Box Score BILLINGS, Mont. – Establishing a double-digit lead midway through the second half, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team finished strong for a 64-54 win over Rocky Mountain College Saturday night inside Alterowitz Gym.
 
Trailing by 10 points with less than two minutes remaining, the Bears fought their way back into the game by creating turnovers and cutting the score to 60-54, 'Jackets. MSUB held tough down the stretch, preventing a comeback and earning the victory.
 
"It was a good first home win for us tonight," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Give Rocky a lot of credit, I felt they played very hard and made a great run at us late in the game."
 
Wearing throwback jerseys in honor of MSUB's prior name Eastern Montana College, the 'Jackets sported yellow and black uniforms in their 2014-15 home opener.
 
MSUB senior Kayleen Goggins led all players with 19 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore Alisha Breen finished with 14 points, seven boards and three blocks for the 'Jackets. Quinn Peoples was also in double figures for MSUB with 11 points, and she accounted for all of the Yellowjackets' 3-pointers with a line of 3-for-8 from long range.
 
A key six-point spark off the bench from Marissa Van Atta was paramount to MSUB establishing the lead in the second half, and she also played strong defense as a reserve for the 'Jackets.
 
RMC (3-1) outrebounded MSUB 46-35 in the game, but suffered from a field goal percentage of just 25.0 on the evening. In contrast, MSUB (3-1) shot 38.9 from the field, and finished with 13 assists compared with eight for the Bears.
 
"One statistic that stands out was that they outrebounded us by eleven," Woodin said. "The best we played tonight was in the middle of the second half. I thought Marissa Van Atta really sparked us on both ends of the floor during that segment and I felt Courtney Henry did a nice job off the bench."
 
A trio of Bears scored in double figures, as Whitney Mitchell, Bridger Rice and Jayde Lefevre each had a dozen points. Lefevre headed RMC's rebounding effort with nine, while Rice and Tenika Capouch had eight apiece. RMC shot just 14.3 percent from 3-point range (3-for-21), but held a strong 73.9 percent mark from the foul line (17-for-23).
 
Annie DePuydt got the scoring going for MSUB, sparking a 5-0 run to start the game with a layup in the first minute. The 'Jackets kept control of the game early, and six-straight points from Breen made the score 11-4 with 13:30 left in the first half.
 
Another DePuydt layup with less than seven minutes left made the score 17-10, and the first three of the game by Peoples on the ensuing possession gave the 'Jackets a double-digit advantage.
 
The Bears began to narrow the deficit as time wound down in the first, as a pair of free-throws by Mitchell made the score 20-18.
 
The game remained close heading towards the break, and MSUB carried a narrow 28-26 lead into the locker room.
 
Beginning the second half with a 4-0 run, RMC took its first lead of the game on a pair of free-throws by Mitchell.
 
MSUB kept its composure however, and began to distance itself midway through the second. Peoples connected on another three with just more than 10 minutes remaining to make the spread six points at 43-37, 'Jackets.
 
Three points on a free-throw and layup by Goggins, and two more on a layup by Van Atta extended MSUB's lead back to double figures at 48-37.
 
Van Atta kept the hot streak going, scoring the next four points for the 'Jackets as the clock wound down to 7:36 to play.
 
Despite the late charge by Rocky, MSUB closed strong and sealed its third win in-a-row. "Kayleen and Alisha were very active tonight in the paint and Quinn hit a couple of big threes in the second half during our run," Woodin said. "Our team is very excited about going to Hawai'i for three games. It is a great opportunity to play three regional counting games while also enjoying some time in the nicer climate."
 
COMING UP: The 'Jackets board a flight to Hawaii for three games on the islands this week. MSUB challenges Hawaii Pacific on Nov. 25 before taking on the University of Hawai'i Hilo and Chaminade University for the Surf and Slam Classic.