BILLINGS, Mont
. — The Montana State University Billings men's basketball team turned a slow start into a strong finish Thursday night, rallying from a 14-point second half deficit to defeat Western Washington 91-87 in a tightly contested GNAC matchup at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
After trailing 58-44 at the 16:13 mark in the second half, the Yellowjackets flipped the script with a dominant final 15 minutes, shooting 55.6 percent from the field after intermission and turning defensive pressure into timely scoring to secure their eighth conference win of the season. MSUB improved to 19-6 overall and 8-4 in GNAC play with the victory, sitting just one win shy of a share atop the conference.
MSUB finished the night shooting just under 45 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from three-point range. The comeback effort was fueled by defense as well, as the Yellowjackets forced 15 turnovers and collected 11 steals, converting those opportunities into 16 points. Eight different players scored for MSUB, with five reaching double figures.
Jakob Milling paced MSUB with 21 points, shooting 5-for-6 from three-point range while adding nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Brandon Tchouya provided a major lift off the bench, finishing with 18 points on efficient shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.
Croix Cox contributed 16 points and six rebounds, while
Mason Landdeck directed the offense with 12 points and a game-high 11 assists, and
Miles Gurske chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
"Another great team win by our guys," said head coach
Luke Fennelly. "We were in quicksand defending in the first half and allowed WWU to get too much rhythm offensively, but Jakob was huge for us to keep it close. Brandon and Pedro really changed our identity defensively in the second half. It's a game of runs and we stress that you just have to keep fighting for all 40 minutes and our team did just that. Glad to be at home and pull out a win against a tough WWU team."
Game Flow
Western Washington came out firing in the opening half, connecting on nine three-pointers and shooting over 47 percent from the field. The Vikings used their perimeter shooting to build momentum early, eventually pushing their lead to as many as 12 points. MSUB struggled to find consistent rhythm offensively in the first 20 minutes but stayed within reach by attacking the paint and forcing turnovers that led to transition opportunities. Milling's 15 first half points helped keep it close but despite those efforts, the Yellowjackets entered halftime trailing 45-38.
The second half told a different story. After the Vikings pushed their advantage to 14 early, MSUB responded with renewed intensity on both ends. The Yellowjackets slowly chipped away before unleashing a decisive 14-0 run that flipped the game. Tchouya sparked the surge, scoring nine points in under 90 seconds to turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point MSUB lead. Western Washington threatened late, but the Yellowjackets converted key free throws and interior baskets in the closing minutes to hold on for the 91-87 victory.
STAT LEADERS
Points:
Jakob Milling (21)
Rebounds:
Jakob Milling (9)
Assists:
Mason Landdeck (11)
Blocks:
Jakob Milling (2)
Steals: Three players tied (3)
THE BUZZ: Jakob Milling was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game after posting 21 points on 7-13 from the field, 5-6 from three, and 2-3 from the line with nine rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
UP NEXT: Montana State Billings will look to build on the momentum Saturday afternoon when it returns to Alterowitz Gymnasium to face Simon Fraser in another pivotal GNAC contest.
