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Montana State University Billings Athletics

Composite Calendar
gurske
Photo By: Thomas Damone
85
Winner Central Wash. CentWA 9-9,3-4 Great Northwest
72
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 15-5,4-3 Great Northwest
Winner
Central Wash. CentWA
9-9,3-4 Great Northwest
85
Final
72
Mont. St. Billings MSUB
15-5,4-3 Great Northwest
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Wash. CentWA 31 54 85
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 36 36 72

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

Gurske’s Career-High 32 Not Enough as MSUB Falls to CWU

BILLINGS, Mont. – Despite a career night from Miles Gurske, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team (15-5, 4-3 GNAC) was unable to withstand a second-half surge from Central Washington, falling 85-72 to the Wildcats (9-9, 3-4 GNAC) Saturday evening at Alterowitz Gym.
 
The Yellowjackets controlled the pace for much of the contest, leading for approximately 60 percent of the game and carrying a five-point advantage into halftime. However, Central Washington came out of the locker room firing, pouring in 54 second-half points while shooting better than 65 percent from the floor and 60 percent from beyond the arc to complete the comeback.
 
Gurske turned in one of the best performances of his career, earning Intermountain Health Player of the Game honors after scoring a career-high 32 points on an efficient 10-of-13 shooting night. He connected on four of six attempts from three-point range and was perfect from the free-throw line (8-for-8), while also adding six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Mason Landdeck provided a strong secondary scoring effort with 15 points and three assists, while Brandon Tchouya contributed eight points, a team-high nine rebounds, and three steals.
 
Game Flow
The Wildcats struck first after winning the opening tip, but MSUB quickly responded behind Gurske's hot start. The junior guard scored eight of the Yellowjackets' first 10 points, drilling two early three-pointers to spark a 10-2 run and give MSUB a 10-4 lead just three minutes into the game. After a brief lull offensively, Tchouya broke a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought with a floater, igniting another 6-0 run that pushed the Yellowjackets' advantage to seven.
 
MSUB continued to build momentum midway through the half, extending its lead to double digits as Gurske and Croix Cox added timely buckets. Central Washington responded with an 11-2 run of its own, trimming the deficit to one and forcing the Yellowjackets to regroup. The remainder of the half developed into a defensive battle, with both teams forcing turnovers and struggling to find consistent offense. Neither team shot better than 42 percent in the opening 20 minutes, as the physical play produced seven combined steals and 12 forced turnovers.
 
Landdeck provided a spark late in the half, scoring to make it a 26-23 contest with four minutes remaining. Gurske then closed the half strong, scoring five points during a late 7-2 MSUB run. The Wildcats countered in the final two minutes, but the Yellowjackets maintained control and headed into the locker room with a 36-31 halftime lead.
 
MSUB carried that momentum into the opening minutes of the second half, opening with a 5-1 run capped by an and-one three-point play from Croix Cox. Central Washington quickly answered, going on a 9-2 run to pull within two before clamping down defensively. The Wildcats held MSUB scoreless for the next three minutes while adding six points to take their first lead of the half at 47-43 with just over 13 minutes remaining.
 
Landdeck halted the run with consecutive layups and a free throw to bring the Yellowjackets within one, but Central Washington continued to apply pressure. An 11-5 Wildcats run stretched the lead to seven with just over nine minutes to play. MSUB battled back, trimming the deficit to 62-59 after a 6-2 run highlighted by four more points from Landdeck.
From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth affair marked by physical play and frequent trips to the free-throw line, as both teams entered foul trouble early in the half.
 
MSUB continued to chip away, eventually pulling within one at the four-and-a-half-minute mark. However, Central Washington delivered the decisive blow with back-to-back three-pointers, igniting an 8-1 run that pushed the Wildcats' lead back to eight. The Yellowjackets continued to fight in the closing minutes, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as Central Washington closed out the contest for the 85-72 victory.
 
STAT LEADERS
Points: Miles Gurske (32)
Rebounds: Brandon Tchouya (9)
Assists: Mason Landdeck (3), Jakob Milling (3)
Steals: Brandon Tchouya (3)
Blocks: Jakob Milling (3)
 
THE BUZZ: Miles Gurske's career-high 32-point performance earned him Intermountain Health Player of the Game honors.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB hits the road for a GNAC trip to Alaska, facing Alaska Fairbanks on January 22 at 9:30 p.m. (MT), followed by Alaska Anchorage on January 24 at 9:30 p.m. (MT).
 
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