BILLINGS, Mont. - The Wildcats fell 47-63 Thursday night against Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets shooting propelled them to the victory, shooting 42.6% on 26-61 from the field and adding seven three-pointers. CWU shot 33.3% from the field and made three three-pointers.

QUOTING HEAD COACH BRANDON RINTA

"We struggled to make shots offensively tonight. We had layups and open threes we have to convert on to expect to win on the road. We are continuing to do a great job defensively. We held a very good offense to 42% from the floor and 26% from three. But, we are asking too much from our defense if we are only going to shoot 33% from the field and 15% from three."

HOW IT HAPPENED

MSUB opened the first half with a 12-4 lead. Matt Poquette answered with a strong layup through contact and converted the and-1 cutting the deficit to five. The Yellowjackets continued their efficient offense and built their lead to 12, 21-9. The 'Cats chipped away trading baskets down the stretch. A tough layup from Camron McNeil cut the deficit to 7. At the half, Montana State Billings led 31-24.

The Yellowjackets shot 43% from the field, made three three-pointers, and scored 10 points off turnovers. The Wildcats shot 40% and went 4-5 from the charity stripe.

Matt Poquette caught fire in the second half and the 'Cats went on a run seizing the momentum. They cut the deficit to three, down 28-31 with 18:34 remaining. Montana State Billings responded and a three from Jalen Tott gave them the 41-31 lead with 13:27 left. The 'Cats kept fighting but, consistent offense and an 8-0 run extended the lead to 59-38. The Yellowjackets used the run to capture the 63-47 victory.

Matt Poquette led the Wildcats, scoring 19 points along with eight boards. McNeil added eight points and Noah Pepper contributed six. CWU converted eight from the free throw line, helping them stay in it in the first half.

For the Yellowjackets, Abdul Bah was dominant offensively, scoring 15 points. Carrington Wiggins had 12 points and converted two from beyond the arc. Bilal Shabazz got a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats look to bounce back on the road as they face the Seattle Pacific Falcons on Saturday, December 31^st, at 4:15 p.m.