GRAND JUNCTION, Col.- Despite leading for less than five minutes all night, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point deficit to defeat Western Colorado 90–79 on Friday evening at Brownson Arena. The comeback victory lifts the Yellowjackets to 7–1 on the season, while the Mountaineers fall to 1–4.
MSUB trailed 47–36 at halftime but delivered a dominant second half, outscoring Western Colorado 54–32 and holding the Mountaineers to just four points over the final five minutes. The Yellowjackets shot 57% from the field after the break compared to Western Colorado's 42%, a swing that proved decisive.
"What a gritty win from our guys," said head coach
Luke Fennelly. "Western is extremely hard to guard with their actions and having the leading scorer in the country, so it took us a second to get used to their pace. The guys came together at halftime and really improved their effort and intensity in the second half. Ty and Gabe really gave us a boost and ultimately led us to a great win."
Five Yellowjackets scored in double figures, highlighted by
Mason Landdeck's 15 points, which included the milestone 1,000th point of his collegiate career.
Jonas La Tour led all MSUB scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while
Brandon Tchouya and
Miles Gurske joined Landdeck with 15 each.
Croix Cox added 12 points while brother
Ty Cox earned Intermountain Health Player of the Game honors after contributing six points, seven rebounds, two steals, a block, and an assist.
FIRST HALF — Western Colorado in Control
La Tour opened the game with a quick three-pointer, but the early spark faded as Western Colorado answered with an 11–0 run, forcing head coach
Luke Fennelly to burn a timeout less than four minutes in. MSUB chipped away with baskets from Tchouya,
Pedro Ellery, and
Jakob Milling, briefly narrowing the deficit, but WCU continued to extend the lead thanks to accurate three-point shooting.
By the midway point of the half, the Mountaineers had already connected on five threes and grown their advantage to 11. Though MSUB managed occasional responses—such as a fast-break finish from Gurske and second-chance points from
Croix Cox—Western Colorado's ability to convert from the foul line and perimeter kept the Jackets at bay.
The Mountaineers stretched their lead to 14 late in the half with their seventh made three-pointer, ultimately heading to the locker room with a 47–34 edge.
SECOND HALF — Momentum Shifts
The Yellowjackets came out with renewed intensity, scoring eight straight points within the first 90 seconds of the half. A pair of layups from Cox, along with baskets from La Tour and Gurske, quickly sliced the deficit to single digits. Western Colorado momentarily steadied itself with a 6–0 run, re-establishing an 11-point cushion, but MSUB refused to let the momentum disappear. A 4–0 response out of a timeout kept the Jackets within striking distance, and moments later Landdeck's milestone jumper energized the MSUB bench and sparked the crowd.
As the clock moved under seven minutes, MSUB's gradual climb became a full surge. Layups from
Ty Cox and Tchouya cut the Western Colorado lead to seven. The Yellowjackets, heating up offensively, connected on seven of their next eight field goal attempts. Gurske and Ty Hatler combined for a quick four points, bringing MSUB within a single possession. Then came the turning point: La Tour, who had been steady all night, drilled a three-pointer to give the Yellowjackets their first lead of the game at 77–75. The momentum swung fully in MSUB's favor. From there, the Yellowjackets tightened the defensive screws. Landdeck added a highlight-reel sequence with a steal and fast-break layup, followed by a dagger three-pointer that pushed the lead to seven with just over two minutes left. Western Colorado's offense went completely cold, and MSUB controlled the tempo down the stretch to pull out the 90-79 comeback victory.
STAT LEADERS
Points: Jonas La Tour (17)
Rebounds: Brandon Tchouya (8)
Assists: Mason Landdeck (5)
Steals: Miles Gurske (4)
Blocks: Brandon Tchouya (1);
Ty Cox (1)
THE BUZZ: Ty Cox was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting six points, seven rebounds, two steals, one block, and one assist.
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team finishes out the Thanksgiving Classic tomorrow at 7:00pm against Colorado Mesa University.
