by BILLINGS, Mont. – Playing in their final home game of the regular season, the Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team collected a dominating 86-59 win over Simon Fraser University, clinching at least a share of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s regular season title.
It marks the second regular season GNAC title in program history for the Yellowjackets (24-4, 15-1 GNAC), who last finished with the GNAC’s top conference record in the 2013-2014 season, earning a 15-3 mark in conference play. This year’s Yellowjackets have a pair of games remaining next week, and need to win just one of their remaining games to clinch sole possession of the conference’s regular season crown.
“I’m just so proud of our team and coaches,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “It was nice to have our shots falling early. Simon did a good job adjusting their defense to try and confuse us, but I thought we passed the ball well and kept finding the open player. This was a great way to send off our seniors at home, who are all incredible players and people, and have meant so much to our program.”
After celebrating the team’s four seniors pregame, MSUB took control of the game early, and never truly looked back, leading the Red Leafs (16-13, 9-8 GNAC) for most of the game. The Yellowjackets shot 45.2% overall from the field, making 13 three-pointers while knocking down 17 of their 18 free throw attempts. On the defensive side of the ball, they kept one of the best scoring offenses in the GNAC off their rhythm all game, preventing Simon Fraser from shooting better than 38.5% in a single quarter, while forcing 21 turnovers.
Aspen Giese scored a game high 20 points, shooting 7-13 from the field and 5-9 from beyond the arc. Just behind her was Dyauni Boyce, who added eight rebounds and three assists to go with 19 points, and Kola Bad Bear, who recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and ten rebounds, along with five assists and three steals. Shayla Montague scored 11, going 3-4 three-point range, and Kortney Nelson finished with seven points, seven assists, four rebounds, and four steals. Danielle Zahn added four points, while Natalie Andreas scored three, and both Chloe Williams and Kaitlin Grossman had two points.
The ‘Jackets wasted no time getting started once the first quarter commenced, scoring 18 points in the first six minutes, with both Giese and Bad Bear scoring six a piece. MSUB shot an impressive 57.1% in the first ten minutes, and made half of their three-point attempts, leading by as much as 12 in the opening quarter. The Red Leafs would go on a small run to make it a seven-point game at the end of the first, but the Yellowjackets wouldn’t let the visitors any closer in the second quarter, allowing just three made baskets and growing their advantage to 41-27 at halftime.
The Yellowjackets would fully take the game out of reach in the third quarter, coming out of the break to the tune of their highest scoring period of the game. MSUB scored 24 points in the third, including going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. They would once again shoot perfectly from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, this time going 8-8, while making half of their shots from the field. Combined with an aggressive defense that made Simon Fraser work for every point, the ‘Jackets were able to put the game on cruise control, seeing out a victory in their final home game of the regular season to finish the year 13-1 in Alterowitz Gym.
