Jan. 24, 2008
Final Stats
BILLINGS, MT- Montana State Billings got their first win of the season, as a slow night from behind the arc sent the Nanooks to a 65-55 loss on the road. After fighting back to level the scores at 55-55 with just three minutes to play, the Blue and Gold could not find another field goal as the Yellowjackets sealed the game with a late 10-0 run.
It was always going to be a tough battle for the shorthanded Nanooks, who were only able to use seven players in the contest after injury and illness sidelined regulars Mladen Begojevic and Travis Pew.
Colin Matteson enjoyed one of his best games of the seasons for the Blue and Gold, recording the first double-double of his career with game-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (13). Matteson knocked down nine of his 16 shots from the field, and also chipped in four assists.
Nanook Kevin Atkins also hit double-figures, scoring 13 points with nine rebounds for Alaska.
Montana State, however, had five different scorers with ten or more points, led by a 14-pont effort from John Brooks. The Yellowjackets hit 16 of their 23 second-half free throws as well, while Alaska could get to the line just eight times.
Missing one of their best shooters in Begojevic, the Nanooks could hit just three of their 20 three-point attempts: just a 15 percent success rate.
Alaska returns to the road to face Seattle on Saturday before returning to the Patty Center for conference meetings with Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific next week.
