by By Logan Tracy
BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team showed out on both sides of the court in their dominant victory over Saint Martin’s University, picking up a 73-42 win in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
The Yellowjackets (14-3, 5-0 GNAC) built an early advantage in their first home game of 2024, dominating the first quarter to lead 22-6 after one. It would be more than enough, with a combination of lockdown defense and quality shooting helping the ‘Jackets coast to victory over the Saints (2-8, 0-4 GNAC). MSUB held Saint Martin’s to 30.8% shooting from the field and forced 20 turnovers, while shooting 52% from the field.
“Tonight was a good win for us,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “I really thought it was a complete win for us. We played all 11 players tonight, and all of them scored for us which was nice. We did a good job on the boards outrebounding better, and we played good defense. We need to protect the ball better going forward, but overall, a good performance.”
Every MSUB player scored at least one basket in the game, in an impressive display of team basketball. Aspen Giese led the ‘Jackets in scoring, totaling 19 points on 8-12 shooting, going 3-4 from three-point range. Giese also added four steals, three rebounds, and three assists. Kola Bad Bear finished with 12 points to go with six rebounds. Danielle Zahn scored ten points with four assists, while Dyauni Boyce scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. Kortney Nelson had six points, along with a trio of rebounds and assists, and one steal. Chloe Williams and Kaitlin Grossman each scored four points, with Williams finishing with three rebounds and two blocks, while Grossman had three rebounds and a steal. Shayla Montague and Avery Burkhart each scored three points, while Layla Baumann and Natalie Andreas had two.
“We did a great job spreading the ball around tonight,” Woodin said. “I thought Aspen did a great job attacking the basket, and she got some good looks outside. Dani came in and provided a huge spark for us offensively, and it was nice to see Layla and Avery perform in extended minutes. I thought it was their best games for us so far.”
The Saints started fast, scoring the first two baskets of the game to snag the early lead. But the game shifted dramatically in favor of the Yellowjackets after that, with MSUB finishing the first quarter on a 22-2 run, including a 17-0 run over the final six minutes. MSUB was boosted in the quarter by shooting 69.2% from the field, knocking down four threes while forcing five Saint’s turnovers on defense. Their success would carry into the second quarter, where the ‘Jackets continued to outpace the visitors, taking a 39-18 lead into halftime.
Things didn’t change much in the second half, with the Yellowjackets shooting 75% in the third quarter to maintain their lead, and continuing to lock the Saints down on defense. While the offense slowed down in the fourth quarter, the defense remained shut down all night, preventing Saint Martin’s from generating much momentum as MSUB would see out a quality victory.
