BILLINGS, Mont. – Four Yellowjackets scored in double figures for the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team, but visiting Western Oregon University prevailed 72-64 in a tough Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup Saturday night in Alterowitz Gym.
 
The Wolves' Andy Avgi led all players with 23 points, and Marwan Sarhan chipped in 13 and seven rebounds. Point guard Julian Nichols led all players with seven assists. With the win WOU improved to 11-3 on the season and maintained its position at No. 2 in the GNAC with a mark of 3-1 in conference play.
 
For the 'Jackets (2-12, 0-4 GNAC) Antoine Hosley led his team with 17 points and Emmanuel Johnson was close behind with 16. Momir Gataric had a strong effort with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, and redshirt freshman Jordan Perry was selected the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game with a dozen points, nine rebounds and two assists off of the bench.
 
The 'Jackets kept close throughout the game and into the final stretch of the second half, but the Wolves won a free-throw battle inside the final minute to seal the victory. On the game WOU outrebounded MSUB 33-30 and outscored MSUB 44-30 in the paint.
 
"I was extremely pleased with the effort we showed tonight for the entire 40 minutes," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "Guys were flying around as well as they have all year. Jordan Perry and Emmanuel Johnson were big for us once again. Their energy on both ends was awesome."
 
Johnson drilled a three, blocked a shot and grabbed a rebound within the first two minutes of the game. After Avgi and Jordan Wiley each connected from downtown for the Wolves, Johnson hit another trey from the corner to even the score at 6-6.
 
Avgi converted a pair of quick layups to give the Wolves a five-point lead, but a Gataric reverse lay-in kept MSUB in it early. Perry knocked down a tough shot in traffic, and after an offensive foul on WOU's next possession, Gataric finished another bucket to make the score 20-18.
 
MSUB matched WOU bucket-for-bucket through the middle of the first half, as the teams battled to a 27-27 deadlock. After a blocked shot, Sarhan tipped in a miss on the other end and just beat the buzzer to give the Wolves a 38-34 halftime lead.
 
The Wolves maintained the narrow advantage coming out of the halftime break, but six-straight points by Perry including back-to-back 3-pointers put the 'Jackets within two, 52-50.
 
Hosley drove into the lane and was fouled on his finish, resulting in a three-point play that cut the score to 58-57 with 7:15 left. Avgi followed with a strong throw-down on the WOU's next possession, and the junior knocked down a short jumper to extend the Wolves' advantage back out to five points.
 
The 'Jackets battled tough into the closing minutes, and faced a six-point deficit with 45 seconds left. After a WOU missed free-throw, Perry grabbed the rebound, brought the ball the length of the court and dished off a pass underneath to Johnson for a quick finish.

Missed foul shots hurt the Yellowjackets' chances in the end however, as the Wolves were 3-for-4 and the 'Jackets 0-for-2 in the final 40 seconds.
 
Overall MSUB shot 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from the floor and 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from 3-point range, and had 17 assists compared with 14 by WOU. The Yellowjackets' nine 3-pointers tied for the second-most in a single game this season (10 against Black Hills State on Nov. 29, 2014), but the 'Jackets converted just 3 of 9 shots from the free-throw line.
 
"Once again, that free-throw line hurt us and we also had some open looks late that we needed to knock down," Stevens said. "If we play with this kind of effort moving forward however, we can beat anybody on our schedule."
 
From the field Western Oregon shot 50.8 percent (30-for-59), but the 'Jackets did well defending the team from long range at 31.3 percent (5-for-16). The Wolves also struggled from the foul line with a mark of 53.8 percent (7-for-13), but WOU had a 14-9 advantage in steals and had six blocks compared to three for MSUB.
 
AHEAD: The Yellowjackets hit the road next week for more GNAC action against Western Washington and Simon Fraser. MSUB takes on the Vikings on Jan. 8 in Bellingham, Wash., before crossing the border into Canada to face the Clan two nights later. Both games will tip off at 8 p.m. Mountain time, and will feature live video and statistics at www.msubsports.com.