BILLINGS, Mont. – Senior Lexi Prevost scored 14 points and Rachel Koehler grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team to a 72-65 win over Concordia University Friday night at Alterowitz Gym in the Yellowjacket Classic sponsored by Red Lion Hotel and Convention Center.
 
In a first half in which the 'Jackets made just 12 of 34 shots (35.3 percent), Prevost had a third of her team's makes including a pair of treys to account for 11 of her 14 points. MSUB improved to 37.3 percent from the field by the end of the night (22-for-59), but made just 7 of 21 3-point field goals (33.3 percent). "We were pretty focused coming in, and we knew that this was a GNAC team," Prevost said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game and that we would have to grind it out, and I'm glad we got the win."
 
The Yellowjackets won their third straight game to start the 2017-18 season with a record of 3-0. Though Friday's match was between two teams that compete in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the result did not count as a league game. MSUB plays at Concordia on Jan. 20, 2018 and hosts the Cavaliers again on Feb. 15, 2018.
 
"It was nice to see Lexi get off to a great start in the first half," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We were struggling offensively and she carried us early. Rachel (Koehler) was also a big reason we won tonight. She came off the bench and her rebounding was very key to our success."
 
CU had similar woes from the arc, making 5 of 17 shots (29.4 percent) from long range and shooting 40.0 percent overall (24-for-60). Bailey Cartwright led the 'Cavs with a game-high 19 points, while Danielle Hartzog

had a dozen and Keesha Sarman added 11 points and nine boards. CU moved to 2-2 on the season with the loss.
 
In addition to Prevost's 14 points, senior Alisha Breen added 13 points and Rylee Kane had 12 to go along with six assists. MSUB made 21 of 26 foul shots in the evening, including a perfect mark of 12-for-12 in the fourth quarter.
 
The Cavaliers went on a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter, taking a 27-20 lead on a three by Hartzog with 6:39 to go before the half. A trey from the corner by Prevost halted CU's run, pulling the score to 27-23 with six minutes to play before halftime. The first bucket of the night for Grace Weeks and a three from Jeanann Lemelin coming out of a timeout upped the MSUB run to 8-0, and the 'Jackets didn't trail the rest of the night. 

Taylor Cunningham added a three with less than a minute until the break, and the 'Jackets held a 33-28 edge after 20 minutes of play. CU managed to tie the score at 33-33, but a 20-13 advantage by MSUB in the third quarter helped the home team distance itself.
 
Despite trailing 53-41 entering the fourth quarter, CU fought back and got the deficit down to as little as 66-61 with 34 seconds to play. The 'Cavs out-scored the 'Jackets 24-19 in the final period, but MSUB's stellar accuracy from the foul line proved to be the deciding factor.
 
"Overall it wasn't our best effort tonight, and Concordia had a lot to do with that," said Woodin. "They're a tough-minded team. We had a hard time shaking them when we got ahead, but we hung in there. Our free throws at the end were critical to our win."
 
Freshman guard Hannah Collins continued her game-by-game improvement, with a season-best four points while seeing the floor for 11 minutes. "Hannah had her best game of the year, and really helped us in the third quarter with her speed and ability to get into the paint," said Woodin. "That was nice to see her getting more explosive and comfortable on the court."
 
MSUB won despite being out-rebounded 39-29 on the night. The 'Cavs had 13 offensive boards for 13 second-chance points, while MSUB had 10 offensive rebounds and managed just five second-chance points.
 
THE BUZZ: Koehler was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the 'Jackets are now 4-1 overall and 3-0 in home games against the Cavaliers…Breen moved into sole possession of second place in MSUB history with 357 made free throws…Friday was Breen's fifth career game making double-digit free throws…Kane jumped to No. 5 in MSUB history with 404 assists…Prevost was one point away from her career high of 15 points, which she achieved on two occasions (last, Feb. 26, 2017).
 
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets host Chadron State College Saturday night in the 2017 Yellowjacket Classic finale. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Alterowitz Gym, and live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.