BILLINGS, Mont.  – Big games from Kayleen Goggins, Alisha Breen, and Annie DePuydt helped MSUB wrap-up an 84-62 victory over visiting Northwest Nazarene in Alterowitz Saturday evening.
 
It was a big night for the Yellowjacket women's basketball team. Montana State University Billings (10-7, 2-5 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) was on a four-game conference slump, and needed a victory Saturday to pull out of a tie for last place in the league standings. Backed by some great defense, and a good offensive spread, MSUB was able to make its shots, shooting 30-55 for 54.5 percent in the game, outscoring NNU by 13 in the first half, and nine in the second.
 
MSU Billings opened with sevens. DePuydt began the game with a wide open 3-point shot to give MSUB its first lead of the game. Goggins pumped in two layups and MSUB took an early 7-0 lead. The Crusaders made it onto the scoreboard when Cierra White hit a jump-shot at the top of the key for Northwest Nazarene University's (4-13, 2-6 GNAC) first points of the game. The Yellowjackets scored seven more unanswered points; four from Breen and a 3-point bucket by Goggins to give MSUB a solid 14-2 start, causing NNU to call its first timeout of the game.
 
"I felt we had great energy in the first half; we started well and got off to a great start," head MSUB coach Kevin Woodin said. "Give NNU credit though, they battled back from a double-digit deficit early."
 
Four more points from MSUB, and NNU was forced to call its second timeout of the game with 15:31 still remaining in the first half. Back on the court, the Crusaders were able to put together a 10-1 run drawing the deficit down to three, 17-14. Back-and-forth play from both teams and a jumper from White tied the game at 26-26 with 7:59 remaining in the first period. That's when the Yelllowjackets turned up the heat. On a go-ahead jumper from DePuydt, MSUB finished the first half strong, ending on a 19-6 rally, giving MSUB a 13-point advantage at the break, 45-32.
 
"I felt a critical part of the game was the last couple of minutes of the first half," Coach Woodin said. "Alisha hit a couple of key baskets including a long three right before the shot clock expired while Vanessa Stavish had a nice finish in the lane right before halftime. That run definitely gave us some momentum as we headed to the locker room."
 
At the half, MSUB was shooting 58.1 percent for the game and 40 percent from the 3-point arc. NNU was limited to 11-30 for 36.7 percent.
 
In the second half, the Yellowjackets opened the game up with another critical 7-0 run. Fueled by more shooting power from the trio of Goggins, Breen, and DePuydt, MSUB started the second half opening the game up with a 22-point 54-22 lead, with 17:45 remaining.
 
From there, MSU Billings did not look back, taking the lead by as many as 28 points in the second half.
 
"Annie DePuydt was special tonight," Coach Woodin said. "We talked about finding her more shots and she got those tonight. Her knee is getting stronger each week and she continues to do a great job of leading and inspiring her team."
 
DePuydt finished the game 7-12 from the field for 17 points, with a game-high three treys, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. The senior from Saco, Mont., was named the St. Vincent Player of the Game for the night. DePuydt's 17 points tied her career-high, which she has now done three times as an MSUB Yellowjacket.
 
Goggins was 7-10, 1-1 from 3-point territory, finishing with a game-high 22 points. The third of the high-scoring trio, Breen, shot 7-8 from the field for 21 points, 1-1 from the 3-point arc, and had a team-high seven rebounds with two blocks.
 
Quinn Peoples pulled in six rebounds off the glass and added eight points, including two 3-point shots. Freshman Rylee Kane added seven points and a game-high seven assists, while redshirt junior Monica Grimsrud contributed four points, shooting 2-3 from the field.
 
NNU's Ellie Logan came off the bench for the Crusaders scoring 15 points while Lexi Tubbs added 10. CoCo Gall led the team in rebounds with seven. Northwest Nazarene's leading point-producer, Taylor Simmons, was limited to just two on the night, while Gall had nine. For the game, NNU shot 22-65 for 33.8 percent.
 
"It was a great team win for us tonight. My players have been working very hard the past two weeks and I am happy they saw their hard work translate into a victory," Coach Woodin said. "Offensively, we had 21 assists which was impressive and we moved the ball much better tonight while defensively we were better connected."
 
The Yellowjackets outrebounded NNU 34-33 and had more points in the paint, outscoring the Crusaders 42-28 inside. The teams were almost even on turnovers (15-17) and steals (10-9). From the free-throw line, the Yellowjackets continued to struggle, making 17-30 in the game, for 56.7 percent, far below the team's normal average. NNU wasn't much better, hitting 12-18 for 66.7 percent.
 
UP NEXT: Next week the Yellowjackets have two GNAC games on the road. First, MSUB is in Lacey, Wash., for the team's first look at Saint Martin's on Thursday, Jan. 22. On Saturday, Jan. 24, MSU Billings is at Western Oregon for the ROOT Sports game of the week. ROOT Sports will be broadcasting the game live, and fans will have an opportunity to follow the action on the ROOT Sports network channel. In Billings, the MSUB Alumni Association will be hosting a watch party at Hooligans downtown. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start. Pizza will be provided. To RSVP for the watch party please contact the MSU Billings Alumni Association by either calling 406-247-5780 or emailing sbrockel@msubillings.edu.