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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Nesbit vs ACU '24
Jacob Jewett
89
Winner Rocky Mountain RM 1-0
81
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 4-2,0-0 Great Northwest
Winner
Rocky Mountain RM
1-0
89
Final
81
Mont. St. Billings MSUB
4-2,0-0 Great Northwest
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rocky Mountain RM 46 43 89
Mont. St. Billings MSUB 36 45 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Brandon Stinson | Sports Information & Media Coordinator

Rocky Men’s Basketball Rallies For 89-81 Rimrock Rivalry Exhibition Victory

BILLINGS, Mont.- Omari Nesbit scored 15 of his 17 points off the bench in the second half as the Battlin' Bears picked up their third consecutive victory over MSU Billings. 

How it Happened
Early momentum carried the Battlin' Bears, as a pair of three-pointers from Jesse Owens and back-to-back successful trips to the free-throw line for Jaylon Lee saw Rocky jump to an 11-3 lead in the first four minutes of play. 

After the Yellowjackets found their groove offensively to cut their deficit to two points, the Battlin' Bears put together a 9-0 run to grow their lead back to double digits inside ten minutes to play in the first half. 

Rocky held strong, with a lead in double digits. A three-pointer from Kade Erickson, the largest of the half, grew the Battlin' Bear lead to 15 with seven minutes to go. 

The Yellowjackets battled back to close the half, as a 9-2 run in the final four minutes. Rocky swiped away a big momentum shift to close out the final thirty seconds, however, as Jesse Owens sank a pair of technical free throws before Royce Robinson sank a jumper to give the Battlin' Bears a ten-point lead at halftime. 

While scoring was scarce to open the second half, the Yellowjackets piled together an 8-2 run after three straight possessions with a score to cut their deficit to six. Colton Spencer slowed the game down and got Rocky back in control in response, getting fouled on consecutive possessions and draining five straight free throw attempts to push Rocky's lead back to nine. 

When the Battlin' Bear offense needed a spark, in stepped Omari Nesbit off the bench. The junior transfer from the College of the Sequoias scored eight straight points for Rocky over a two-minute span to put Rocky back up by 13 points.

When it seemed as if the Battlin' Bears had the game under control, the Yellowjackets caught fire, as Jalen Tot capped off a 12-0 run with a rare four-point play to cut the Battlin' Bear lead down to just one with four minutes to go in the game. 

It was Nesbit again to get the Rocky offense going again, hitting a three-pointer following an offensive rebound to give Rocky a four-point lead. 

While the Yellowjackets had life to end the game, key stops and defensive efforts led to Rocky's victory. In the final two minutes of the game, the Battlin' Bears hit both of their field goal attempts and all four of their free throw attempts and held the Yellowjackets to no points in the final 1:54 of play, closing the game on an 8-0 run to seal a victory. 

Notable Statistics
Omari Nesbit was the Battlin' Bears leading scorer, piling on 17 points on 7-10 shooting in only 12 minutes played off the bench. Jaylon Lee played a big role on both ends for Rocky, scoring 12 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and swatting three blocks. Jesse Owens and Royce Robinson also added 14 points, with Owens dishing four assists and Robinson adding nine rebounds. 

Rocky shot 48.5% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range, while also hitting 17-21 from the free-throw line. The Battlin' Bears took care of the ball, limiting to just seven turnovers. 

Jalen Tot was the game's leading scorer with 23 points for MSU Billings, adding eight assists. 

Up Next
The Battlin' Bear men (1-1) will hit the road for neutral site games in Great Falls, Montana, against Benedictine-Mesa and Northwest Indian College. 
 
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