January 2007
Bulldogs Battle Orediggers For "Digger-Dawg" Cup
Wednesday, January 31 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs host the Montana Tech Orediggers in a Frontier Conference men’s basketball game Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007. The game tips off at 8 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium on the Montana Western campus.
The game will air on KDBM Radio and be webcast from: http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&sea=NAIMBB_2006&team=454
Montana Western is 7-13 overall and 1-6 in league play after splitting last weekend’s series with University of Great Falls and MSU-Northern. The Bulldogs won their first league game of the season with 91-58 victory over UGF last Friday. Western lost 69-76 to Northern on Saturday night.
The Orediggers are 9-11 overall and 4-3 in the Frontier after beating Great Falls 81-70 and MSU-Northern 68-64.
When the Bulldogs and Tech played in the first weekend of conference play a month ago, Tech won 78-76. The victory gave the Orediggers the Digger-Dawg Cup and snapped a seven game losing skid in the series.
"This should be a good game,” said Bulldogs coach Mark Durham. Tech has been playing well. “We need to get the Cup back!"
Shea Bradshaw leads three Orediggers scoring in double figures with 11.8 points per game (ppg) followed by Sam Conley with 10.85 and Jake Williams with 10.84. Williams leads the team in rebounds with 5.5 per game followed by Casey Briggs with 5.3. Tech averages 71 ppg while giving up 72.7.
Tyler Palmer leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 15.8 ppg followed by Wes Morales with 12.9, Gus McDonald with 12.1 and Aaron Sims with 11.1. The Bulldogs average 84.2 ppg while giving up 83.3.?
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Bulldogs Split Weekend Home Series
Sunday, January 28 2007
The Bulldogs went 1-1 in their conference series with the University of Great Falls and MSU-Northern.
The Bulldogs picked up their first conference win of the season with a 91-58 romp over UGF.
Western led from the start to finish. The Bulldogs opened the game with a 25-2 run in the first nine and a half minutes and never looked back. UGF went on a 10-0 run to cut the Bulldog's lead to 12 at the seven minute mark, but that was as close as the Argos would get. Western led at the half 38-21,
In the first ten minutes of the second half, the Bulldogs outscored UGF 29-17 to build a 29 point lead and were never threatened down the stretch.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Gus McDonald with 17, Wes Morales and Alex Head with 14 each and Layne Glaus with 10.
Against Northern on Saturday, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start and trailed 2-10 after the first four minutes. Western's offense got untracked and chipped away at the Northern lead and trailed 14-16 with 11:09 left in the half. Four minutes later, a Kellen Ori field goal tied the game at 20. Northern went on a 7-0 run and led 27-20 with four minutes left. The Bulldogs whittled away at the lead and trailed 28-31 at the half.
In the second half, the teams traded basekets over the first six minutes and the Bulldogs took their first lead of the game 43-41 on a three-point field goal from Gus McDonald at the 14 minute mark. Northern tied the game and took the lead on two straight possessions. The Bulldogs tied the game on a Wes Morales jumper and took a one point lead on a Morales free throw on the next possession.
Western trailed 59-60 with 2:30 left. Northern hit a three-point field to extend the lead to four and the Bulldogs were forced to foul. The strategy almost worked but Northern converted their free throw opportunities.
Wes Morales led the Bulldogs with 16 points followed by Kellen Ori with 14, Tyler Palmer with 11 and Alex Head with 10.
The Bulldogs are now 7-13 overall and 1-6 in league play. Western hosts Montana Tech Thursday night.
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Bulldogs Host UGF and MSU-Northern
Thursday, January 25 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs host the University of Great Falls Argos on Friday, Jan. 26 and the MSU-Northern Lights on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Frontier Conference men’s basketball.
Tip-off is 8 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium for both games. Radio coverage of both games airs on KDBM Radio. The games will also be available with a live web cast at http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&sea=NAIMBB_2006&team=454
The Bulldogs are 6-12 overall and 0-5 in Frontier Conference play after last weekend’s road losses at Lewis-Clark State and Westminster College. The Bulldogs lost 49-82 at nationally ranked Lewis-Clark and 81-93 at Westminster College.
The University of Great Falls is 11-10 overall and 0-5 in league play after a 64-70 loss to MSU-Northern last Saturday. Last year Montana Western won both regular season games. The Bulldogs won 111-99 in Dillon and 89-85 in Great Falls.
"Somebody is going to get their first conference victory of the year on Friday,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. “UGF is a very talented team with one of the best players in the conference in Tyrone Witherspoon. We need to work together on defense against him because we don't have anybody who can defend him one-on-one.”
Witherspoon leads the Argos and the conference in scoring with 18.1 points per game (ppg). In conference games he averages 14.4 ppg. Rashaun Puryear is the only other Argo player averaging in double figures with 11.9 ppg. Witherspoon also leads the team in rebounding with 8.16 rebounds per game. He leads the Frontier and is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (64.9%). Great Falls averages 71 ppg while giving up 66.4.
Montana State-Northern is 13-8 overall and 3-2 in the Frontier after last weekend’s win over UGF. The Lights did not crack the Top-25 but received votes in the balloting. Last year, Northern and the Bulldogs played three times. In the regular season, the Bulldogs lost at home 78-66 and won in Havre 70-54. The two teams met in the first round of the conference tournament with the Lights winning a 76-74 thriller. Northern scored the winning basket as time expired in regulation.
“Northern is playing very well. They are a very balanced team and are looking like a team that will finish in the top half of the league. We will have our hands full!"
Delvaughn Tinned leads Northern in scoring with 15.9 ppg followed by Ronnie Simpson with 10.8 ppg. Durwin Williams leads the Lights in rebounds with 6.9 per game. Northern averages 77 ppg while giving up 64.9.
Tyler Palmer leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.7 ppg followed by Wes Morales with 12.6, Gus McDonald with 11.9 and Aaron Sims with 11.7. The Bulldogs average 84.7 ppg while giving up 85.2.
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Bulldogs Fall To Westminster
Sunday, January 21 2007
The Bulldogs lost 83-91 to Westminster College in a Frontier Conference game from Salt Lake City. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 0-5 in league play and 6-12 overall.
Western got off to a slow start and fell behind Westminster 16-2 after the game's first nine minutes. Over the next six minutes, the Bulldogs outscored Westminster 22-9 to cut the lead to one, 25-24 but that was as close as they would get. The Griffins led 39-31 at the half.
In the second half, Westminster outscored the Bulldogs 54-50. Tyler Palmer led Western with 23 points followed by Kelen Ori with 11.
The Bulldogs host the University of Great Falls on Friday, Jan. 26 and MSU-Northern on Saturday, Jan. 27.
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Bulldogs Fall To Nationally Ranked Lewis-Clark
Friday, January 19 2007
From Lewis-Clark Sports Information
LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College men’s basketball team used a 21-3 second-half run to remain undefeated in Frontier Conference play with an 82-49 win over the University of Montana-Western at the LCSC Activity Center on Thursday night.
The win was the ninth straight for the Warriors, ranked No. 23 in the NAIA. LCSC is now 15-4 overall and 4-0 in conference play, while the Bulldogs fall to 6-11 and 0-4.
LCSC again used a staunch defensive effort to frustrate the Bulldogs. LCSC is ranked third in the NAIA in scoring defense and held the Bulldogs to their lowest output of the season by 16 points by using man defense, which didn’t give Montana-Western many open looks at the basket.
The Bulldogs didn’t help themselves either, hitting only 15-of-59 shots from the field, 25.4 percent. From the 3-point line, the Bulldogs were just 6-of-26 from the field, 23.1 percent. That made for a long night for Western, especially considering LCSC was 6-of-8 from the 3-point line in the second half alone.
LCSC finished the game 30-of-56 from the field, 53.6 percent, and was 9-of-19 at the 3-point line.
Mike Gordy, LCSC’s 6-foot-7 post, took advantage of his size to dominate inside with a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds. Guard Teran Lee added 23 points and seven rebounds. Lee did most of his damage from the outside by going 5-of-6 at the 3-point line. Chris Pitts added nine points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Gus McDonald had 14 points to pace Western, while fellow guard Tyler Palmer added 13, but the two combined to go 8-of-26 from the field. Aaron Sims added 10 points.
The game did feature one unusual moment when Western guard Layne Glaus picked up four fouls in the first 47 seconds of the ballgame. He managed, however, to play another 11 minutes in the game without fouling out.
Both teams will be back in action Saturday night. LCSC will play host to Montana Tech, while Montana-Western travels to Salt Lake City to face Westminster.
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Bulldogs Make Frontier's Longest Road Trip
Wednesday, January 17 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs basketball team travels to Lewiston, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah for Frontier Conference games against Lewis-Clark State on Thursday, Jan. 18 and Westminster College on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Tip-off from Lewiston is 9 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM radio. Tip-off from Salt Lake City is 7:30 p.m. MST. There will be no radio broadcast, but there will be a live webcast from: http://people.westminstercollege.edu/webcast/basketball/Men 2006-2007.htm
Montana Western is 6-10 on the season and 0-3 in Frontier Conference play after last weekend’s losses to Carroll and Rocky Mountain. The Bulldogs lost to Rocky 79-84 and 99-101 to Carroll in double overtime.
Lewis-Clark is 14-5 overall and 3-0 in league play after winning two on the Highline last weekend. The Warriors beat the University of Great Falls 78-51 and MSU-Northern 74-61. Last year, Montana Western split their series with Lewis-Clark. The Bulldogs won a 59-58 thriller in Dillon and then lost 57-82 in Lewiston.
“We have our hands full this week,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. This is definitely the toughest road trip in the league. Long bus rides and talented teams! Lewis Clark is playing very well right now winning two road games last week. “They look like the best team in the league.”
Mike Gordy leads Lewis-Clark in scoring with 15.8 points per game (ppg) followed by Teran Lee with 13.8 ppg. In conference only games, Lee averages 16.7 ppg. In their three league games, the Warriors average 73 ppg while giving up a league low of 54 ppg.
Westminster is 9-9 overall and 1-2 in conference games after splitting their weekend road trip through the Highline. Westminster beat the University of Great Falls 60-42 and lost to MSU-Northern 51-64. Last year, the Bulldogs lost 65-72 in Dillon and 61-80 in Salt Lake City.
“Westminster is always good,” noted Durham. They are almost unbeatable in their home gym.”
In Frontier action, Nate Sanchez leads Westminster in scoring with 14.3 ppg. In their three conference games, Westminster averages a league low 53.7 ppg while giving up 57.7 ppg.
In conference play Tyler Palmer and Wes Morales lead the Bulldogs in scoring with 21.7 ppg each followed by Aaron Sims with 14.3. The Bulldogs average a league best 84.7 while giving up 87.7 ppg in their three Frontier Conference games.
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Bulldogs Drop Conferece Games to Rocky and Carroll
Sunday, January 14 2007
The Bulldogs lost to two close games to fall to 0-3 in Frontier Conference play. Western lost 79-84 to Rocky Mountain and 99-101 in double overtime to Carroll College.
Against Rocky, the two teams battled evenly in the first half. The teams traded baskets and leads with neither able to gain firm control. The Bulldogs led at the half 43-40.
In the second half, the Bulldogs took control early and built an 10 point lead, 52-42 four minutes into the second half. Then Western went ice-cold as Rocky went on a 13-0 run to take a 55-52 lead at the 11:58 mark. Back to back Wes Morales field goals gave the Bulldogs back the lead 56-55, but that would be their last lead of the game. Rocky then outscored the Bulldogs 13-2 to build a ten-point lead 68-58. Western cut the lead to two 75-77 with 1:49 to play, but that was as close as they would get.
Tyler Palmer led Western with 21 points followed by Wes Morales with 15 and Gus McDonald with 12.
Against nationally ranked Carroll College, the Bulldogs scored first on Tyler Palmer jumper. After a Carroll three-point basket, a Wes Morales basket gave the lead back to the Bulldogs. Carroll used a mini 9-2 run to pull out to a 15-6 lead. The Saints built their lead to 25-15 with six minutes remaining in the half. The Bulldogs then went on an 18-7 run to take the lead 33-32 with ten seconds remaining in the half. Carroll led at the break 37-33.
Carroll had the lead most of the second half, but not control of the game. The Bulldogs took a 45-43 lead with a Tyler Palmer basket at the 17:17 mark.
Western 57-56 on a Kellen Ori field goal at the 11:07 mark. An Aaron Sims field goal gave the Bulldogs a 72-71 lead with 3:41 to play. A three point play by Wes Morales gave Western a 77-75 lead with 35 seconds left in the game. Carroll sent the game to overtime with two free throws as time ran our.
In the first overtime, Carroll took control early, but could not maintain it. The Bulldogs never led in the first overtime period but stayed close. Sims hit a basket with 22 seconds remaining that sent the game into the second overtime.
Western took the first lead in the second overtime on a Morales field goal, but that would be their only lead.
Sims led Western with 29 points followed by Palmer with 23, Morales with 22 and Gus McDonald with 12.
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Bulldogs Home to Rocky and Carroll
Thursday, January 11 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs host Rocky Mountain College on Friday, Jan. 12 and Carroll College on Saturday, Jan. 13 in Frontier Conference men’s basketball. The games tip-off at 8 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium.
The games will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM Radio and by webcast on the internet at http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&sea=NAIMBB_2006&team=454.
Montana Western is 6-8 overall and 0-1 in the Frontier after last Saturday’s 76-78 loss at Montana Tech.
Rocky is 11-7 overall and 1-1 in league play after a weekend split with MSU-Northern and University of Great Falls. The Bears beat UGF 60-56 and lost to Northern 65-77. Western and Rocky split their regular season series last year with each team winning at home.
“We have two home games and need to get a couple of wins,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. “Rocky is a veteran team as talented as anyone in the league. They have the best big guy in the league and play very good man-defense.”
Three players average in double figures for Rocky led by Devin Uskoski with 15.3 ppg. Elijah Swan follows with 12.6 ppg and Chris Nickolei with 10.5. Uskoski leads the league and is second in the nation in total rebounds with 10.3 per game and is tops in the nation in defensive rebounds with 7.22 per game. Rocky averages 80.4 ppg (second in the league) and give up 74 per game.
Carroll is 12-5 overall, 2-0 in league play and ranked 20th in the latest NAIA Division I Top-25. The Saints opened the conference season with wins over University of Great Falls and MSU-Northern. Carroll edged UGF 77-75 and Northern 61-59. Last year, the Saints won both games in the regular season with the Bulldogs.
“Carroll has a lot of new guys playing, but have beat a lot of good teams,” added Durham. “They shoot it very well and do a good job of taking away your post scoring. I am looking for is a better effort on the defensive end then we showed against Tech. We were really flat to start the second half and my job is to make sure it doesn't happen again!"
Dallas Leslie leads the Saints in scoring with 15.6 ppg followed by Eric Henkel with 14.1 ppg and Kellen Hasquet with 10.6. Gage Brumwell leads Carroll in rebounding with 5.2 rpg followed by Henkel with five rebounds per game. Henkel leads the league and is 11th in the nation in assists with 5.4 assists per game. The Saints average 75.2 ppg while giving up 68.5.
Four players average in double figures for the Bulldogs led by Tyler Palmer with 15.7 ppg followed by Wes Morales with 11 ppg, Gus McDonald with 11.7 ppg and Aaron Sims with 11.4 per game. Sims leads the team in rebounding with seven rebounds per game followed by Morales with 6.1 per game. The Bulldogs lead the league in scoring with 86.9 ppg while giving up 83.8 per game.
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Bulldogs Lose Heartbreaker To Montana Tech
Tuesday, January 9 2007
The Bulldogs opened the Frontier Conference season with a 76-78 loss at Montana Tech. It was the Orediggers first win over Montana Western in eight games to claim the Digger-Dawg Cup. Western falls to 6-8 overall and 0-1 in league play.
The Bulldogs grabbed early control of the game and led 17-9 at the 13 minute mark of the first half. Tech got back into the game via the three point field goal hitting 6 of 12. The Bulldogs led at the break 34-32.
Tech opened the second half with a 28-6 run. The Bulldogs then went to a five guard lineup and gradually clawed their way back into the game. With three minutes remaing, Western scored 12 straight points to take a 73-72 lead. Tech sealed the win with a pair of free throws with four seconds remaing.
Wes Morales led the Bulldogs in scoring with 25 points followed by Tyler Palmer with 18 and Kellen Ori with 11. Morales led the team in rebounds with seven.
The Bulldogs host Rocky Mountain on Friday, Jan. 12 and Carroll College on Saturday, Jan. 13.
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Bulldogs Open League Play At Montana Tech
Thursday, January 4 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs open Frontier Conference season in Butte, Mont. at Montana Tech on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tip-off is 8 p.m. from the HPER Complex. The game will broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM-KBEV Radio.
The Bulldogs are 6-7 as they enter the first weekend of conference play. Montana Western went 1-1 last weekend at the Surf City Classic. The Bulldogs lost to host Vanguard University 66-73 and beat Daemen College 86-69.
Montana Tech is 5-8 on the season after a 67-64 victory over the University of Saskatchewan on Dec. 29. Tech and Western share several common non-conference opponents. Both teams have lost to Eastern Oregon and Minot State and both teams have defeated Dickinson State, the University of Lethbridge and Walla Walla College.
For the sixth year, the two conference rivals are playing for the “Digger-Dawg” Cup traveling trophy. Western won both games last season to maintain possession of the Cup and the lead in the overall series 9-1. The Bulldogs have won seven in a row in the series.
“Tech is basically the same team as last year, but with a new coach. A different style of play is what we are preparing for. They are very patient on offense and really get after you in their man defense. The Orediggers have a lot of talent and we have to make sure we are ready for a very tough game. This should be fun like all Western-Tech games are!"
Shea Bradshaw leads Tech in scoring with 14 ppg followed by Sam Conley with 11.1 ppg and Jake Williams with 10.6 ppg. Casey Briggs leads the team in rebounding with 5.6 rpg followed by Williams with 5.1. The Orediggers average 76 ppg while giving up 73.5.
Tyler Palmer leads six Bulldogs scoring in double figures with 15.5 ppg. Gus McDonald averages 12.3 ppg, Wes Morales 12.1 ppg, Aaron Sims with 12 ppg and Chad Myers and Zach Pitts with 10.2 ppg. Sims leads the team in rebounding with 7.3 rpg followed by Morales with 6 rpg. The Bulldogs average 87.7 ppg while giving up 84.2 ppg.
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Bulldogs Go 1-1 at Surf City Classic
Wednesday, January 3 2007
Montana Western traveled to Huntington Beach, Calif. for the Surf City Classic on the last weekend of 2006.
The Bulldogs opened the tournament with a 66-73 loss to Vanguard University. It was a tale of two games for the Bulldogs. Vanguard was red-hot from the field as they hit 61% of their field goals and outscored Western 45-26 in the first half. The Bulldogs hit only 39% from the field.
In the second half, Vanguard cooled off and hit only 28% from the field. The Bulldogs took advantage of the cold-shooting to outscored Vanguard 40-28. But it wasn't enough as Vanguard's big half-time lead proved to be too much to overcome. Gus McDonald came off the bench to score 18 to lead the Bulldogs followed by Aaron Sims with 13 and Kellen Ori with 12.
On Saturday night, Montana Western broke a three-game losing streak with an 86-69 victory over Daemen College. The Bulldogs controlled the tempo of the game from the opening tip and led at the break 37-26. Daemen hit only 31% of their field goals and only 41% of their free throws. The Bulldogs were 5 of 12 from three-point land in the first half.
In the second half, Daemen got untracked offensively but couldn't overcome the Bulldogs big half-time lead. Montana Western outscored Daemen in the second half 49-43. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Tyler Palmer with 19. Gus McDonald with 14, Wes Morales and Aaron Sims with 13 each and Chad Myers with 11.
The Bulldogs are now 6-7 on the season going into the Frontier Conference season. The Bulldogs open league play Saturday, Jan. 6 at Montana Tech.
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