BILLINGS, Mont. – Passing its first test of the preseason on Wednesday night at Alterowitz Gym, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team finished strong in an 80-75 exhibition win over the University of Montana Western behind a 31-point effort from senior Alisha Breen.
 
Breen made 12 of 19 shots from the field including four threes, and also grabbed eight rebounds in 35 minutes. Senior point guard Rylee Kane just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine assists, and senior Rachel Koehler had 10 points and eight boards for the 'Jackets.
 
"Overall I'm very pleased with the win," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We had to work really hard tonight. UM Western really came out and took it to us early in the third quarter to get back into the game. We were able to make enough plays down the stretch to come out with the win."
 
Theresa Mac-Dangosu led the Bulldogs with 17 points, and Tori Anderson (13) and Cierra Lamey (12) were also in double figures for the visitors. UMW moved to 1-1 on the season as the game counted as a regular season contest on its schedule.
 
A trey by Kane brought a game-opening 5-0 run by the Bulldogs to an end, and the 'Jackets held onto the momentum for the rest of the first half. Koehler brought immediate energy to the game off the bench, swiping a steal, turning in four points, and adding an assist in her first two minutes on the floor. "Rachel really sparked us in the first half, and she did a good job on the glass in her first game," Woodin commented on Koehler's presence in the lineup.
 
An offensive rebound and layup by Breen with four minutes to go in the opening quarter gave the 'Jackets their first lead of the night, up 13-12. MSUB stayed on the offensive from there, building the advantage into a 21-17 edge thanks to six more points from Kane by the end of the first quarter. "Rylee shot the ball well in the first half, and made a lot of good decisions," Woodin said.
 
Breen's second of four threes in the second quarter gave the 'Jackets their largest lead of the game at 33-21, and pushed UMW head coach Lindsay Woolley to call a timeout. The 'Jackets remained red-hot from the arc, finishing the first half at 52.9 percent (9-for-17) and leading 45-35 at the break. Breen led the way at 4-for-6 from the perimeter while Kane was 3-for-3, with the duo combining to score 30 of their team's 45 points through the first 20 minutes.
 
Montana Western wrestled momentum back coming out of halftime, with a 10-2 run over the first five minutes. Lamey knocked down a three from the wing to pull the Bulldogs within two points, and Sierra Bignell converted a three-point play to make the score 49-48. "In the second half offensively we got a little bit stagnant. They extended their defense to a lot of full-court pressure after made baskets, and our timing and spacing was a little off. We didn't react to that very well, and that is definitely an area we need to work on."
 
The Bulldogs managed to gain the lead 50-49 on a pair of free throws by Jill Jacobs, but MSUB righted the ship and closed the third quarter strong. Breen and Koehler provided MSUB with a needed scoring boost to end the period with a 59-54 lead in hand.
 
The Yellowjackets' advantage grew to as much as 10 points in the final quarter at 73-63, but UMW did not go away quietly. Fighting through the final buzzer, the Bulldogs made it a one-possession game after a layup by Mc-Dangosu cut the spread to 78-75 with 10 seconds left. Eleven of Breen's points came in the fourth quarter however, including a three-point play midway through that distanced the 'Jackets and proved to be the biggest difference maker. "She deserves to have success because of how hard she has worked off the court to get back," Woodin commented on Breen. "I think we saw in the first half her 3-point shooting was key, but in the second she scored around the basket and from mid-range. She is very hard to guard because of her versatility and ability to score at different levels."
 
MSUB finished the night with a 30-26 advantage in rebounds, and shot 49.2 percent from the floor compared with 45.8 percent for UMW. Vanessa Stavish had nine points and four rebounds, and senior Lexi Prevost knocked down a pair of threes to finish with seven points.
 
THE BUZZ: Breen was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Breen returned to the court for her first game in 362 days, after a season-ending injury on Nov. 4, 2016…Edwards played in her first game since a season-ending injury on Jan. 7, 2017…Stavish played for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
 
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets have their final exhibition contest on Monday, with a 7 p.m. matchup against cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College. The regular season starts with back-to-back games on Nov. 10-11 at a Great Northwest Athletic Conference-PacWest Conference crossover event in San Francisco.