Injuries Continue to Add Up for the Yellowjackets
Carse Joins Skrifvars on List of Players Lost to Surgery (January 7, 2002)

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State University-Billings men’s basketball coach Craig Carse announced Tuesday that junior guard Dave Carse will have season-ending shoulder surgery.  The team is currently on a five-game road trip that will last fifteen days.

Earlier in the season, senior guard and leading scorer Jerett Skrifvars tore ligaments in his hand that required surgery to repair.  Skrifvars played in the first five games of the season, averaging a PacWest-best 22.6 points per game.  Freshman Buddy Windy Boy then had to have surgery for a broken nose the following week.  Windy Boy is back in the lineup, but Skrifvars and Carse will be lost for the season.

Carse injured his shoulder in a game at Cal State-Los Angeles at the end of December, and further aggravated the injury two days later at Cal Poly Pomona.  He didn’t play in the PacWest Conference opener at Chaminade on Saturday, or in either game at Hawaii-Hilo.  Carse averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 assists per game to start the year.  He will have surgery on the shoulder after the team returns from Hawaii.

The Yellowjackets started the season with a 6-0 record, but have dropped their last four games, all on the road.  MSUB is off to a 0-2 start in its quest to defend its 2002 PacWest title.  MSU Billings will play at Hawaii-Hilo on Wednesday with tip-off at 10:15 p.m. MST.