February 2007
Bulldogs Open Conference Tourney Against Westminster
Tuesday, February 27 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs play Westminster College in the first round of the Frontier Conference tournament, Wednesday, Feb. 28. The game tips off at 4 p.m. from the Maroon Activity Center in Butte, Mont.
The game will broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM radio. It will also be available on the internet at http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Tournament/TournamentList.aspx?association=10
Montana Western is finished the regular season with a 2-12 conference mark and a 8-19 overall record. The Bulldogs are seeded seventh.
Westminster College finished the season with an 11-3 Frontier Conference record and an overall mark of 18-10. The Griffins are seeded second.
The Bulldogs lost both regular season meetings with Westminster. Montana Western lost 81-93 in Salt Lake City and 55-82 in Dillon.
Nate Sanchez leads Westminster in scoring with 14.9 ppg followed by Danny Reeder with 12.7 and Jordan Jacobs with 12.5. Sanchez also leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game. Westminster averages 70 ppg while giving up 64.2.
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Bulldogs Go 1-1 in Final Weekend of Regular Season
Sunday, February 25 2007
The Bulldogs went 1-1 in the final weekend of the regular season. Montana Western lost to MSU-Northern 70-76 on Friday and then downed the University of Great Falls 76-68 on Friday. Western is now 2-12 in the league and 8-19 and will be the seventh seed at the Frontier Conference tournament. The Bulldogs will face #2 Westminster Wednesday afternoon at 4 in the Maroon Activity Center in Butte, Mont.
On Friday night, the Bulldogs and Northern battled evenly throughout the first half with Northern leading 36-33 at the half.
Second half, more of the same, but the Bulldogs fell short again as they were outscored 40-37 in the second half.
Tyler Palmer led the Bulldogs with 21 points followed by Alex Head with 17 and Gus McDonald with 14. McDonald also led the team in rebounds with seven.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs led from the opening tip. Western took advantage of the cold-shooting Argos in the first half and built leads as big as 16 points and led 37-29 at the half.
In the second half, both teams scored 39 points but Bulldogs held off the UGF comeback despite missing twelve free throws.
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Bulldogs At MSU-Northern and UGF
Thursday, February 22 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs play at MSU-Northern on Friday, Feb. 23 and at the University of Great Falls on Saturday, Feb. 24 in their final two games of the regular season. Tip-off for both games is 8 p.m.
Montana Western is 7-18 on the season and 1-11 in conference play after losing last weekend to Westminster College 52-85 and Lewis-Clark State 69-85.
MSU-Northern is 7-5 in conference play and 17-10 overall after beating Great Falls 73-61 last weekend. In January, the Lights beat the Bulldogs 76-69 in Dillon.
"Northern is a very talented basketball team and has a lot of depth, said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. “They play solid man defense and are very patient on offense. We will have to play well to hang with them.”
Delvaughn Tinned leads Northern in scoring with 16 points per game (ppg) followed by Ronnie Simpson with 11. Durwin Williams leads the Lights in rebounds with six per game. Northern averages 75 ppg while giving up 69.5.
UGF dropped to 0-12 in the league and 11-17 overall after last weekend’s loss to MSU-Northern. In January, the Bulldogs picked up their only conference win when they downed the Argos 91-58.
“Great Falls has had some injuries and are battling us for 7th in the conference,” added Durham. “I expect a very tough game from them."
Rashaun Puryear leads Great Falls in scoring with 12 ppg. Their leading scorer, Tyrone Witherspoon was injured against Montana Tech in January and is out for the season. The Argos average 69 ppg and give up 69.3.
Four players are scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs led by Tyler Palmer with 16.2 ppg, Wes Morales with 13.4 ppg followed by Gus McDonald with 11.6 and Aaron Sims with 11.4. Sims leads the team in rebounding with 5.4 rebounds per game followed by Morales with 5.3 and Kellen Ori with 4.3. Western averages 83 ppg game while giving up 85.
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Bulldogs Drop Two on Final Home Weekend of Conference Play
Sunday, February 18 2007
The Bulldogs fell to Westminster 52-85 and league leading Lewis-Clark 69-85 in the final home games of the season. Western is now 1-11 in league play and 7-18 overall.
Against Westminster on Friday night, the Bulldogs stayed close to Westminster in the first half. In the second half, the Griffins used deadly and accurate three-point shooting to outscore Western 44-21 in the second half.
Aaron Sims was the only Bulldog to score in double figures with 17. Sims and Alex Head led the team in rebounds with five each.
On Saturday, Western stayed close to the league leading Warriors in the first half. Lewis-Clark went on 13-7 run to lead 43-32 at the half.
At the 14:47 mark of the second half, the Bulldogs cut the Lewis-Clark lead to 47-49 on a basket and free throw from Wes Morales, but that was as close as Western would get.
Tyler Palmer led Western with 18 points followed by Alex Head with 13 points, Aaron Sims with 12 and Wes Morales with 11. Head led the team in rebounding with eight.
The Bulldogs close out the regular season on the road with games at MSU-Northern on Friday, Feb. 23 and at the University of Great Falls on Saturday, Feb. 24.
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Bulldogs Close Home Season Against Westminster and Lewis-Clark
Sunday, February 18 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldogs host Westminster College on Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17 in Frontier Conference men’s basketball. Tip-off for both games is 8 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium.
Both games tip-off each night at 8 p.m. from the Straugh Gymnasium on the Montana Western campus.
Seniors Wes Morales, Kellen Ori and Tyler Palmer will be honored before the Lewis-Clark game.
The games will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM Radio. They will be webcast from: http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&sea=NAIMBB_2006&team=454.
Montana Western dropped to 7-16 overall and 1-9 in conference play after dropping a pair of heartbreakers last weekend. For the second time this season, the Bulldogs lost to Carroll in overtime. This time, 87-91 last Thursday, followed by a 104-113 double overtime loss to Rocky Mountain.
Westminster won two games at home last weekend. The Griffins raised their record to 7-3 in league play and 15-10 overall with 72-51 win over MSU-Northern and a 73-56 victory over the University of Great Falls. Westminster downed the Bulldogs 93-81 in January. The Griffins didn’t crack the latest top-25, but received votes in the balloting.
Nate Sanchez leads the Griffins in scoring with 14 points per game (ppg) followed by Danny Reeder with 12.7 and Jordan Jacobs with 12.5 per game. Sanchez leads the team in rebounding too with 6.23 rebounds per game. Westminster averages 69 ppg while giving up 64.5.
Lewis Clark is 8-2 on the season and 19-7 overall after beating MSU-Northern 78-63 and University of Great Falls 73-57. The Warriors moved from 22 to 20 in the latest top-25 power poll. In January, on their home court, Lewis-Clark beat the Bulldogs 82-49.
Mike Gordy leads the Warriors in scoring with 16.3 ppg followed by Teran Lee with 14.7 ppg. Chris Pitts leads the team in rebounding with 5.7 per game followed by Gordy with five. The Warriors average 77.5 ppg while giving up 59 ppg. Lewis-Clark leads the conference and is second in the nation in scoring defense.
"This will be a real challenge playing both teams this weekend,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. They are probably the two best teams in the conference. Westminster has the best point guard in Danny Reeder and LC has the best defense. I hope the games are close because we are definitely due to win a close one!"
“Four players are scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs led by Tyler Palmer with 16.6 ppg, Wes Morales with 13.8 ppg followed by Gus McDonald with 12.3 and Aaron Sims with 11. Morales leads the team in rebounding with 5.59 rebounds per game followed by Sims with 5.35 and Kellen Ori with 4.44. The Bulldogs lead the Frontier and are third in the nation in three-point field goals made with 9.17 per game. Western also leads the league in scoring with 85 ppg game while giving up 85.
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Bulldogs Drop Overtime Thrillers On The Road
Sunday, February 11 2007
The Bulldogs went 0-2 on their road swing to Rocky and Carroll. Western lost 87-91 in overtime to Carroll and lost 104-113 double-overtime shoot-out with Rocky Mountain. The pair of losses drops the Bulldogs to 7-16 on the season and 1-9 in league play.
For the second time this season, it took an overtime period to decide the game between Western and Carroll.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a hot-start against Carroll. Western hit 13 of 23 from field including 6 of 10 from three-point land and led 44-39 at the half-time break.
The second half was topsy-turvy with neither team gaining a definite advantage. The Bulldogs cooled off a bit in the second half. Carroll fought back and sent the game into overtime with a last second basket.
Tyler Palmer led Western with 24 points followed by Wes Morales with 22 and Gus McDonald with 18.
Against Rocky, the Bulldogs took control at the opening tip and led 39-32 at the break.
In the second half, Western built a nine point lead at one time. Rocky fought back and sent the game into overtime with a three-point basket at the buzzer.
In the first overtime, the Bulldogs built an six point lead before Rocky back to send the game into a second overtime with another last second three-point basket.
In the second overtime, the Bulldogs fell behind by six early in the period. Then went on a five point run that cut the lead to one. Two technical fouls on the Bulldogs led to five uncontested points to seal the Rocky win.
Wes Morales led Western with 26 points followed by Tyler Palmer with 21, Aaron Sims with 18 and Gus McDonald with 15.
The Bulldogs host Westminster College on Friday, Feb. 16 and Lewis-Clark on Saturday, Feb. 17 in the final two home games of the season.
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Bulldogs Play at Rocky and Carroll
Wednesday, February 7 2007
The University of Montana Western Bulldog basketball team hits the road for a pair of Frontier Conference games. The Bulldogs face Carroll College in Helena, Mont. on Thursday, Feb. 4 and then travel to Billings, Mont. on Saturday, Feb. 10 against Rocky Mountain College. Tip-off for the Carroll game is 8 p.m. while tip-off for the Rocky game is 4 p.m. The games will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM radio.
The Bulldogs are 1-7 in Frontier Conference action and 7-14 overall after dropping a 79-86 decision to Montana Tech last Thursday.
Carroll went 1-1 on their two game swing through the Highline. The Saints lost 61-64 to MSU-Northern and beat the University of Great Falls 82-65. When Carroll and Western played on Jan. 13, the Saints won an overtime thriller 101-99.
"Carroll is playing very well,” said Bulldog coach Mark Durham. “Eric Henkel is a very good player and is definitely somebody you need to be aware of. He can score and he also makes all the guys around him better. We need to mix our defenses a little to keep them off balance and then make some plays down the stretch which we haven't been doing.”
Dallas Leslie leads the Saints in scoring with 15.5 points per game (ppg) followed by Henkel with 15 and Gage Brumwell with 10. Leslie leads the league and the nation in 3-point field goals per game with 3.47. Brumwell leads the team in rebounds with 4.92 per game followed by Henkel with 4.7. Henkel leads the conference and is 8th in the nation in assists with 5.54 per game. The Saints average 75 ppg while giving up 69.4.
Rocky Mountain is 14-11 overall and 4-5 in the Frontier after splitting their series on the Highline. Rocky lost to MSU-Northern 86-95 last Saturday and beat Great Falls 72-60 last Friday. When the Bulldogs and Bears played in January, Rocky won 84-79.
"Rocky is very good,” said Durham. “We picked them to finish second in the pre-season. They have great perimeter players and their posts are two of the best in the league. “We will have our hands full!"
Devin Uskoski leads Rocky in scoring and rebounding with 15.2 ppg and 9.96 rebounds per game. Also scoring in double figures for the Bears are Elijah Swan with 13.3 ppg and Chris Nickolei with 10.6 ppg. Uskoski leads the league and is seventh in the nation in rebounding with 9.96 rebounds per game.
Four players are scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs led by Tyler Palmer with 16 ppg, Wes Morales with 12.8 ppg followed by Gus McDonald with 11.9 and Aaron Sims with 11. Morales leads the team in rebounding with 5.75 rebounds per game followed by Sims with 5.39. The Bulldogs lead the Frontier and are third in the nation in three-point field goals made with 9.14 per game. Western also leads the league in scoring with 83.9 ppg game, but give up 83.4, last in the conference.
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Diggers Edge Bulldogs
Thursday, February 1 2007
Balanced scoring led Montana Tech to a 85-79 victory over the University of Montana Western in a men’s Frontier Conference basketball game from Dillon. With the win, the Orediggers will retain the ‘Digger-Dawg Cup’ traveling trophy.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 1-7 in league play and 7-14 overall. Montana Tech is now 5-3 in conference action and 10-11 overall.
The Orediggers took an early lead and held it through the game’s first four minutes. Western took their first lead of the game with a Kellen Ori three-point field goal.
At the 11:3 mark of the first half, two Chad Meyers free throws started a 6-0 Bulldog run and a 23-17 lead with 8:46 remaining in the half. Tech tied the game at 29 on a Casey Briggs jumper after a Bulldog turnover at the 5:03 mark. In the final five minutes of the half there were three lead changes and one tie. Tech led 38-36 at the half.
In the first nine minutes of the second half, Tech outscored the Bulldogs 27-15 and led by 14, 65-51 at the 11:01 mark. Western had a run of their own, outscoring the Orediggers 12-0 to trim the lead to just two, 63-65 with 7:13 left in the game. At the 2:34 mark, Tyler Palmer made two free throws and cut the Tech lead to just one, 72-73. In the game’s final two minutes, Tech outscored the Bulldogs, 12-7.
Kellen Ori and Tyler Palmer led the Bulldogs in scoring with 21 points each followed by Aaron Sims with 11.
Five Orediggers scored in double figures led by Jake Williams and Shea Bradshaw with 15 each followed by Maurice Williams with 12 and Casey Briggs and Tony Grudnowski with ten each.
Western travels to Carroll College on Thursday, Feb. 8 while Montana Tech plays at Rocky Mountain.
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