Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont. — It was a cold night in Montana for the Crusaders who ended a long road stretch with a disappointing result.

Outshot by the host Yellowjackets, the Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team fell 75-54 on Saturday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

"It was a very disappointing performance," NNU head men's basketball coach Scott Flemming said. "Besides a few stretches in the second half, we didn't play with the kind of effort you need to win on the road.
 

"Billings really shot well tonight and made us pay when they were open," NNU's coach added. "We were not able to do the same on our open looks.

"We'll keep battling and preparing for our next game," Flemming added, as NNU returns home this week to host Seattle Pacific on Thursday at 7 p.m. for "Church Night" at the Johnson Sports Center.

All general admission tickets for the game are $2 that night.

The Yellowjackets jumped up 10-3 early and never trailed on Saturday against the Crusaders (7-13 overall, 3-11 GNAC), who did try to make it interesting.

A Detwon Rogers layup cut the difference to 13-12 midway through the first half, but a 12-3 run by MSU Billings, which shot 29-of-65 from the field (44.6 percent) in the win, put NNU in a 10-point hole.

From there the game slipped away from the Crusaders, who shot just 21-of-56 from the field (37.5 percent).

The 'Jackets opened up a 37-24 lead at the break, and continued to stretch their lead in the second half.

Freshman Gonzo Santana led the way for NNU with a career-high 14 points. Santana added five rebounds and four steals for the Crusaders, who got seven points each from Bouna N'Diaye, Rogers and Mike Wright.