Yellowjackets Head to Northwest Nazarene

BILLINGS, Mont. – Posting a 0-5 start to the season, the Montana State Billings men’s basketball team is in the hunt for its first win of the year.  The Yellowjackets will get that chance playing a pair of neutral games against Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian November 30 and December 1 in Nampa, Idaho at the Northwest Nazarene Tournament.  The Yellowjackets hold a 2-0 series lead over the Colorado Christian Cougars, while it will be the first meeting in school history between the Jackets and the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers.

The Jackets are set to face Colorado School of Mines on Friday, November 30th with tip off set for 5:00 p.m.  The Orediggers (3-1) are paced by Kyle Pape’s 22.3 points per game.  Pape is shooting 33 percent from the field and is 35 percent from behind the arc.  Pape also leads the Diggers at the free throw line connecting on 28-of-33 attempts for a blistering 85 percent.  Teammate Ben Mohr has been effective under the basket grabbing an average 11 boards per game.  Mohr is averaging 13.8 points and has handed out a team-high 5.5 assists per game.

As a team the Orediggers are shooting 50 percent from the floor and 46 percent from the perimeter.  CSM has out-shot their opponents 32-21 from three-point range and have four players posting six or more threes.  The team is 70 percent from the free throw line, and is averaging just 32.5 rebounds per game.  The Orediggers have a 4.8 margin of victory over their opponents.

MSUB will play Colorado Christian on Saturday, December 1st at 3:30 p.m.  The Cougars’ (1-2) Brian Stamer leads the team in both scoring (16.0) and rebounds per game (8.0).  Stamer has been most proficient from the floor netting 21-of-36 for 58 percent.  Rory Morgan is averaging 13.7 points per game and is a perfect 8-of-8 from the line for the Cougars.  Teammate Jordan Long leads CCU in steals averaging 2.33 per game.  Long is also contributing 10 points per game.

The Cougars are 74-of-161 from the field for 46 percent and have out-shot their opponents 27-16 from long range.  The team is just 69 percent from the charity stripe and has recorded an average 25 boards per game.

The Yellowjackets are fielding a team of young players as eight are new to the squad and all but three are freshman.  Through the first five games of the season, the Jackets’ Aaron Terry (Moreno Valley, Calif.) has posted a team-leading 15.6 points per game.  Terry notched a career-high 21 points in games against St. Cloud State and Nebraska-Omaha last weekend.  Terry is shooting 41 percent from the floor and is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game.  Troy Ruff (Custer) and Brett Taylor (Billings) are averaging 7.6 and 7.4 points per game apiece with Taylor leading the Jackets’ perimeter attack with 10 three-pointers this season.

As a team MSUB is shooting 32 percent from the floor, 24 percent from long range and 67 percent from the free throw line.  The team has been out-rebounded 49-35 by their opponents.

Following this weekend’s games, the Yellowjackets will take a two-week break from competition.  The Jackets will open their home schedule on Monday, December 17th when they host cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College.  The game is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Alterowitz Gym.  Live video streaming, free live stats, and free internet broadcast will be provided and can be found on the Yellowjackets web site.