HONOLULU, Hawaii – Emmanuel Johnson turned in his biggest game of the season with 15 points and five rebounds, and Jace Anderson added 14 points as the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing skid and closed 2014 with a big 73-57 win over Ottawa Saturday evening inside the Neil S. Blaisdell Center.
 
Kendall Denham also scored in double figures with 10 points, and had a team-best eight assists, five rebounds, a block, a steal and no turnovers for the Yellowjackets. Senior Tyler Nelson came up with nine rebounds and six points, and Momir Gataric finished with nine points, five rebounds and five assists.
 
"I am happy for the guys today," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "Kendall, Jace, and Emmanuel all had really good games. Kendall did a great job leading us, Jace hit some big shots and Emmanuel did a little bit of everything."
 
MSUB (2-10) got off to a hot start with an 8-0 run to start the game. A 3-pointer by Marc Matthews with 15:08 to go in the first extended MSUB's advantage to nine points at 14-5, but a 6-0 Ottawa run cut the deficit to just three points midway through the first.
 
The game remained tight into the closing minutes of the half, with the Braves drawing within two points on an Alex Lundry layup at 6:34 remaining. MSUB finished the half strongly however using a 15-4 run down the stretch to carry a 40-27 edge into the break.
 
A pair of Johnson layups immediately started the second half for MSUB, which kept control of the double-digit lead. Anderson connected from long distance with 16:14 remaining, making the score 49-36 in favor of the 'Jackets.
 
A three by Denham two minutes later gave the 'Jackets their largest lead of the game up to that point at 17 points, 54-37. An ensuing three-minute dry spell by the Braves hurt the team's chances of mounting a comeback, and MSUB pushed ahead 65-46 on a Nelson layup with 10:10 left.
 
The Yellowjackets finished the game strong down the stretch, as Antoine Hosley capped off the scoring with a jumper inside of a minute remaining.
 
MSUB shot a strong 42.9 percent from the floor in the game and made eight 3-pointers on 28 attempts. The Yellowjackets also had their best game of the season from the foul line, connecting on 11 of 12 shots for a percentage of 91.7.
 
As a team the 'Jackets outrebounded the Braves 47-37, and had 20 total assists compared with 11 for Ottawa. MSUB received 27 points off of the bench while Ottawa had 19, but the Braves held the advantage in points in the paint (30-28) and points off of turnovers (16-8).
 
For the Braves (8-5), Marshon Norfleet had a team-best 15 points and also had three assists while knocking down 11 of 12 free-throws. Lundry and Preston Oakes were the leaders off the glass for Ottawa, each grabbing six rebounds.
 
Lundry and Logan Bullinger each had three blocks in the game, and the latter also turned in seven points, three rebounds, a steal and an assist. As a team the Braves shot 30.8 percent from the field, and were hampered by a mark of 16.7 percent from 3-point range (3-for-18).
 
For MSUB, Hosley helped with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Jordan Perry finished with six points and four boards, and Matthews added five points and three rebounds.
 
"We beat a pretty good team today and I hope we can build off of this as our focus turns to 2015 and GNAC play," said Stevens. "Even though we have been struggling, the guys have continued to work hard daily. It is nice to have that work be rewarded with a win."
 
NEXT UP: MSUB resumes its schedule on New Year's Day with a home Great Northwest Athletic Conference game against Saint Martin's. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the 'Jackets will then take on conference-leading Western Oregon on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.