BILLINGS, Mont. – In a hard-fought battle at Alterowitz Gymnasium, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team (4-2) narrowly fell 89-81 to the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (2-1) on Wednesday night. The Rimrock Rivalry featured a high-paced first half and a gritty second half where both teams exchanged runs, but it was Rocky taking home the victory in the first cross town matchup of the season.
After a second half offensive surge, the Yellowjackets ended the night shooting 40 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the arch, and another impressive free throw shooting performance, outshooting the Battlin' Bears 91.7-81 percent from the line. The 'Jackets won the offensive board battle 14-12, led in fast break points 16-8, and forced seven RMC turnovers but the Rocky led in bench points 36-15 and second chance points 21-12 which proved to be the difference.
The Yellowjackets did see some promising offensive production from their starting five with four of them scoring in the double digits. To nobody's surprise,
Jalen Tot led the way with 23 points and a team high eight assists and two steals, followed by
Famous Lefthand with 14 points.
Also chipping into the offensive charge was
Kael Robinson with 13 points, eight rebounds, and tying his career high with three blocks.
Brendon Johnson had another double-digit performance with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists, and
Cooper Dewitt posted seven points with a career-high nine rebounds.
FIRST HALF
The game started with both teams struggling to find their rhythm offensively, but Rocky Mountain quickly established themselves with sharp shooting. Jesse Owens led the way, hitting two crucial three-pointers early in the game, and finished the first half with 14 points, providing the spark for the Battlin' Bears.
Rocky Mountain's offense was efficient, shooting 43.2% from the field and 87.5% from the free-throw line in the first half. Tot kept the Yellowjackets in the game, hitting a pair of early three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough to close the gap in the opening 20 minutes of play. MSUB benefited from a flawless 5-for-5 shooting performance from the free-throw line but headed into the half down 46-36.
SECOND HALF
The 'Jackets came out strong in the second half, cutting the lead to just 50-41 with a couple of quick baskets from Tot and Lefthand. However, Rocky Mountain answered every challenge. Omari Nesbit, a key contributor off the bench, sparked a run with seven points, including a big three-pointer that gave Rocky Mountain a 59-48 lead with 14:19 remaining.
At the 6:46 mark, MSUB started their second half surge. Down 73-60, the 'Jackets went on a 14-5 run behind back-to-back-to-back triples from Robinson, Johnson, and Tot capping it with an and-one deep ball. The Yellowjackets backed that tying the game at 81 apiece at the 1:54 mark due to a 7-3 run backed behind a pair of buckets from Lefthand but clutch late free throws from the Battlin' Bears led them to the 89-81 road victory.
STATISTIC LEADERS
POINTS: Jalen Tot (23);
Famous Lefthand (14)
REBOUNDS: Cooper Dewitt (9);
Kael Robinson (8)
ASSISTS: Jalen Tot (8); Two players tied (3)
STEALS: Jalen Tot (2);
Cooper Dewitt (1)
BLOCKS: Kael Robinson (3); Two players tied (1)
THE BUZZ: Jalen Tot was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 23 points while shooting 8-19 from the field with eight assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team takes a week break before heading to Spearfish, SD to take on the Black Hills State Yellow Jackets on November 21
st at 7 PM.
