HELENA, Mont.  – MSU Billings won its first exhibition game of the season as the Yellowjackets used a solid second half to pull out the win against Carroll College, 65-53.
 
Alisha Breen poured in 30 points and shot 62.5 percent from the field as she was 10-16 and 9-10 in free-throws. The Yellowjackets pulled down 44 rebounds to the Saints' 28. MSUB also added in 22 from the charity stripe to Carroll's one point.
 
"It was a great win for us tonight," MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. "We got off to a slow start and we were behind in double-digits. I thought the key to the first half was how we finished; it was a great run to get the game tied."
 
MSU Billings was down 19-8 with 5:48 left in the first half when the team went on an 11-0 run to tie up the game at 19-19 going into the break. Breen had seven of the 11-point run, including hitting a 3-point shot with less than a minute left to even the score.
 
"We got a great spark off the bench in the first half from Marissa Van Atta and Rylee Kane," Woodin said on the team's opening set. "Kayleen was able to establish herself inside during the first half as well."
 
In the second half the Yellowjackets improved their shooting percentage from 26.1 percent to 51.7 percent. The team was able to open up a lead by as many as 13 points.
 
MSUB used some great free-throw shooting and was tough on the glass. The team was 22-26 from the free-throw line, and outrebounded the Saints 44-28.
 
"In the second half I thought we played a very good half," Woodin commented. "We protected the ball well – we didn't turn it over a lot. I thought Annie and Alisha were both great on the boards. Kayleen was able to get some great position inside and get some baskets."
 
Breen and Annie DePuydt both had 10 rebounds in the game. Kayleen Goggins pulled down eight while shooting 6-14 from the field for 22 points.
 
Kane was the leader in assists for the Yellowjackets with three.
 
Carroll College's Bailey Snelling had 16 points, Kalee Junkermier had 14, and Katie Estey finished with 11. Baylee Watson led the Saints in rebounds with seven and Snelling had five assists.
 
NEXT UP: Montana State University Billings plays its second exhibition game next week at Rocky Mountain College. The Yellowjackets will play at the Fortin Center against the Battlin' Bears on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
 
"It was difficult to play on the road, but I was really proud of our team and how they responded to the challenge," Woodin said on the team's performance. "We look forward to going back to work and improving as we work toward our next game at Rocky."
 
Note: This was an exhibition game for MSU Billings, but with the loss Carroll College drops to 1-1 on the season.
 
MSU-Billings (0-0)
Quinn Peoples 2-9 1-1 5, Courtney Henry 0-0 0-0 0, Vanessa Stavish 1-6 2-2 4, Alisha Breen 10-16 9-10 30, Rylee Kane 0-0 0-0 0, Annie DePuydt 1-6 0-0 2, Marissa Van Atta 1-1 0-0 2, Kayleen Goggins 6-14 10-13 22. Totals 21-52 22-26 65

Carroll College (1-1 )
Michaela Dowdy 0-1 0-0 0, Katie Estey 5-14 0-0 11, Cassidy Hashley 4-9 1-4 9, Kalee Junkermier 5-10 0-0 14, Kacie McKeon 0-0 0-0 0, Mikala Osborne 0-1 0-0 0, Bailey Pasta 0-1 0-0 0, Mika Robinson 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey Snelling 6-18 0-0 16, Alison Sullivan 0-2 0-0 0, Baylee Watson 1-6 0-0 3, Jordan Johnston 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-64 1-4 53

SCORE BY PERIODS	1st	2nd	TOTAL
MSU-Billings	19	46	65
Carroll College	19	34	53

FG%: MSU-Billings .404, Carroll College .328. 3-pt FG:MSU-Billings 1-12 (Peoples 0-3, Stavish 0-3, Breen 1-2, DePuydt 0-1, Goggins 0-3), Carroll College 10-33 (Estey 1-8, Hashley 0-1, Junkermier 4-7, Pasta 0-1, Snelling 4-11, Watson 1-5). Rebounds: MSU-Billings 44 (Breen 10, DePuydt 10), Carroll College 28 (Watson 7). Fouls MSU-Billings 8, Carroll College 23. Fouled out: none. Technical: none. Assists: MSU-Billings 9 (Kane 3), Carroll College 16 (Snelling 5). Steals: MSU-Billings 4 (Breen 2), Carroll College 6 (Estey 4). Blocked shots: MSU-Billings 1 (Stavish 1), Carroll College 2 (Johnston 2). Turnovers: MSU-Billings 12, Carroll College 8.