Box Score Photo Gallery
Matthews Post-Game Presser
Durham Post-Game Presser
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Jaxon Myaer and
Antoine Proctor combined for 43 points and Montana State-Billings used a 16-4 surge in the second half to hold off Alaska 75-64 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball Thursday night at the Patty Center.
“We really had a tough time with them last time; they scored 95 points, so I felt our effort was better,” head coach
Mick Durham said. “We were close, so the way we competed, I had no problem, but we're frustrated. We needed to shoot better and a few things here or there, but we competed and MSU-Billings feels like we showed up versus when we played in Billings.”
Myaer took home game-high honors for the Yellowjackets (13-7, 8-4 GNAC) with 22 points on nine of 14 shooting, while Proctor, the league's second-leading scorer, was right behind him with 21 points. The duo combined for eight of the team's 11 three-pointers as MSUB shot 41-percent (11-27) from beyond the arc.
Taylor Stevens chipped in 14 points after draining three triples off the bench.
Billings shot 50-percent (26-52) from the floor and forced the Nanooks (4-18, 1-11 GNAC) into 17 turnovers that resulted in 17 points for the visitors. It also outscored Alaska 13-0 on the fast-break and had plenty of help from the reserves, as they accounted for 24 points, 20 in the second half.
Sophomore
Sergej Pucar (Belgrade, Serbia/Jacksonville) led the 'Nooks with 21 points to go with six rebounds, while senior
Nico Matthews (Twenty Nine Palms, Calif./College of the Desert) and junior
Carthal McDonald (Los Angeles, Calif./Compton CC) had 14 and 11 points, respectively. McDonald and junior
Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/College of the Redwoods) tied for a game-high seven rebounds each. Brinson and Matthews also each turned in five assists and four steals, both game highs.
It was a defensive battle early on in the contest as the teams combined for seven lead changes and two ties and no lead was ever larger than five for the Nanooks or four for the Yellowjackets. MSUB took a narrow 29-28 lead into halftime.
Leading 42-41, Myaer and Stevens both hit treys to spark 10 straight points for Billings over two minutes to give the visitors a 52-41 lead. After a pair of buckets by Alaska, the Jackets came right back six straight to complete the 16-4 run and grab a 58-45 lead, the largest of the game. MSUB lead by as many as 15 down the stretch as the Nanooks never drew closer than seven the rest of the way.
Alaska returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. against Seattle Pacific. SPU fell 78-69 at 21st-ranked Alaska Anchorage earlier Thursday.
