Yellowjackets Host St. Martin’s in West Region
Match-up (December 12, 2002)
BILLINGS, MT – The MSU Billings
men’s basketball team will host St. Martin’s College
in an important West Region game Saturday night.
Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. at Alterowitz
Gymnasium. The Yellowjackets will be attempting to
extend their nation-best 36-game home winning
streak.
The Yellowjackets defeated St.
Martin’s (0-7) 86-77 on November 27 in Lacey,
Washington. MSUB came from 17 points down in the
first half and nine points down at halftime. Jerett Skrifvars scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds in that
game as he had his way with the Saints’ man-to-man
defense.
Skrifvars currently leads the
Pacific West Conference in scoring at 24 points per
game. He has scored over 20 points in each of the
four games this season, including a career-high 29
against Chadron State last weekend.
Besides Skrifvars’ dominance
over the first few weeks of the season, the
Yellowjackets have relied on balance and defense.
Six other players are averaging over six points per
game, including Kyle Stirmlinger (12.8) and Justin Hassell (10.5). Usually known as an offensive team, the
Jackets are holding their opponents to 71.2 points
per game and out-shooting them 51.7% to 41.9%.
After leading the nation in
scoring last season with 91.4 points per game, the
Yellowjackets are only about three and a half points
off that pace at 87.8 points per game through the
first four games. Included in that average is a
61-point outing in a win against defending West
Region champion Cal State-San Bernardino. After
scoring 103 in last weekend’s win, another 100-point
game this weekend will put the Jackets’ season
scoring average over 90.
Much of St. Martin’s winless
record is due to playing one of the toughest
preseason schedules in the West Region. Including
their loss to the 22nd-ranked
Yellowjackets, the Saints have lost to West Region
powers Cal Poly Pomona, BYU-Hawaii, Western
Washington, and Seattle Pacific. They also have an
overtime loss to defending national champion Metro
State.
Offensively the Saints are
paced by Brandon Hartely’s 14.8 points per game and
Jarel Cherry’s 10.9 ppg. Big man Nick Gibbs is
averaging 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game with
seven blocked shots. |
