BURNABY, B.C. – The Montana State University Billings Yellowjacket men's basketball team (16-10, 7-6 GNAC) held on to take the 69-64 victory over the Simon Fraser Red Leaf's (7-16, 3-10 GNAC) in West Gymnasium earlier this evening.
 
The Yellowjackets leaned on their aggressive defense, edging the Red Leaf's 20-8 in forced turnovers, 13-2 in fast break points, and an astonishing 23-4 in points off turnovers. MSUB also showed their experience with the whistle, drawing 18 fouls while committing just nine, and efficiently converting 88.9 percent of their free throws compared to SFU's 40 percent free throw percentage.
 
Leading the offensive charge for the 'Jackets was Kael Robinson who led all scorers with 24 points while the 1,500 career points milestone at the 15:50 mark in the second half. Robinson also shot over 50 percent from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the line while tallying four boards and a team high of three assists. Following was Brendon Johnson with 19 points on 5-11 with six rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Also reaching double digits was Jalen Tot with 12 points, a team high of eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists.  

1,500 KReer Points for 2️⃣4️⃣

Congratulations to Kael Robinson on reaching 1,500 points in his collegiate career❗️#msubsports | #msubmbb | #ubuntu | #tnt pic.twitter.com/9K9WJsDkLY

— MSUB Men's Basketball (@MSUBMBB) February 9, 2025

 
HEAR FROM FENNELLY: "It was another gritty win for our guys. To cross the border for our second road game in a row and fight out a win is as tough as it gets. Our guys were locked in from the start, played tough together, and I couldn't be prouder of their efforts tonight. Looking forward to a pair of home games next week and go 'Jackets!"

Border Battle Victory🏆

Yellowjackets hold on to take the 69-64 win over the Simon Fraser Red Leaf's in Burnaby, B.C.!

Jajuan Tot was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game!#msubsports | #msubmbb | #ubuntu | #tnt pic.twitter.com/wLOtWVWpgn

— MSUB Men's Basketball (@MSUBMBB) February 9, 2025

 
FIRST HALF
After the Red Leaf's struck first with the first basket of the game, Robinson and Dewitt quickly responded with field goals of their own to take the 4-2 lead. From there it was quite a lull in scoring from both squads, reaching just eight total points through five minutes of play. Simon Fraser started to create some separation in the low scoring affair, taking a 9-4 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Johnson then sparked the Yellowjacket attack, scoring five straight points in back-to-back possessions to tie up the ballgame. By the 10-minute mark, MSUB took their first lead of the game after a pair of made free throws from Cooper Tyson and Robinson. Back-and-forth basketball continued until Jalen Tot extended their lead to seven points on a step back three pointer which was his 64^th of the season. After both squads traded some more blows, the Yellowjackets had slowly extended their lead to 16 points and went into half up 39-23.
 
SECOND HALF
The Red Leaf's came out firing in the second half, going on a 6-2 run in just the first two and a half minutes of play. The Yellowjackets responded quickly with five straight points of their own from a Robinson layup and a Jajuan Tot three pointer. After a slow first half, both teams had sped up their scoring by the 11-minute mark in the second frame, scoring 34 total points with the 'Jackets at the 57-39 advantage. Within the next five minutes, Simon Fraser then cut their deficit down to just six points on an incredible 14-2 run. Ending the 'Jackets cold streak was Johnson making a tough reverse layup to regain an eight-point lead. From their it was another lull in scoring for the next four minutes until the Red Leaf's starting fouling in attempts to make a comeback. MSUB went 6-6 in free throws in the final minute to hold on and take home the 69-64 victory.
 
STATISTIC LEADERS
POINTS: Kael Robinson (24); Brendon Johnson (19)
REBOUNDS: Jalen Tot (8); Brendon Johnson (6)
ASSISTS: Kael Robinson (3); Three players tied (2)
STEALS: Cooper Dewitt (4); Jalen Tot (3)
BLOCKS: Cooper Dewitt (2)
 
THE BUZZ: Jajuan Tot was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after putting on a defensive clinic, holding an opposing field goal percentage of 32 percent while posting five points, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
 
UP NEXT: The Montana State Billings Yellowjacket men's basketball team heads back two Billings for a two-game home stretch against Central Washinton on February 13^th at 7:30 PM, and Northwest Nazarene on February 15^th at 7:30 PM. Live statistics for both games can be found here, and the live stream link can be found here.