Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information
LA GRANDE, Ore. — The Montana Western men’s basketball team has extended their win streak to three games after they defeated Walla Walla (Wash.) this afternoon 81-59.
“Our guys stepped up this weekend and we got great contributions from everyone,” Head Coach Pat Jensen said. “This team has a lot of depth and it can be a different guy every night.”
How It Happened
UMW got out to a scorching start after Jalyn Stepney hit back-to-back threes to get the Bulldogs out to a 17-2 score in the first six minutes of the game.
The Bulldog men went on to hit seven threes and 21-40 from the field across the half to take a commanding 51-22 lead. Stepney and Christian Pitcher led the Bulldogs through the first half. Stepney put up 14 points with four made three-pointers and Pitcher had 11.
Michael Haverfield drained a shot from the arc to give UMW their largest lead of the game at 57-27 with 17:51 left in the game. Despite the lead, the Wolves were able to steal some momentum to cut the lead back down to 16.
Though fighting through a lull in scoring, the Bulldogs cut down on Walla Walla scoring opportunities by forcing five turnovers and grabbing three steals across the second half.
Notables
As a team, UMW capitalized by scoring an impressive 31 points on turnovers.
The well-rounded game saw the Bulldog bench put up 42 points combined.
Montana Western also put up 38 points from the key, with 16 coming on fast break opportunities.
Three Bulldogs reached double digits in tonight’s win with Stepney leading the way. He posted 20 points and went 6-15 from the field. Pitcher followed with 13 and Quincy Taylor had 12 points.
Kevin Bethel was a key role player, creating opportunities for the Bulldogs behind eight assists and nine rebounds.
Up Next
UMW takes the week to prepare for a big weekend ahead where they will play in the Taco Bell Shootout hosted by College of Idaho. The Bulldogs will first see a contest with the Lewis-Clark State Warriors on Friday at 3pm MT.
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