DILLON, Mont. – The #23 UMW men's basketball program (9-3, 4-2 FC) defeated Valley City State (4-6, 0-6 FC) 89-79.
Though the first matchup between the two this season ended in a narrow 107-104 victory for Western, the Bulldogs did not leave it up to chance tonight. They led by as many as 20 in the game before cruising to the 10-point dub.
"Really proud of our effort on the defensive end," head coach
Patrick Jensen said. "24 assists was great to see and our guys' ability to find the open guy."
STAT BREAKDOWN
Western shot 54.5 percent (36-66) from the floor, 34.8 percent (8-23) from beyond the arc, and 52.9 percent (9-17) from the foul line.
The Bulldogs registered 40 rebounds, 24 assists, nine steals, and five blocks.
They posted 44 points in the paint, 21 points off turnovers, 16 second-chance points, and 28 points off the bench.
LEADERBOARD
Kyle Gruhler led the game with 24 points while
Emanuel Steward (18),
Joshua Whiteside (16), and
Jacob Ankeny (12) also put up double-figures in scoring.
Billy Carlson pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, followed by
Kolter Merritt with seven. Carlson also led all players with five steals.
Steward handed out a game-leading seven assists, with Gruhler and
David Young tallying four apiece.
Carlson, Steward, Young, Whiteside, and Merritt each landed one block in the contest.
NOTABLES
Three Bulldogs shot at or over 75.0 percent from the floor; Whiteside (77.8), Gruhler (75.0), and Ankeny (75.0).
Western dished out a season-best in assists.
Whiteside posted a season-high 16 points.
Gruhler went 4-4 from beyond the arc.
Carlson snagged a career-high in steals.
GAME SUMMARY
The two sides were fairly even through the first five minutes of action, with the visitors holding their only lead of the game, 7-5, with 15 minutes left on the first-half clock.
The Bulldogs turned up the heat after that, slowly building up to a 20-point lead with just under five minutes to play in the period.
VCSU then went on a 19-5 run to tighten Western's lead to just six, 45-39, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
UMW shot 52.8 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from deep, and 66.7 percent from the line in the first 20 minutes.
The Vikings remained pesky for the Bulldogs in the second half, pulling within three points after three minutes of action.
Western locked in once again to give itself some breathing room, leading by 12 with a little over 11 minutes to play.
VSCU got as close as five one more time before UMW pulled away for the final time, leading by 10 or more points through the remaining two minutes of the contest.
THE OTHER GUYS
The Vikings shot 47.7 percent (31-65) from the floor, 37.9 percent (11-29) from three, and 75.0 percent (6-8) from the stripe. They recorded 28 rebounds, 14 assists, and five steals. JR Cison led the team with 14 points, followed by Kaleb Larson (13), Joel Nelson (11), and Nez Chehade (10). Nelson earned a team-best seven rebounds while Chehade handed out a team-high three assists. Caden Grinde tallied a team-best two steals.
LOOKING AHEAD
Western takes the court again tomorrow when they host Mayville State. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. MT.
For complete coverage of UMW Men's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umwesternbball (Instagram), @UMWesternBball (X), and @Montana Western Men's Basketball (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.
#GOBULLDOGS!
