LACEY, Wash. –
Marc Matthews led all players with 21 points – and shot 5 of 6 from 3-point range – but it wasn't enough to overcome a quartet of double-digit scorers for Saint Martin's as the hosts defeated Montana State University Billings 75-64 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday evening at Marcus Pavilion.
"Saint Martin's played very well in the second half and we did not," said MSUB head coach
Jamie Stevens. "We had a tough time slowing them down and we couldn't get stops."
Cameron Chatwin sunk five 3-pointers to account for his 15 points, and Trey Ingram matched the scoring total to pace the Saints in offense on the evening. Tyler Copp shot 5-for-10 from the field and finished with 14 points, and Isaac Bianchini made three 3-pointers for 11 points.
In double figures for MSUB alongside Matthews were
Antoine Hosley (14) and
Jordan Perry (11). Perry grabbed nine rebounds, tying
Emmanuel Johnson for the team high. Johnson put together a very solid game overall, adding seven points, three blocks, an assist, and a steal and did not commit a turnover in 30 minutes of action.
The Saints (6-15, 3-8 GNAC) opened the game with a 6-0 run, but MSUB responded with a 9-2 burst to take an early lead. A layup by
Jace Anderson with 11:54 left in the first half gave the 'Jackets the upper hand, and MSUB held the advantage for the remainder of the period.
Back-to-back threes by Matthews with five minutes left in the first gave MSUB its largest lead of the game to that point at 27-18.
MSUB remained in control through the closing minutes of the first half, holding a rebounding margin of 17 and a 30-25 lead at the break.
Anderson opened the second half with a triple, but SMU put together a 7-0 rally to pull within one point, 33-32. SMU continued to nudge its way back into the game, and a pair of free-throws by Bianchini evened the score at 42-42.
The two foul shot conversions kicked off a big 11-0 run that shifted the game into SMU's hands at 51-42. Johnson drained a trey with 8:37 remaining in the game, but SMU used a 9-2 run to take its largest lead of the game to that point at 64-51.
The Saints held on to the double-digit spread into the closing minutes of the game, outscoring MSUB 8-6 over the final four minutes to collect the victory.
On the game the Saints shot 45.9 percent from the floor (28-for-61), and a solid 45.8 percent from long distance (11-for-24). The 'Jackets, meanwhile, converted just 22 of 62 shots for a shooting percentage of 35.5, but were on par with SMU from 3-point range at 43.5 percent (10-for-23).
Neither team shot well from the foul line as MSUB was 10-for-17 (58.8 percent), and SMU was 8-for-14 (57.1 percent). MSUB held the advantage in rebounding at 40-35, including a 16-10 mark on offensive boards. Both teams took care of the ball well, with MSUB committing six turnovers and SMU only four.
Tyler Nelson picked up seven rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The Yellowjackets played without their second-leading scorer,
Momir Gataric (11.8 ppg) who sat out due to an injury sustained on Thursday at Western Oregon.
With its fourth-straight loss, MSUB fell to 4-17 overall on the season and 2-9 in GNAC play. Matthews was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game for his effort.
SMU snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory.
"We are excited to be heading home, and are looking forward to playing there for the next two weeks," Stevens said.
AHEAD: MSUB returns home to face Simon Fraser and Western Washington next week. The 'Jackets will face the Clan on Feb. 2 and the Vikings on Feb. 4, with a 7 p.m. tipoff scheduled for both games.
