZZ: Shabazz was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game… His 31 was a career high in points scored… The double-double was Shabazz's eighth of the season, the most of any player in the GNAC… Four 'Jackets, Shabazz, Wiggins, Richardson and Bah, played over 40 minutes in the game, with Shabazz seeing the court for a game high 51… The 'Jackets swept the season series against Western Oregon for the second year in a row… IT was also the second consecutive meeting between WOU and MSUB in Monmouth that went to overtime.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets play their final road game of the season on Saturday, February 11^th when they take on 2^nd place Saint Martin's University in a game with massive GNAC implications. The 'Jackets have a 2.5 game lead on SMU, with just four regular season games remaining for MSUB. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM (8:30 MST). Live video will be available here, and live statistics will be available here.