Three Ball: Lights bury Centurions

Last Saturday night, the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team suffered a gut-wrenching loss to nationally ranked Carroll College. So it would have been easy for the Lights to have some ill effects from it when they took the floor to play Yellowstone Christian College.

But Northern showed no signs of being down in what turned into a 101-49 non-conference win over the Centurions Thursday night in the Armory Gymnasium. The win pushed Northern's overall record to 8-3 on the season.

"I really like this team," MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse said. "They came out and played the right way tonight. In a game like this, it would be easy for them to not be focused, or to kind of do their own thing. But this team is mature, and poised and focused, and I was really pleased with the way they played tonight."

The Lights are all of those things, and they're also an explosive offensive team, too. Northern came into Thursday's game averaging 97 points per game, and leading the NAIA in 3-pointers made per game. Against the Centurions, they topped both of those numbers, not only scoring 101 points, but also making 20 shots form beyond the arc.

The barrage started with Gabe Porter burying three triples in the first seven minutes, and by the time Adam Huse got in on the act, the Lights were already out to a 22-9 lead. Huse, the sophomore sensation, would make four straight threes, while Devin Bray and Porter hit shots from distance in the final minute to give the Lights a 51-24 halftime lead.

"We moved the ball really well," coach Huse said. "Guys shared it, made the extra pass to get their teammates good shots. They created for each other and that says a lot about this team."

MSU-N connected on 11 first-half 3-pointers, and the Lights made nine more in the second stanza. For the game, Northern went 20-for-45 from beyond the arc, while shooting 49 percent front he field. MSU-N also talked a season-high 53 rebounds in the game, which is part of a current nine-game home stand.

Porter and Huse were both spectacular, each making seven threes, and each scoring 27 points. Bray added five triples and scored 17, while Ryan reeves had eight points and Paco Jones grabbed a game-high 13 boards.

"I just really like how unselfish this team is," Coach Huse said. "I think you saw that tonight. In games like this, sometimes guys will kind of go off the script or become individuals, but this team doesn't do that. They played together tonight, played the right away."

The Lights will be back in action next Friday night when they host Nueta Hidatsa at 8 p.m. in the Armory.

Lights 101, Yellowstone Christian 49

YC - Alfredo Pena 4-14 0-0 9, Ben Bighorn 2-7 2-2 7, Pierre Fansey 1-4 1-3 3, Fabricio Daher Valdivia 5-22 0-0 12, Harry Sun 3-5 2-2 8, Joseph Hooker 3-8 1-3 7, Leonardo Lupiano 0-5 3-4 3. Totals 18-65 9-14 49.

MSU-N - Adam Huse 9-10 2-2 27, Caulin Bakalarski 3-7 0-0 7, Anthony Harper 2-5 0-0 4, Devin Bray 6-14 0-0 17, James Fry 1-4 2-2 4, Charles Porter 2-5 2-4 6, Cayeveoon Jones 0-4 1-2 1, Ryan Reeves 4-8 0-1 8, Gabe Porter 9-18 2-2 27. Totals 36-75 9-13 101.

Halftime: Northern 51-24. 3-pt FG:Yellowstone Christian 4-19 (Pena 1-4, Bighorn 1-4, Fansey 0-1, Daher Valdivia 2-5, Sun 0-2, Hooker 0-2, Lupiano 0-1), MSU-Northern 20-44 (Huse 7-8, Bakalarski 1-5, Harper 0-1, Bray 5-12, Fry 0-2, Porter 0-1, Porter 7-15). Rebounds: Yellowstone Christian 28 (Hooker 7), MSU-Northern 52 (Jones 13). Fouls Yellowstone Christian 15, MSU-Northern 10. Fouled out: none.