MONMOUTH, Ore. – Kayleen Goggins fought off a defender and scored the game-winning basket on a layup as the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team bounced back with a 59-57 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over host Western Oregon on the ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week Saturday afternoon at the New P.E. Building on the WOU campus.
 
Goggins led all players with 18 points, scoring the most important two on the Yellowjackets' final possession directly off of an inbounds pass from Alisha Breen as time expired.
 
"I am very happy for our team, it was nice to get a win on a buzzer beater, as earlier in the season we lost one of those," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "It was a good battle, and we played much more consistently. I was impressed with Western Oregon and both teams did a nice job of executing down the stretch."
 
MSUB (11-8, 3-6 GNAC) overcame an eight-point first-half deficit, and led by as many as 10 points in the second in what ended up being a neck-and-neck game.
 
With 35 seconds remaining, WOU's Jordan Mottershaw knocked down a pair of free-throws to knot the score at 57-57. A Goggins jumper with five seconds left was off the mark, but an offensive rebound gave the 'Jackets the ball out-of-bounds and the chance for the final shot. Goggins fought off WOU defender Dana Goularte, and pushed the ball up off of the glass and in for the win.
 
Mottershaw led the Wolves with 18 points on 7 of 15 shooting from the field. Goularte had 13 points for WOU, and Sydney Azorr contributed 10 on a pair of 3-pointers. Sami Osborne had a team-best 10 rebounds for the Wolves, which fell to 5-13 on the season and 2-8 in GNAC play.
 
For the 'Jackets, Breen was in double-digits with 13 points, and she also had five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Annie DePuydt and Quinn Peoples each added 10 points for MSUB, and Monica Grimsrud came off the bench with six boards, two blocks and a steal. Freshman point guard Rylee Kane finished with a game-high five assists and added four points for MSUB.
 
"Down the stretch we had a key three by Annie, Alisha found Kayleen open with the bounce pass for the last-second shot, and off the bench I thought Monica gave us one of her better defensive games to date," Woodin said.
 
Mottershaw's first three of the game gave WOU an early 11-7 advantage, but MSUB responded with a 6-0 run as the teams remained close in the opening minutes.
 
A Goularte jumper midway through gave the Wolves their largest lead at 25-17, but the 'Jackets closed the opening period on a 10-4 run to pull within two at the break, 29-27.
 
A layup by Breen on an assist by Peoples turned the tables within the first five minutes of the second, as the Yellowjackets began to establish momentum. Grimsrud finished a layup with 11:11 left that gave MSUB its first double-digit lead of the night at 47-37.
 
WOU battled back however, and an Elise Miller 3-pointer inside of five minutes to play cut the deficit to two points at 50-48 as the Wolves capped off an 11-3 run. DePuydt responded with a key three the next time down, giving MSUB enough breathing room to maintain control down the stretch.
 
Despite the miscue on MSUB's possession with 35 seconds left, Goggins's effort on the second chance gave the 'Jackets the final push and the win. 
 
On the game WOU held a 40-35 advantage in rebounds including a 10-8 edge on offensive boards. The 'Jackets benefitted from 15 assists against just 10 turnovers, while the Wolves had 10 assists and 13 giveaways.
 
Neither team shot particularly well from the field or from 3-point range, as MSUB was 22-for-58 (37.9 percent) and 3-for-16 (18.8 percent), and WOU was 21-for 58 (36.2 percent) and 5-for-21 (23.8 percent). From the foul line WOU made 10 of 11 shots while MSUB made 12 of 15.
 
MSUB has now won two of its last three contests, while the Wolves have lost six of their last seven. Goggins was selected the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game.
 
"This was a great team win for us, and we had so many players making key plays," Woodin said. "We are glad to be heading home and are excited to face Western Washington and Simon Fraser next week."
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets return home to challenge GNAC opponents Western Washington and Simon Fraser next week. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. against the Vikings on Jan. 29, and MSUB will meet SFU at the same start time on Jan. 31.