Cold Shooting Dooms Yellowjackets in 116-66 Loss at Western Washington    

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BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Hot shooting propelled Western Washington to a 116-66 victory over Montana State Billings Thursday evening.  With the loss, MSUB falls to 1-18 overall and 1-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  WWU snaps a two-game skid and improves to 11-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play. 

The Yellowjackets were led by a game-high 23 points from freshman John Brooks (Perris, Calif.).  He was 7 of 14 from the field, 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line.  Fellow freshman Aaron Terry (Moreno Valley, Calif.) had 13 points and sophomore Tyler Hentzen (Brea, Calif.) chipped in 11.

The Vikings jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, but the Yellowjackets answered with a 6-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Brooks and a jumper from freshman Cameron Khoury (Alta Loma, Calif.) with 14:49 left.

WWU used a 15-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 23-10 lead.  Ira Graham scored six points of his eight first half points during the run. 

Moments later, the Vikings used another run to blow the game wide open.  From the 9:14 mark in the first half, WWU went on a 30-14 run for a 58-27 lead at halftime.

For the half, the Yellowjackets were just 9 of 26 from the floor for 35 percent and were 2 of 11 from beyond the arc.  From the line MSUB was 7 of 14.  Brooks had 11 points in the half to lead the Jackets.

The Vikings really heated things up, shooting 63 percent on 25 of 40 for the half.  WWU was 7 of 16 from beyond the arc and 1 of 3 from the line.  Derrick Webb was on fire coming off the bench to score 16 points on 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 from downtown.

The Yellowjackets came out in the second half and cut the deficit to 60-37 jus two minutes in courtesy of a 10-2 run.  Hentzen began the run with a three-pointer and Brooks added a bucket and two free throws during the spurt.

The Vikings answered pushing the lead back to as many as 52 points and settled for the 116-66 victory.

MSUB was 21 of 65 from the field for 32 percent and was 7 of 31 from downtown.  From the line, the Yellowjackets were 17 of 29 for 58 percent.

WWU was just as hot in the second half as it was in the first, shooting 62 percent for the game on 48 of 77 from the floor.  The Vikings were 9 of 21 from beyond the arc and 11 of 22 from the line.  The Vikings had five players in double figures, including a team-high 19 from Webb and a double-double from Steve Severin with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The Yellowjackets continue this four-game road trip at Central Washington on Saturday at 7 p.m. PST.  MSUB will be back at Alterowitz Gym Feb. 14 against Western Oregon at 7 p.m.  Live video streaming, free live stats, and free internet broadcast of home games can be on the Yellowjackets web site.