ANCHORAGE, Alas. – The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team secured a 66-60 victory over the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (11-17, 4-11 GNAC), marking their fourth consecutive win. With this triumph, the Yellowjackets improved to 19-10 on the season, having won eight of their last nine games, and are now one win away from clinching a postseason spot.
The Yellowjackets now 10-6 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, sit tied for third in the conference standings with two games remaining on their regular season schedule. Helping them make their late season run is
Kael Robinson, who led the 'Jackets with 19 points on 6-10 while also hauling in a team best nine boards. Close behind on the night was
Brendon Johnson with 15 points on 4-8 with five rebounds, and
Cooper Dewitt with 13 points while shooting 50% from the field with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Also reaching double digits was
Jalen Tot with 11 points, five rebounds, and one steal while dishing out three assists.
The Yellowjackets showcased an impressive defensive performance, holding the Seawolves to just 39% shooting from the field and a dismal 16% from beyond the arc. MSUB also forced 15 turnovers and registered eight steals, translating those into 17 points off turnovers. Offensively, the Yellowjackets shot 43% from the field, 33% from three-point range, and converted 19 free throws at a 78% rate.
FIRST HALF
The game began with Robinson sinking a pair of free throws to give MSUB the early lead, but the Seawolves responded with a 10-0 run over the next six minutes. The Yellowjackets kept battling and eventually trimmed their deficit to just one point when Johnson hit his second three-pointer of the night with 9:30 left in the half. After a back-and-forth stretch, MSUB took its first lead of the game when Robinson made a layup, followed by Johnson's third triple, giving the Yellowjackets a 23-19 advantage. MSUB quickly extended its lead to six after a step-back jumper by
Jalen Tot, forcing Anchorage to call a timeout with 3:27 remaining in the half. The Yellowjackets continued to build their lead, heading into halftime with a solid 31-23 advantage.
SECOND HALF
The second half began with a high-scoring flurry, as both teams combined for 20 points in just the first five minutes. During this stretch, the Seawolves went on a 7-0 run, closing the gap to just two points. MSUB responded with a three-pointer from Tot and a layup from Robinson at the 9:27 mark, pushing the lead back to seven. After another brief scoring lull, the Yellowjackets held a 53-44 lead as both teams exchanged free throws. With the Seawolves inching closer and cutting the deficit to three, MSUB went on a decisive 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer and two free throws from Dewitt, to take a 10-point lead with just 1:19 left. After late fouls and numerous free throws, the Yellowjackets were able to convert six of their last eight attempts to hold off the Seawolves 66-60.
STATISTIC LEADERS
POINTS: Kael Robinson (19);
Brendon Johnson (15)
REBOUNDS: Kael Robinson (9); Three players tied (5)
ASSISTS: Cooper Dewitt (4);
Jalen Tot (3);
Jajuan Tot (3)
STEALS: Jajuan Tot (3);
Cooper Dewitt (2);
Kael Robinson (2)
BLOCKS: Cooper Dewitt (1)
THE BUZZ: Cooper Dewitt was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 13 points on 4-8 from the field, 1-3 form beyond the arch, and 4-5 from the line while tallying five boards, four assists, two steals, and one block.
UP NEXT: The Montana State Billings Yellowjacket men's basketball team stays in Alaska, heading to Fairbanks to take on the UAF Nanooks on Saturday February 22
nd at 5:15 PM MT. Live statistics for the matchup can be found
here, and the live stream link can be found
here.
