NAMPA, Idaho — The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team (20-8, 9-6 GNAC) fell just short on the road Saturday night, dropping a 68-65 decision to Northwest Nazarene (15-8, 9-5 GNAC) inside Johnson Sports Center. The Yellowjackets battled back from a first-half deficit but could not complete the comeback in a tightly contested GNAC matchup.
MSUB shot 34.8 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range, connecting on 12 of 19 free throws. The Yellowjackets collected 44 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive glass, and generated 18 fast-break points while forcing 17 turnovers from the Nighthawks.
Gurske led the Yellowjackets with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Landdeck added 18 points, two assists, and a steal, while
Jakob Milling chipped in six points and 10 rebounds.
Brandon Tchouya contributed eight points and six rebounds, including a pair of critical fast-break dunks down the stretch.
Game Flow
It was the Nighthawks getting things going early at home, scoring four straight unanswered points before Landdeck answered with a three pointer. The Yellowjackets continued to do damage from the perimeter, after NNU extended their advantage back to four Landdeck connected on another triple followed by a three pointer from Milling to make it a one-point ballgame.
Croix Cox contributed the next four points followed by a bucket from Gurske in the next five minutes, but by the halfway point in the first half Northwest Nazarene still held an 18-15 advantage.
The Nighthawks continued to extend their lead from there, using an 8-2 run to take their largest lead of the game (9) before Gurske ended their scoring streak with a three pointer at the 6:07 mark. This would spark what felt like the first momentum switch of the game as Tchouya would score four straight points in 23 seconds followed by a Gurske free throw to again make it a one-point game. The final four saw both teams trade blows but a buzzer beater in the final seconds lead NNU into the half with the 38-31 lead.
The Nighthawks exploded out of the break, going on a 12-2 run to push their lead to 17 points before Tchouya ended their run with his eight point of the game. Losing the shooting percentage battle 54-30 percent from the field, the Yellowjackets needed a spark in a big way, and a spark is what they got when Gurske followed Tchouya's layup with five straight points to combine for and 7-0 run. By the 10-minute mark in the second half, MSUB continued their surge with a 5-0 run behind a Landdeck layup and a
Rhyse Owens triple to cut their deficit to 52-45.
The final minutes featured back-and-forth action, with Landdeck trimming the gap to three. MSUB pulled within one on Gurske's pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining. After an NNU foul, the Yellowjackets regained possession, but an out-of-bounds call allowed NNU to convert two free throws, sealing a 68-65 victory.
STAT LEADERS
PTS: Miles Gurske (19)
REB: Jakob Milling (10)
AST: Miles Gurske (2);
Mason Landdeck (2)
STL: Miles Gurske (4)
BLK: Croix Cox (1)
THE BUZZ: Miles Gurske was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and two assists.
UP NEXT: MSUB will return home to face Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, hoping to rebound in the final conference stretch.
