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BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State Billings' upset bid of sixth-ranked Western Washington came up just short in a 63-57 loss in Alterowitz Gymnasium Tuesday evening.  With the loss, the Yellowjackets fell to 14-11 overall and 10-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  WWU improved to 24-1 and 17-0 in conference play.  The Vikings extended their current winning streak to 19 games.

“Another close game tonight,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said.  “I thought we competed hard, we just made too many mistakes.”

Despite the loss, the Yellowjackets still control their own destiny for hosting a first round GNAC Tournament playoff game Monday.  MSUB sits in fourth place in the league standings, one game ahead of Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene. 

NNU beat Saint Martin's tonight pulling the Crusaders into a tie for fifth with the Saints.  The Crusaders hold the tiebreaker over SMU if the teams finish with the same conference record as NNU won both meetings this season versus SMU.  The Saints play at Central Washington Thursday, while NNU hosts Western Oregon. 

The Jackets were led by 11 points from senior Mandy Jacobs as the lone player in double figures.  She was 3 of 4 from the field, 1 of 2 from beyond the arc and 4 of 4 from the line.  Senior Jenny Heringer was one rebound and point away from a double-double, while senior Kayla Ryan added eight points and nine rebounds. 

WWU had balanced scoring attack from its starters as Amanda Dunbar led the way with a game-high 19 points.  Dunbar was 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.  Lauren Hefflin added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Megan Pinske chiped in 13 points.

MSUB shot 41.7 percent on 20 of 48 from the floor. The Jackets were 5 of 14 from beyond the arc, but struggled at the charity stripe going just 12 of 24.

The Vikings shot 43.4 percent from the field and were deadly from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 of 20 attempts.  WWU was just 7 of 14 from the line.  MSUB held a slim 35-34 lead in rebounds, but 19 Yellowjacket turnovers led to 15 points for the visitors.  

In the first half, the Jackets came out and held the early advantage with a quick 5-0 start on a triple from Jacobs to open the game and a steal and layup by senior Shantell Marquis just seconds later.  The first three field goals, and four of the first five, were triples by WWU.  Dunbar hit all four of them as the Jacket lead was trimmed to 16-14 with 13:16 left in the first half on her fourth triple.

“In the first half, I thought we started well, but give Dunbar credit she made several three including some long ones,” Woodin said.  “I take responsibility for that as I put in a zone defense and it didn't work too well early on.  As the half progressed, we played better, but we did have too many unforced turnovers that led directly to points for them and that's a tribute to their defense.”

Marquis hit a big triple giving the Jackets a 24-18 lead with 8:38 left, but the Vikings kept inching back every time. 

The fifth triple of the half by Dunbar gave WWU a 27-26 lead with 6:07 left as the Vikings led the rest of the half and settled for a 33-32 advantage at intermission.

Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, the contest was back-and-forth as neither team could garner much of an advantage.  The game was tied four times during that span.  Senior Sarah McNamee came off the bench for a big triple with 11:47 left to give the Jackets a 44-41 advantage.  She finished with seven points on 3 of 6 from the field and one triple.

“Sarah McNamee provided good bench play in both halves, but was a great spark for us in the second,” Woodin added.

Corinn Waltrip broke a 46-46 tie with a triple with 9:03 left as WWU went on a mini run for a 56-50 lead.

MSUB would answer back as freshman Bobbi Knudsen hit a big jumper in the lane with 1:32 left to pull the Jackets within 58-57 with a run of its own down the stretch.

Pinske would add a dagger triple and a pair of free throws in the closing seconds for a 63-57 lead.  MSUB missed two critical free throws in the final minute, too.

“The second half was a great half of basketball,” Woodin said.  “I thought both teams were doing some good things both ways.  We had our chances and came up a little short.  All in all, we were off a step and give them credit for that tonight.” 

The Yellowjackets have a quick turnaround as they conclude the 2010-11 regular season Thursday at 5:15 p.m. versus Simon Fraser for Senior Night.  Prior to the game, the Jackets will honor six seniors playing in their final regular season game in a Yellowjacket uniform. 

“We will have to regroup and play better Thursday against Simon Fraser,” Woodin concluded.  “We are looking forward to the game and honoring six special seniors who have really given a great effort this year and throughout their careers.”