BILLINGS, Mont. – Three-point success and balanced scoring proved to be the difference in the Montana State University Billings men's basketball teams 77-73 upset victory over the second ranked GNAC team in the standings. The Yellowjackets (18-10, 9-6 GNAC) won their third straight game behind 12 made team three pointers while seeing five of their players reach double digits in scoring to help hold off the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (16-6, 9-5 GNAC) earlier this evening in Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The 'Jackets slightly edged the Nighthawks 45-44 percent from the field and 80-75 percent from the line, but where they really created their separations was their 12-23 performance from beyond the arc while holding NNU to 7-20. The Yellowjackets also posted an impressive 13 team assists, 10 team steals, and forced 12 turnovers while converting them into 18 total points. With just three lead changes all within the first four minutes, MSUB controlled the advantage for over 92 percent of the game.
HEAR FROM COACH FENNELLY: "It was a big week for our guys, competing against the two best teams in the GNAC. We stressed energy and effort all week long and the guys really showed that in these two games. I was really proud of how we shared the ball against two very good defenses and proud of how we hung tough on our defensive end. We knew NNU was going to make a run at the end, we just had to stick together and focus on making game winning plays. We'll enjoy it until midnight, then back to work tomorrow. Go 'Jackets!"
Amongst the five double digit scorers,
Jalen Tot led the way with 21 points while shooting 4-11 from three and 3-3 from the line while tallying four rebounds, two steals, and one assist. Close behind was
Kael Robinson with 19 points on 4-7 from the field, 2-3 from three, and 9-13 from the line with a team high of seven rebounds. Through 15 GNAC games, Robinson currently leads all scorers in conference play with 19.7 points per game and field goals made (114) while ranking fifth in shooting efficiency (57.6). Rounding out the scorers reaching double figures was
Brendon Johnson with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal,
Jajuan Tot who posted an MSUB career high of 12 points on 5-6 with four assists, three rebounds, and three steals, and
Cooper Dewitt with 11 points, four boards, four assists, and three steals.
FIRST HALF
The Nighthawks struck first in the night cap of the Yellowjackets double header by connecting from beyond the arc, but their 3-0 lead didn't last long as Johnson immediately responded with a triple of his own to even the score. By the 15th minute MSUB had amassed an 11-6 advantage, following a 6-0 run via back-to-back three pointers from
Jalen Tot. By the eight-minute mark, the 'Jackets took their largest lead of the night (9) after hitting their fourth and fifth triples of the game, courtesy of Johnson and
Jajuan Tot. NNU quickly responded with a 4-0 run of their own but Robinson and
Jajuan Tot combined for five straight points, extending their lead to 10. Both squads traded punches in the final four and a half minutes, but it was the Yellowjackets heading into the half with a 40-32 lead.
SECOND HALF
The Yellowjackets kept their momentum going in the second half, opening the final 20 minutes of play with a 9-2 run behind back-to-back triples from Robinson and
Jalen Tot, giving MSUB a 15-point advantage. By this point in the game the 'Jackets were putting on an offensive production clinic, shooting 50 percent from the field, 52.9 percent from three, and over 90 percent from the line while holding the Nighthawks to just 35 percent. From there, NNU scored six straight unanswered points to cut their deficit back to single digits. The Nighthawks continued to chip away at the Yellowjackets advantage, going on another 10-1 run to trail by just one point with seven minutes remaining. After more back-and-forth basketball, MSUB extended their lead to 70-62 at the 3:18 mark after a pair of huge triples from Dewitt and
Jajuan Tot. NNU brought it back within one point with eight seconds to go but Dewitt hit a huge free throw and with only a few seconds left was able to collect a steal and dish it to
Jalen Tot for the Yellowjackets to pull out the 77-73 victory.
STATISTIC LEADERS
POINTS: Jalen Tot (21);
Kael Robinson (19)
REBOUNDS: Kael Robinson (7); Three players tied (4)
ASSISTS: Jajuan Tot (4);
Cooper Dewitt (4)
STEALS: Jajuan Tot (3);
Cooper Dewitt (3)
BLOCKS: Fares Kacem (2);
Kael Robinson (1)
THE BUZZ: Jajuan Tot was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 12 points which is a career high in a Yellowjacket uniform while shooting 5-6 from the field and 2-2 from three while tallying three rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
UP NEXT: The Montana State Billings Yellowjacket men's basketball team heads north to the last frontier, taking on Alaska Anchorage on February 20
th at 9:30 PM MT and Alaska Fairbanks on February 22
nd at 5:15 PM MT. Live statistics for the Thursday night matchup against the Seawolves can be found
here, and the live stream link can be found
here.
