Yellowjackets End 2008 with 74-58 Victory Over Great Falls

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BILLINGS, Mont. – After a sluggish start, the Montana State Billings men’s basketball team outscored visiting University of Great Falls in the second half 39-22 for a 74-58 victory, snapping a three game skid.  The Yellowjackets were led by 20 points and nine rebounds from Travis Bunker, while Derrick Wright and Mario Burns had 15 and 11, respectively.  Rayshaun Ames had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.

“I thought we played a really good second half,” head coach George Pfeifer said.  I thought the last 28 minutes, we played closer to our potential.  “Mario Burns gave us some great presence on the ball and Travis Bunker had just one rebound at half and ended up with nine which was great.

The Yellowjackets (4-6) got on the board first with a quick 3-pointer from Travis Bunker off a nice pass from Kyle Palmer for a 3-0 lead, but the Argos scored the next seven points through the first four minutes of the game.  After the initial bucket by Bunker, the Yellowjackets missed their next five shots.  A runner in the lane by Mario Burns ended the 7-0 spurt by Great Falls.

The Argos (6-10) followed with an 11-0 run for an 18-5 lead through eight minutes of action.  UGF began the game 8 of 12 from the field, while MSUB was just 3 of 12.  A 3-pointer by Brett Taylor ended the run and cut the deficit to 18-8 with 11:57 left.

An old-fashion three-point play by Derrick Wright cut the Argo lead to 25-16 with 9:15 left.  Moments later, Bunker hit a fade away jumper to cut the deficit to seven at 25-18 with just over eight minutes left.  Taylor provided a spark as he hit his third trey of the half cutting the deficit to 27-21, followed by a layup from Bunker for a four point deficit, 27-23.  Since the 11:57 mark, MSUB used an 18-9 run to get back into the game. 

Since the 11:57 mark, the Yellowjackets went 6 of 10 from the field, including two 3-pointers.

A jumper by Michael Hall, his first two points of the game, cut the Argo lead to 34-31 with 50 seconds left in the half.  Wright made 1 of 2 free throws moments later for a 34-32 score.  A 3-pointer by Bunker at the buzzer cut the deficit to 36-35 at intermission.

For the half, MSUB was 12 of 29 from the field for 41.4 percent.  The Jackets had five 3-pointers and were 6 of 7 from the line.  Bunker led all-scorers with 12 points. 

The Argos shot a blistering 61.5 percent on 16 of 26 from the field.  UGF was 2 of 7 from deep and were just 2 of 6 from the charity stripe.  Rayshaun Ames, the team’s leading scorer, had eight points at halftime. 

UGF held a 16-14 lead in rebounds and both teams committed six turnovers.

The Argos held a 48-44 lead through the first eight minutes of the second half with both teams cooling off into the 30-percent range for the half.  Wright had a nice turnaround jumper in the lane cutting the Argo lead to 49-47 with 10:45 left.  Wright continued to make plays inside as he tied the game with another jumper in the lane.  It was the first tie since the early moments of the game.

A 3-pointer by Bunker gave the Yellowjackets its first lead of the game since a 3-0 lead with 19:14 left in the first.  Moments later, Burns got dirty on the floor and came up with his second steal of the game, followed by a deep jumper by Hall for a 54-51 lead.

Out of a timeout by UGF, Hall followed with another 3-pointer for a 58-53 lead.

Out of a nice out of bounds play after a timeout, Wright took the ball to the hoop for a score and pushed the Yellowjacket lead to 62-55 with just over three minutes left.  A steal and layup by Brad Hodge with an intentional foul on Ames swelled the Yellowjacket lead to 67-55 with 1:11 left. 

The Yellowjackets sealed the victory from the free throw line as things got chippie in the final minute with three technical fouls called giving the Yellowjackets seven free throw opportunities that swelled the lead to 74-55.  The game ended 74-58.

For the game, MSUB shot 44.6 percent from the field on 25 of 56.  The Yellowjackets were 8 of 18 from downtown and 16 of 22 from the line.  UGF shot 46.2 percent from the field on 24 of 52.  The Argos were just 8 of 26 from the field in the second half.  Great Falls was 4 of 18 from beyond the arc and 6 of 10 from the line.

“I thought we did a decent job on Rayshaun Ames who is a really good player,” Pfeifer added.  “I know I sound greedy when we shot 44 percent from three and I didn’t think we shot it great.”

The Yellowjackets begin 2009 Friday with their final non-conference game of the season against Chadron State at 7 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium.  MSUB looks to avenge an earlier season loss to the Eagles.