MBB Notes - Nov. 29
Northern Arizona and guard Stallon Saldivar will take on BYU and Arizona this week.

MBB Notes - Nov. 29

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This Week’s Sky Highlights
 
Sixteen games on are this week’s men’s basketball slate, with all nine teams in action…Four games highlight Wednesday night’s slate. Northern Arizona takes on Brigham Young in Prescott, Ariz., in a game that will be televised on BYU-TV…Idaho State treks to New Mexico to face Steve Alford’s squad…Sacramento State guns for its fourth win of the season as it travels to Cal Poly. Eastern Washington heads south to face Idaho…Montana is back in action on Thursday as it plays host to San Francisco…Northern Colorado returns home after four away from Greeley face Westminster on Thursday and Johnson & Wales on Saturday…Sacramento State travels to Oklahoma on Friday…Saturday’s schedule includes seven games. EWU takes on Washington State in a contest that will be televised on Root Sports. Northern Arizona battles Arizona on Fox Arizona…Portland State is at home against Walla Walla, while Montana State welcomes Cal State Bakersfield to Bozeman. Weber State meets San Jose State in Ogden, and Idaho State takes on North Dakota in Pocatello…On Sunday, Montana travels to Oregon State. That game will be televised on Root Sports…On Monday, Idaho State battles in-state rival Boise State.
 
 
This Week’s Sky Schedule
 
Wednesday, Nov. 30                                                             Time
BYU at Northern Arizona (Prescott, Ariz.) (BYU-TV)                7:05
Idaho State at New Mexico                                                        7:05
Sacramento State at Cal Poly                                                    7:05
Eastern Washington at Idaho                                                    7:05
 
Thursday, Dec. 1                                                                   Time
San Francisco at Montana (Big Sky TV)                                    7:05
Westminster at Northern Colorado (Big Sky TV)                       7:05
 
Friday, Dec. 2                                                                         Time
Sacramento State at Oklahoma (Sooner Network)                   7:05
 
Saturday, Dec. 3                                                                    Time
Eastern Washington at Washington State (Root Sports)           3:35
Northern Arizona at Arizona (Fox Arizona)                               4:35
Walla Walla at Portland State (Big Sky TV)                              5:05
Cal State Bakersfield at Montana State (Big Sky TV)               7:05
Johnson & Wales at Northern Colorado (Big Sky TV)             7:05
North Dakota at Idaho State (Big Sky TV)                                7:05
San Jose State at Weber State (Big Sky TV)                            7:35
 
Sunday, Dec. 4                                                                       Time
Montana at Oregon State (Root Sports)                                  5:05
 
Monday, Dec. 5                                                                      Time
Idaho State at Boise State                                                         7:05
 
 
Game Times Local to Site/Subject to Change
 
 
Around the Big Sky
 
MID-MAJOR WAVES: Montana isn’t currently ranked or receiving votes in the College Insider.com Mid-Major Top 25, but the Grizzlies certainly should be on the radar following an impressive 73-71 home win over Long Beach State on Saturday. Long Beach State entered the game ranked eighth in the Mid-Major Poll, with an upset of a top-10 national squad Pittsburgh on its resume. Junior Derek Selvig scored 14 points, and Will Cherry added 13 in the victory. Freshmen Billy Reader and Keron Shields combined for 15 points off the bench. Cherry played great defense on Long Beach State’s Casper Sare, limiting him to 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Montana shot 59 percent from the field in the second half at it erased a six-point halftime deficit. This was a return game from last February’s BracketBusters game, won by Long Beach State 74-56 in Long Beach.
 
WEBER STATE SEVENTH: Weber State jumped to seventh in this week’s College Insider.com Mid-Major Top 25, the program’s first top-10 ranking since the 2002-03 season. Weber State won its first four games for the first time since the 1985 season, but the streak was snapped on Monday night in Moraga, Calif., as the Wildcats lost to Saint Mary’s 87-70. Saint Mary’s entered the game ranked 11th in the Mid-Major top 25. Weber State’s Damian Lillard tied his career high with 36 points in the loss.
 
TURKEY TOURAMENTS: Portland State and Northern Colorado both competed in tournaments over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Portland State won two of three at the Wyoming Jim Thorpe Classic. The Vikings opened with a 65-51 loss to host Wyoming. Charles Odum scored 27 points in the Vikings 66-48 win over Louisiana Tech. Chehales Tapscott tallied 11 points with 14 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Odum scored 25 points in Sunday’s 79-69 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. Nate Lozeau recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. PSU is 4-2 for the second straight season…Northern Colorado lost to Iowa State 90-82 in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday night as part of the South Padre Island Invitational. The Bears then headed to South Padre Island, picking up wins over Western Carolina and Southern. Connor Osborne scored 16 points in the 74-57 win over Western Carolina. Emmanuel Addo scored 10 points with eight rebounds in a 77-57 win over Southern. 
 
NCAA LEADERS: The first NCAA statistics of the season were released on Monday. Weber State’s Damian Lillard ranked sixth in the nation in scoring with an average of 23 points per game. He scored 36 Monday after the rankings were released…Teammate Scott Bamforth ranked third in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 63.6 percent, and Northern Colorado’s Paul Garnica was fifth at 60 percent. Sacramento State freshman Dylan Garrity ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game at 7.4 per game. Weber State ranks fifth in the nation in 3-point field goals per game with 11, and is eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage at 44.9 percent. Northern Colorado is sixth in the nation at 45.1 percent. Weber State also ranked eighth in rebound margin at +11.3.
 
Tip-ins: Sacramento State’s Joe Eberhard had 16 points and eight rebounds in the Hornets 69-61 come-from-behind win over UC Davis. The Hornets trailed 32-22 at the half, but scored 47 second-half points. He netted 16 eight eight in a loss to McNeese State…NAU freshman Gaellen Bewernick recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in an 80-49 win over Northern New Mexico…Montana’s Will Cherry scored a career-high 28 points in an 88-81 overtime loss at North Dakota…ISU’s Melvin Morgan scored 24 points in a 79-76 OT loss to Loyola-Marymount, and 21 in a 75-62 loss to Utah State…Jamie Stewart scored 21 points and Christian Moon added 19 in Montana State’s 77-70 road win over San Jose State...Eastern Washington beat Hawai’i, and UC Davis last week, shooting lights out in the second half of both games. EWU shot 56.7 percent in the second half against Hawai’I, scoring 56 points. In the win over UC Davis, the Eagles scored 48 second-half points and shot 60 percent from the floor.