by By Logan Tracy
BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team earned victory in their first conference action of the season, taking down University of Alaska Anchorage 83-68 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
Following some struggles early in the game, the Yellowjackets (7-2, 1-0 GNAC) grew into the game from the second quarter on, outscoring the Seawolves (2-4, 0-1 GNAC) 70-38 over the final three quarters of play to pick up a win in their conference opener.
“This was a great win for us,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “We didn’t start well, and were down big after the first quarter. Anchorage started really strong, and were difficult to guard, but I thought we did a good job of settling in, getting the ball inside and chipping away at the lead. I thought we did a great job of picking up the intensity in the second half, and we dominated on the defensive end. Our defense and rebounding really sparked our offense.”
Dyauni Boyce set a new career high in scoring, totaling 29 points on 8-13 shooting. The Winifred, MT native hit four three pointers, and was 9-10 from the free throw line in the game. Boyce also grabbed seven rebounds and finished with four assists. Kola Bad Bear had 20 points of her own, along with a game high 11 rebounds, recording her third double-double this season. Kortney Nelson had 13 points, adding five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Chloe Williams also set a new career high with seven assists, to go with her eight points, three rebounds, three steals, and a block. Aspen Giese scored six points, and Natalie Andreas had five.
“Three people in double figures for us tonight, but I thought we did a good job of sharing the ball,” said Woodin. “Dyauni’s versatility was huge for us tonight, she shot the ball well from everywhere, and Kola inside was key for us today. Chloe had a great second half on both sides of the ball, and she was important for us tonight.”
The ‘Jackets started the game uncharacteristically slow, hitting just two shots from the field in the quarter, while the Seawolves were on fire, finishing the opening ten minutes with a 66.7% field goal percentage in the quarter, holding a 30-13 lead after the opening period. But MSUB would begin to mount a comeback in the second quarter, finding their shooting stroke and outscoring the visitors by nine in the quarter. They were led by Boyce, who scored ten of her points in the second to lead MSUB, who managed to close the gap to 45-37 heading into halftime.
The third quarter was where MSUB completely stole momentum back, using a 18-2 run to start the third to grab the lead for the first time in the game halfway through the quarter, and never looking back. The Yellowjackets shot an astounding 75% from the field, flipping the game on its head and taking a 64-58 lead into the fourth quarter. The ‘Jackets would continue to expand that lead in the fourth quarter, finishing strong to begin conference play with a win.
“I’m just proud of the way our team overcame adversity with a tough start,” Woodin said. “And we played excellent basketball throughout the rest of the game. We’re happy to start off conference play with a win.”
