BILLINGS, Mont.
– With Alterowitz Gym packed in red to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, the Yellowjackets improved to 2-0 on the week, protecting their home court by taking down both Alaskan schools.
In partnership with MSU Billings Native American Achievement Center, Yellowjacket Athletics hosted their second annual MMIW game where they aimed to help raise awareness for and pay tribute to Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. The men's basketball team, staff, and NAAC paid their respects by wearing their special edition matching shirts that featured "No More Stolen Sisters" and the hashtag "#MMIW".
MSUB, now 13-9 on the season and 4-5 in the GNAC, collected their second straight victory with a 66-64 win over the University of Alaska Anchorage (10-12, 3-6 GNAC). Dishing the Seawolves their fifth consecutive loss was largely due to senior forward
Kael Robinson. Robinson ended his night with a team high of 23 points on 11-17 from the field but did the majority of the damage in the final 20 minutes, scoring 19 of them in the second half alone.
The Saturday afternoon matchup proved to be a back-and-forth battle, featuring nine lead changes with neither team leading by more than seven points. The low scoring affair ended with the Yellowjackets in the advantage due to their stellar performance on the defensive side of the ball. MSUB forced 12 turnovers while only surrendering eight, converting them into nine fast break points while allowing just one from Anchorage.
Cooper Dewitt led the production on the defense, tallying a team high of two steals and one block while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Also doing the heavy lifting on the offensive side of the ball was
Jalen Tot who posted 15 points on 6-15 from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arch with a team high of seven boards. After todays game, Tot inches closer to the 1,500-career milestone, sitting just three points shy. Following Tot was
Brendon Johnson with 14 points, eight of them coming from free throws late in the game. Johnson finished 8-10 from the free throw line while also grabbing five rebounds with one assist.
FIRST HALF
The Seawolves opened the opening half red hot, scoring six straight unanswered points until Robinson got MSUB on the board with a contested layup. From there, Anchorage continued to extend their lead by capitalizing on their offensive efficiency. The Seawolves had amassed a 21-15 lead by the 11:50 mark, shooting an impressive 69 percent from the field heading into the media break. Coming out of the media timeout, the Yellowjackets caught fire, going on an 8-2 run backed behind triples from Dewitt and Tot, cutting their deficit to just one point. From there, both squads went into a scoring lull, scoring just seven combined points in nine minutes. In the final seconds Johnson gave the 'Jackets their first lead of the night, connecting on a corner three to give MSUB the 28-27 edge heading into the half.
SECOND HALF
Similar to the first half the Seawolves found some early success, going on a 6-2 run to regain the advantage. This was short lived as the Yellowjackets retook the 37-35 lead after a field goal from Lefthand and Johnson hitting his second triple of the game. Helping the 'Jackets stay in the game was Robinson, after scoring just four points in the first half he had notched 11 of the MSUB's 16 points at this point in the second half. The senior forward did not stop there, giving the Yellowjackets their largest lead of the afternoon (7) by tallying his 23
rd point of the game at the 5:56 mark. Anchorage did not shy away, cutting their deficit to just two points after a three-pointer from Tyler Burraston in the final minute but it was not enough. The Yellowjackets held on to take the 66-64 victory, collecting their second straight win.
STATISTIC LEADERS
POINTS: Kael Robinson (23);
Jalen Tot (15)
REBOUNDS: Jalen Tot (7);
Kael Robinson (6)
ASSISTS: Cooper Dewitt (4);
Jajuan Tot (3)
STEALS: Cooper Dewitt (2); Three players tied (1)
BLOCKS: Kael Robinson (1);
Cooper Dewitt (1)
THE BUZZ: Kael Robinson was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 23 points on 7-11 from the field with six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
UP NEXT: The Montana State Billings Yellowjacket men's basketball team stays home for another pair of home GNAC contests, facing off against the #RV Saint Martin's Saints on January 30
th at 7:00 PM and the Western Oregon Wolves on February 1
st at 2:00 PM. Live statistics can be found
here, live stream can be found
here, and tickets can be found
here.
