Yellowjackets Hit the Road for Crucial Four Game Swing

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings men’s basketball team begins a crucial four game road swing Thursday at Western Oregon at 7 p.m. Pacific time.  The Yellowjackets finish the week at Saint Martin’s on Saturday, before traveling to the Last Frontier next week at Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks.

MSUB enters the week with a 9-9 record and a 4-3 mark in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  The Yellowjackets are searching for their first conference road victory since joining the GNAC last year.  With a win over Western Oregon, it would mark the first GNAC sweep of a conference opponent since joining the league.

The Yellowjackets are coming off an impressive 4-1 home stand where they outscored their opponents 424-376, including a 118-112 thrilling, double-overtime victory over Alaska Fairbanks.  In addition, the Yellowjackets defeated Western Oregon, 91-83, to open the home stand behind 27 points from senior Michael Hall as the Yellowjackets had one of their best shooting performances of the season, knocking down 55 percent of their shots.  MSUB held a lead of 23 points in the game against the Wolves, before settling for the 91-83 victory.  It snapped a 14-game conference losing skid dating back to last Jan. 24, 2008, as MSUB defeated Alaska Fairbanks, 65-55 in Alterowitz Gymnasium for the only conference victory of the 2007-08 season.

During the home stand, the Yellowjackets shot 51 percent and were deadly from downtown at just over 41 percent.  MSUB dominated the glass for a +7.0 rebounding average as well as averaging nine points more than its opponents.  Hall averaged 22.4 points during the 4-1 home stand, while Travis Bunker was at a 15.6 clip.  Derrick Wright (14.4 ppg.) and Mario Burns (10.4 ppg.) also were in double figures.  Both Wright and Bunker pulled down over six rebounds each during the home stand.

For the season, Hall leads the team averaging 18.1 points per game.  He also leads the team with 103 made field goals and 58 made 3-pointers.  Hall is third on the team in made free throws with 43.  Wright is second on the team in scoring at 15.4 points for the season.  He leads the team in field goal percentage at .532 on 100 of 188 from the floor.  He also has the most free throws made with 77 in 109 attempts for a .706 average.  Wright is second on the team in rebounds with 100 at a 5.6 clip.  Bunker is third in scoring at 14.2 points and is second in 3-pointers with 51.  He leads the team with 150 rebounds at an 8.3 clip.  Bunker also leads the team in minutes played with 718 for a 39.9 average.  At the end of the Alaska Anchorage game (Jan. 28) he came out of the game snapping string of 288:54 consecutive minutes played.
One of the top assists leaders in the nation is Burns.  He leads the team with 127 assist to just 56 turnovers on the year.  Burns is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.7 points, as well as fourth in field goals with 63 and is second in made free throws with 67.

The Yellowjackets have really increased their offensive production since conference play began.  The team is shooting 50 percent in conference play from the field on 199 of 397, as well as 42 percent from downtown (53 of 125) and just under 70 percent from the line at 119 of 171 for 69 percent.  The ‘Jackets are pulling down 34.6 rebounds to 30.7 for their opponents and are outscoring conference teams by 5.7 points per game.

Western Oregon (7-11, 1-6) enters the week looking to break through a slump that has seen it lose nine of its past 11 games and six straight, including the 91-83 loss in Billings on Jan. 15.  The Wolves are led by Travis Kuhns who is averaging a team-best 16.2 points per game.  He also leads the team with 87 made field goals (.414) and is second on the team with 26 made 3-pointers.  Kuhns also leads the team from the charity stripe with 91 makes in 117 tries for a 77 percent average.  Kuhns is second on the team in rebounds averaging 5.4 boards a game.  Blair Wheadon is second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points, while Mike McLaughlin leads the team in rebounds at a 7.7 average and is third in scoring at 11.8 points. 
As a team, the Wolves are shooting .455 from the field for the year and are 32 percent from 3-point land and 69 percent from the line.  WOU is being out-rebounded 37.4 to 35.2 on the year and out-scored 82.3 to 75.8.

The all-time series with WOU is tied, 3-3.  MSUB owns a 3-1 record in Billings, while WOU is 2-0 in Monmouth.  The Wolves won both meetings last season.

Saint Martin’s enters the week as the only conference team MSUB has not faced thus far this season.  The Saints are 15-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play and have won three of their past four games after dropping their first three conference games.  SMU was ranked in the top 15 nationally earlier in the season as it won games against top five Bentley the second game of the year and won at Division I Colorado State.  The Saints began the season 12-2 and have gone 3-4 since. 

Leading the way for the Saints this season is Jake Linton who has had a remarkable season averaging 23.2 points per game.  He leads the team in made field goals (134), made 3-pointers (63) and made free throws (156).  Bill Richardson is second on the team in scoring at 16.6 points.  He is shooting 55 percent from the field on 136 of 247.  What is impressive is that that is not the best average on the team.  Blake Pool is averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and he is shooting an astonishing .596 from the floor. 

As a team, the Saints are shooting .468 percent from the field on 636 of 1338 and are 115 of 338 from downtown to go along with an impressive 437 of 582 from the line for 75 percent which is more made free throws than MSUB has attempted (388).  The Saints are averaging 85.9 points per game and allowing 79.5, while pulling down an impressive 41.3 rebounds per game to 36.6.

MSUB owns a 6-5 record all-time versus Saint Martin’s.  SMU won both meetings last year.  The Jackets are 4-1, while SMU leads 4-2 in Lacey.