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Montana State University Billings Athletics

Composite Calendar
tchouya
Photo By: Thomas Damone
82
Northwest Nazarene NNU 10-5,4-2 Great Northwest
87
Winner Mont. St. Billings MSUB 15-4,4-2 Great Northwest
Northwest Nazarene NNU
10-5,4-2 Great Northwest
82
Final
87
Mont. St. Billings MSUB
15-4,4-2 Great Northwest
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northwest Nazarene NNU 42 40 82
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 39 48 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Hayden Foltz, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications

Balanced Attack Fuels MSUB Men’s Basketball to 87-82 Win Over NNU

BILLINGS, Mont. – Fueled by a decisive second-half surge and a balanced offensive effort, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team earned its 15th win of the season with an 87-82 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday night inside a lively Alterowitz Gym.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets improved to 15-4 overall, vaulting into a share of second place in the GNAC standings at 4-2 with Alaska Anchorage and the Nighthawks (10-5, 4-2 GNAC). Northwest Nazarene entered the night ranked second in the conference, but MSUB's depth and defensive pressure proved to be the difference. NNU guard Easton Reagon poured in a game-high 39 points, yet the Yellowjackets' team-oriented attack ultimately prevailed.
 
MSUB shot 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, while dominating key areas of the game. The Yellowjackets held a commanding 26-2 advantage in fast-break points, outscored NNU 40-28 in the paint, and forced 12 steals that helped control the pace throughout the night. Eight different MSUB players found the scoring column, with five finishing in double figures.  
Miles Gurske and Brandon Tchouya led the charge with 16 points apiece. Gurske filled the stat sheet with three rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while Tchouya recorded a team-high eight rebounds along with four steals and three assists. Mason Landdeck added 14 points and a team-best five assists, Jakob Milling posted 13 points, five rebounds, and two blocks, and Croix Cox delivered 12 points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes.
 
Game Flow
Northwest Nazarene opened the scoring after winning the opening tip, but the Yellowjackets quickly responded. La Tour knocked down a deep three-pointer to put MSUB on the board, and moments later Croix Cox electrified the crowd with back-to-back fast-break dunks off assists from La Tour and Gurske. The sequence forced an early NNU timeout and sparked a 7-0 MSUB run. Pedro Ellery capped the spurt with a three-pointer, giving the Yellowjackets a 10-3 lead.
 
The Nighthawks countered with a 5-0 run of their own, and the opening half settled into a tightly contested battle. Over the next several minutes, the lead changed hands three times, and the score was tied once, with Northwest Nazarene eventually edging ahead 22-18 midway through the period. NNU later built its largest lead of the half at five points, but MSUB answered with a Landdeck jumper and a Milling three to pull back within two.
 
The final minutes of the half featured back-and-forth action as both teams traded baskets. MSUB briefly reclaimed a 34-33 lead before Northwest Nazarene responded and then closed the half on a 7-0 run. Gurske halted the momentum just before the break with an and-one three-point play, sending the Yellowjackets into halftime trailing 42-39.
 
La Tour once again provided an early spark to begin the second half, burying his second three-pointer of the night to tie the game at 42. The teams continued to exchange punches, producing two more times before Jakob Milling completed a three-point play to give MSUB its first lead of the second half. Milling followed with another basket on the next possession to make it 49-46, igniting an 11-2 Yellowjacket run.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers from Tchouya and Landdeck capped the surge and pushed MSUB's lead to nine with just under 12 minutes remaining. The Yellowjackets' defense then took over, holding the Nighthawks scoreless for a five-minute stretch as MSUB extended the advantage to 11 on a Tchouya tip-in at the 9:44 mark.
 
Northwest Nazarene broke the drought with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 61-54, but MSUB quickly responded with a 4-0 spurt highlighted by a pair of Gurske free throws and a Croix Cox bucket. A chaotic stretch followed that included three technical fouls, allowing the Nighthawks to trim the margin to just three with four straight free throws and a quick bucket on their next possession.
 
The momentum shift was short-lived, as MSUB answered with a 5-0 run of its own, punctuated by a La Tour three-pointer with 4:30 remaining to restore an eight-point lead. Both teams found themselves in foul trouble late, setting up a tense final stretch. Northwest Nazarene connected on its 12th three-pointer of the night with 47 seconds remaining to pull within four, but the Yellowjackets remained composed. MSUB closed out the game with key defensive stops and four consecutive free throws from Gurske, sealing the 87-82 victory.
 
STAT LEADERS
Points: Miles Gurske (16), Brandon Tchouya (16)
Rebounds: Brandon Tchouya (8)
Assists: Mason Landdeck (5)
Steals: Miles Gurske (4), Brandon Tchouya (4)
Blocks: Jakob Milling (2)
 
THE BUZZ: Brandon Tchouya was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three assists in a complete two-way performance.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets remain at home this Saturday, welcoming Central Washington to Alterowitz Gym for a 4:15 p.m. tip-off.
 
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