Montana State Billings men reach 20-win plateau for 4th consecutive season

BILLINGS — The Montana State Billings men’s basketball team rolled to an 89-67 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday afternoon at Alterowitz Gymnasium, securing its fourth straight 20-win season during the program’s annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) game.
 
Fans across Alterowitz participated in a “red out” while MSUB took the floor in custom MMIW warmup shirts, recognizing and honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and raising awareness for an issue that impacts local and national communities.
 
With the win, MSUB improved to 20-6 overall and 9-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Three of those seasons have come under head coach Luke Fennelly, and the four-year streak stands as the longest in school history.
 
“Having it be the 20th win is certainly a nice feeling,” said Fennelly. “These guys have definitely put in the work and stayed together as a unit, so it is much deserved.”
 
MSUB controlled the game on both ends of the floor, shooting an even 50% from the field while piling up 52 points in the paint and 23 fast-break points. The Yellowjackets also forced 19 Simon Fraser turnovers, converting them into 26 points, while winning the rebounding battle 47-30.
 
Mason Landdeck led the Yellowjackets with 19 points, adding five rebounds and a steal. Jonas La Tour followed with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Croix Cox delivered an efficient 16 points and seven boards. Miles Gurske stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven assists and five steals, and Jakob Milling chipped in eight points, five rebounds and six assists to round out a balanced MSUB effort.
 
“It was another great team effort by our guys,” Fennelly said. “I really liked the energy effort they showed the entire game. We were motivated to avenge our previous loss to SFU and our mentality proved to be in the right place. Our pressure started to bother them, but I was really proud of our offensive rebounds and the way we shared the basketball today.”