BILLINGS, Mont.- The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team delivered a memorable performance in their first Rimrock Rivalry contest of the season, defeating Rocky Mountain College (5-2) 89–77 on Monday night in Alterowitz Gym. The win not only pushed the Yellowjackets to an impressive 6–1 record, but also marked their best season start in nearly two decades, dating back to the 2004–05 campaign.
"Certainly pleased with our start to the season," said head coach
Luke Fennelly. "Our guys have had to prepare for a variety of different teams with different playing styles, and they've done a great job with it. Our depth and comradery as a group has really carried us, but we have a long way to go. We'll look to continually get better and enjoy the journey while we are at it. We hope to see the Billings community start to fill Alterowitz Gym because these guys definitely deserve it."
The 42nd meeting between the cross-town rivals leaned heavily in MSUB's favor from the opening stretch. The Yellowjackets led for more than 93 percent of the contest, continuing their recent momentum against RMC to improve to 26–16 in the series since 1990. Their dominance was evident across the stat sheet: MSUB outshot the Battlin' Bears 59–39 percent from the field, held a 37–30 edge from long range, gapped Rocky 15–0 in fast-break points, and dominated them inside with a 44–20 advantage in the paint.
Senior guard
Mason Landdeck once again set the tone, finishing with a game-high 24 points while shooting 7–14 from the field and 8–9 at the free-throw line while adding a team high of five assists and three steals. His performance leaves him just six points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career. Three more Yellowjackets reached double figures:
Croix Cox delivered 15 points and a team-leading seven rebounds,
Brandon Tchouya added an efficient 15 points on 6–8 shooting—including a pair of made three's—and
Jonas La Tour contributed 12 points to round out MSUB's balanced scoring attack.
"Just proud of our effort tonight," said coach Fennelly. "We wanted to respond the right way after a tough road loss, and we did just that. We challenged the guys to buckle down on defense going into the second half, so I was pleased that we held them to 33 percent shooting which allowed us to pull away. Rocky is well coached and played hard, the Rimrock Rivalry games are never easy, but a rivalry is always fun to have so I was proud the guys accepted the challenge."
Game Flow
Rocky briefly held a 4–2 lead early, but La Tour's three-pointer ignited a 10–1 MSUB run that set the tone for the night. The Bears answered with a flurry of their own, capitalizing on back-to-back steals and consecutive threes to knot the score at 15. MSUB didn't flinch, immediately responding with an 8–2 burst highlighted by a Tchouya triple and a three-point play from
Ty Cox.
What followed was an exchange of high-energy plays, including a crowd-pleasing alley-oop dunk from
Croix Cox and a thunderous putback that brought Alterowitz Gym to life. Although the Bears continued applying pressure, MSUB kept control, especially as both squads began piling up fouls late in the half. Landdeck knocked down two free throws to extend the lead to 37–31, and MSUB surged to a 51–40 advantage at halftime after closing on a 14–9 run.
Opening the second half with possession, the Yellowjackets wasted little time regaining momentum. A smooth fade-away jumper from
Jakob Milling extended the lead to 13. Both teams then entered a brief scoring drought until Landdeck snapped it with his second three of the night, giving him 18 points and reigniting MSUB's offense.
Physical play continued as both teams approached double-digit fouls midway through the second half. The Yellowjackets responded by stringing together a decisive 6–0 run, capped by a
Gabe Hatler three-pointer that stretched the lead to 62–41—MSUB's largest advantage of the night.
Rocky made one final push, piecing together a 9–0 run to trim the deficit. But Tchouya's tough layup ended the surge, and MSUB quickly countered with a 6–1 run to restore a 15-point cushion. While the Bears chipped away late and brought the margin to single digits with four minutes left, MSUB remained composed, closing out the game with clean possessions and clutch free-throw shooting. The Yellowjackets ultimately sealed the 89–77 win, adding an exclamation point to their best season start in twenty years.
STAT LEADERS
Points: Mason Landdeck (24)
Rebounds: Croix Cox (7)
Assists: Mason Landdeck (5)
Steals: Mason Landdeck (3)
Blocks: Mason Landdeck (1);
Croix Cox (1)
THE BUZZ: Mason Landdeck was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 24 points on 7-14 from the field with five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team heads to Grand Junction, CO for the Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Colorado Mesa University. The 'Jackets will face off against Western Colorado on November 28
th at 2:00 pm followed by Colorado Mesa on November 29
th at 7:00 pm.
