Yellowjackets Swarm Bears with Big Second Half (12/10/05)
Box
Score
BILLINGS, MT – For 20 minutes Saturday’s
cross-town basketball game between Montana State-Billings and
Rocky Mountain College couldn’t be any closer. A 57-point
Yellowjacket second half, however, turned the game into a 100-76
blowout and the Jackets’ fourth-straight win.
Rocky Mountain used a 19-of-22 performance
from the free throw line in the first half to hang around for a
43-43 tie at intermission. The game turned quickly in favor of
the Yellowjackets in the first five minutes of the second half. A
15-4 run to start the half delivered the knockout punch. That run
was sparked by the 3-point shooting of Carlin Hughes (So., Perth, Australia) and Cameron Munoz (Sr., Chino, CA).
Along with improving the Yellowjackets to 4-0
on the season, Saturday’s win gave MSU Billings a six-game winning
streak against the Bears. The Yellowjackets pushed their all-time
record against the Bears to 86-76.
After breaking out to a double-digit lead to
start the second half, the Yellowjackets never let the Bears
within less than 10 points the rest of the way. The Yellowjacket
guards took over the game, knocking down eight of the team’s 11
3-pointers in the final 20 minutes.
Munoz finished with a game-high 36 after
dropping 27 on the Bears in Thursday’s game at Alterowitz. Munoz
was 12-of-24 from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point range in the
game. He made 13 threes in the two-game set with the Bears.
Hughes finished the night with 25 points and
a game-high nine assists. He scored 20 of his points in the
second half, including three of his four 3-pointers. He also had a career-high five steals in the
game. For the
season Hughes has handed out 51 assists in four games for a 12.75 apg average.
Four of the five Yellowjackets starters
scored in double figures. Moritz Wohlers (Wolfenbuttel, Germany) and Lucas Walker (So., Launceston, Australia) netted 13 and 12
points respectively. Wohlers grabbed a game-high nine rebounds
before fouling out. Wohlers, Jonathan Wiley (Jr., Westlake Village, CA) and Buddy Windy Boy (Sr., Lodge Grass, MT) all fouled out of the
game as the Jackets were whistled for 27 fouls in the game. Wiley
handed out seven assists, and Windy Boy grabbed seven rebounds.
The Bears capitalized on the Yellowjackets’
foul trouble by scoring 28 of their 76 points from the charity
stripe. Devin Uskoski led Rocky with 18 points and seven
rebounds. He was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the
game. David Ellis added a dozen points and connected on 5-of-7
from the line.
The Yellowjackets will continue their
non-conference schedule with three important regional games to
close out the calendar year. They will host 20th-ranked
Emporia State (KS) on December 19 before wrapping up the year with
two games at the Texas A&M Kingsville tourney on December 29 and
30. MSU Billings opens the Heartland Conference schedule by
hosting Western New Mexico on January 4. |
