MSUB storms back to down men's basketball, 80-70
March 4, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Alaska led by as many as 11 points in the second half but Montana State Billings closed the final 11:14 on a 30-9 run to pick up a crucial 80-70 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball victory Thursday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The Yellowjackets (16-12, 9-8 GNAC) moved to within a game of the Nanooks (15-10, 10-7 GNAC), who remained tied for third in the GNAC standings following No. 4 Seattle Pacific's 59-56 come-from-behind victory against Alaska Anchorage Thursday at SPU.
The Nanooks took a 61-50 lead on a pair of free throws by Stefan Tica (Belgrade, Serbia/Business administration) with 11:33 to play but the offense went cold from there. Alaska shot just 3-for-11 in the last 11 minutes while turning the ball over four times.
MSUB trailed 63-56 but a three pointer by Omar McDade with 8:40 to go trimmed the deficit to just four at 63-59. A minute later, the 'Nooks turned it over and Devon Wallace drained a trey to get the 'Jackets to within one and on the ensuing possession Kalob Hatcher picked off a pass by junior guard Pat Voeut (Bellingham, Wash./Communication) and David Arnold converted the layup to give the hosts a 64-63 advantage, its first lead since 13-11 just over five minutes into the game.
Senior guard Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/Accounting) cashed in on a pair of free throws with six minutes left to put Alaska back up 65-64 but it was short lived as Arnold knocked down two from the line just 19 seconds later to give MSUB a 66-65 lead, a lead it would not relinquish.
Leading 72-68 with the ball, Billings' McDade sealed the victory with an old-fashioned four-point play as he nailed a three pointer from the right wing while being fouled by Brinson. McDade made the free throw, giving the Yellowjackets a 76-68 lead.
Arnold scored all his of game-high 17 points in the second half while contributing a game-best seven rebounds and four assists. McDade tied Arnold with 17 points and Wallace scored 12 points while Jarrell Crayton added 10 points and three steals. Hatcher also provided a game-high seven assists and three steals.
MSUB shot 57 percent (17-30) in the second half and finished 48 percent (29-60) for the game and out rebounded Alaska 32-24, including 16-8 in the second half. The Yellowjackets outscored the Nanooks 16-5 off turnovers and 13-5 on second-chance opportunities.
Alaska was led by Tica, who scored a team-high 16 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, which included a 4-for-6 clip from three-point land. Brinson had 14 points while four others had eight points apiece.
The Nanooks shot a solid 54 percent (15-28) in the first half but was plagued by the shooting bug in the last 11 minutes of the second half and finished 49 percent (24-49) for the game. They did shoot well from outside, making 47 percent (7-15) of their three-point attempts, but struggled from the line, converting just 65 percent (15-23) from the stripe.
Alaska concludes the regular season Saturday at fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific at 6 p.m. (AKST). The Nanooks can still finish anywhere from third to fifth for next week's conference tournament, held at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Wash.
The Nanooks will be the third seed with a win over the Falcons (22-3, 15-2 GNAC) plus a Seawolves (17-8, 10-7 GNAC) loss at MSUB. If UAA wins Saturday, the Nanooks would be the No. 4 seed and if both UAA and Alaska lose Saturday, the 'Nooks would finish with the fifth seed.