Brandon Stinson

Men's Basketball 12/8/2023 4:00:00 PM Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

Rocky Men’s Basketball Seeks Rimrock Rivalry Sweep on Saturday in Alterowitz Gym

BILLINGS, Mont.- The Battlin' Bears gear up for another Rimrock Rivalry matchup on Saturday evening. A win in Alterowitz Gym would give Rocky a sweep in the season series and a perfect 3-0 record over NCAA opponents this season.

Matchup

#21 Rocky Mountain College (5-1) vs Montana State University Billings (6-3)
Saturday, December 9th | 5:30pm (MT) | Alterowitz Gym

Battlin' Bear Recap

The Battlin' Bears are looking for their third consecutive victory over the Yellowjackets entering Saturday's game. The last two matchups between these two teams have been tightly contested, as this season's matchup in the Fortin Education Center was won by last-second free throws by A.J. Wilson, and last season's victory in Alterowitz Gym was sealed with an overtime block by Kael Robinson.

Kael Robinson has had one of the best individual starts to the season in the Frontier, as he's the only player averaging over 20 points per game (22.0), the second-leading rebounder (9.0), and ranks fifth in steals per game (1.5).

Maxim Stephens is the only player in the Frontier Conference who has rebounded more than Robinson, as he's the lone player averaging a double-double in the Frontier with 17.3 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. Of players in the NAIA this season averaging 10 or more rebounds per game, Stephens has the 7th highest scoring average.

Bozeman High School graduate Brett Clark had only seen two minutes of game time this season but was ready when his name was called as he played a crucial role off the bench in his hometown in the win over Montana State, grabbing two offensive rebounds and dishing two assists in 13 minutes.

The Battlin' Bears' seventh-ranked offense in the country has been led by five players averaging double-digit points and all but one player that has scored a basket this season is shooting over 40% from the field.

Preview

The Yellowjackets enter Saturday's matchup winners of their last four straight games. Since the last-second loss to the Battlin' Bears, the Yellowjackets have victories over Minot State, South Dakota Mines, #23 University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and most recently an overtime victory over University of Providence.

MSU Billings has found their edge in their victories through defense and rebounding, as they are holding opponents to just 66.1 points per game and grabbing 37.2 rebounds per game, both ranking second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Yellowjackets crash the glass well, as they average 11.0 offensive rebounds per game, including 17 offensive rebounds in their recent win over the University of Providence.

Senior forward Daniel Moody is the second leading rebounder in the conference, averaging 7.8 rebounds, while also scoring in double figures in every game this season.

United Tribes Technical College transfer Famous Lefthand has hit his stride since the loss against the Battlin' Bears, scoring in double figures in each of his last six games. Despite shooting 1-5 from three-point range against Rocky on November 15th, he is shooting 51.3% from behind the arc while averaging over two made threes per game.

Beni Fungula, a 6-foot-4-inch senior guard from Stockholm, Sweden, missed the first Rimrock Rivalry matchup in the Fortin Education Center due to injury but has proven to be an impact player in his first four games of the season, averaging 7.5 points per game, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks off the bench.

Saturday's game will count towards both team's overall record.

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