BILLINGS, Mont. - It was a tale of two halves in Alterowitz Gymnasium during the second game of the 2015 GNAC/PacWest Yellowjacket Challenge sponsored by the Billings Hotel and Convention Center and ExxonMobil. MSU Billings was ahead 32-30 at the half, but a big second-half surge from the No. 3 Lancers pushed Cal Baptist to a 72-52 win over the Yellowjackets Friday.
Alisha Breen hit a last minute shot at half-time for a 32-30 MSUB lead, but the No. 3 Lancers outscored the 'Jackets 42-20 in the final two quarters for the win in the season-opening game for both teams.
Cal Baptist (1-0) rose to the occasion in the last 20 minutes, moving from shooting 29.7 percent (11-27) to 48.4 percent (15-31). The Lancers also made twice as many 3-pointers in the second half (6-3) and bumped their free-throw percentage up to finish 11-16 for the game.
In just 22 minutes on the court, Darsha Burnside finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds for Cal Baptist. The senior center shot 9-15 from the field and made five blocks.
MSUB's
Monica Grimsrud shot 6-16 on the night, finishing with a team-high 16 points. The senior had three rebounds and hit three 3-pointers in the game. Breen ended the game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Breen also had three treys as Grimsrud and Breen combined for 31 of the 52 total team points and 6-8 shots from beyond the arc.
"Tonight we got beat by a very good team," MSUB head coach
Kevin Woodin said. "Darsha Burnside is the real deal. She was very active on the boards on both ends and owned the paint. However, I was disappointed in the way we played. I thought we had an opportunity tonight to possibly get a win and we let it slip away."
Montana State University Billings (0-1) was down by 12, 27-15 in the second quarter, before a five-minute 15-2 scoring spree caught the Yellowjackets back up to tie the game at 30. With under a minute left before half-time, Breen made a nice move in the paint for a last shot, giving MSUB the 2-point lead.
Coming out of the locker room, the No. 3 Lancers made some crucial adjustments starting with a 10-2 opening run. Cal Baptist pushed hard into the last minutes of the third quarter, taking a 14-point 55-41 advantage. Down the stretch, CBU widened the gap, leading by as many as 23 before closing out the game with a 20-point win.
For the Lancers, Courtney Nelson added 13 points and Cassidy Mihalko 10. Kamille Diaz had nine points and eight rebounds. Erin Asher led all players with seven assists.
Off the bench for MSUB,
Vanessa Stavish had five points and five rebounds.
Lexi Prevost scored three and
Marissa Van Atta two with each player pulling in four rebounds apiece.
Janiel Olson had seven rebounds and
Rylee Kane had six assists.
"Our starting group is not playing very consistently," Coach Woodin said on the team's performance. "We struggled to make shots. A lot of that was due to Cal Bap's defense, but we need to stay away from the long scoring droughts."
MSU Billings shot 25.7 percent for the game (19-74). The Yellowjackets finished 12 behind CBU off the glass, 50-38. The Lancers also had 10 blocks in the game.
Burnside opened the game with four straight points. Breen made a nice underhand hook closing the gap to four, 9-5 stopping the Lancers from gaining more ground. Breen drained a 3-pointer to close to one.
Olson completed one of two free-throws to put the 'Jackets three back. The Yellowjackets engaged on some good give-and-go under the basket, but couldn't get one to fall.
Burnside put CBU ahead by five off her own rebound and put-back. Olson sent a 3-pointer spinning to the basket, but it rattled out, and on the following possession Burnside put a layup in for two.
Emma Meriggioli buried a 3-pointer to open the second quarter. Mihalko made back-to-back buckets for the Lancers' first double-digit lead of the game at 25-15.
Breen made a 3-pointer and Grimsrud made another for six straight from the 'Jackets.
After a miss from the Lancers, Breen caught a pass under the basket for the layup. A great steal from Grimsrud led to a 3-pointer from Stavish to close to within three.
After a foul-shot from CBU, the Yellowjackets ran the floor and Grimsrud poured in her third 3-pointer of the game. On an offensive rebound, Prevost was fouled on the second chance shot. She make her first free-throw to tie the game at 30.
On the next possession, Breen pulled up for a jump shot pulling MSUB ahead at half-time 32-30.
Making adjustments, CBU opened the second half with an 11-2 run.
Tiana Hanson scored the first basket of the second half for MSUB. Breen was called for a foul on an attempted shot from Mihalko. She hit both shots to knot the score and Burnside pushed CBU ahead on a layup.
Grimsrud stopped the Lancer charge with a nice jump shot, turning it into a 3-point play with a foul shot after. The Lancers built the lead back up to eight with four coming from Burnside.
Cal Baptist pulled ahead by double-figures again, but Hanson kept the Yellowjackets from going under further with two from the charity strip. Breen closed the third quarter with a 3-point bucket, but a timely run had CBU ahead 55-44.
Down the stretch, CBU put its foot on the gas pedal. The Lancers kept the Yellowjackets back, finishing the fourth quarter outscoring MSUB 17-8.
"Offensively, we needed to be more patient as I thought we hurried some shots," Woodin said. "We protected the ball well enough to win, but lacked spacing and discipline on offense."
"Tomorrow is a new day and I hope we can play the way we are capable of," Woodin continued. "I really like the way this team practices but our challenge is executing better on both ends in games."
THE BUZZ: Stavish named the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Game with her five and five performance…this is the first meeting between CBU and MSUB…Cal Baptist was last year's NCAA Division II national runner-up.
UP NEXT: Tomorrow, MSU Billings returns to the court for its last game of the 2015 GNAC/PacWest Yellowjacket Challenge. The Yellowjackets take on Academy of Art during the second game of a double-header. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
