BILLINGS, Mont. – Rylee Kane scored a game-high 19 points and Alisha Breen had her second straight double-double to lead the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team to an 80-64 win over visiting South Dakota School of Mines Tuesday evening at Alterowitz Gym.
 
Breen had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and matched Kane with a team-high six assists, and was the key factor in MSUB winning the rebound battle 32-30. The Hardrockers led 5-4 in the opening quarter, but after the first three of the night by Vanessa Stavish MSUB never trailed again.
 
"We played a complete game tonight, and I was proud of our consistent play after we struggled in the third quarter in both games last week," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "South Dakota Mines is a very good team. (Coach) Ryan Larson does a good job with them and they are hard to guard as they spread you out and have a lot of good shooters. Defensively, our players had great intensity and played good team defense."
 
The Yellowjackets committed just four turnovers on the evening, while generating a dozen defensively for an edge of 13-5 in points off turnovers. "We protected the ball very well tonight," Woodin said. "Rylee played awesome on both ends and I thought our team passed the ball very well.
 
The opening 10 minutes were capped by a momentum-shifting play for the 'Jackets to end the period. Breen blocked a layup and grabbed the rebound with seven seconds left, then fed a 40-foot pass down court where Stavish finished a buzzer-beating layup to make the score 22-16.


 

 
The Hardrockers evened the score at 24-24 on a three by Payton Humpal two minutes into the second, but the 'Jackets responded with a 16-6 scoring burst over the next six minutes to up their lead to 40-30.   

The 'Jackets built a 42-32 edge by halftime, and out-scored the 'Rockers 38-32 over the final 20 minutes to move to 5-0 on the season. South Dakota Mines was handed its first loss of the year, falling to 4-1 overall.
 
Anna Haugen led SDSMT with 15 points and seven rebounds, while three other 'Rockers had eight points apiece. The visitors were hampered by a mark of just 14-for-22 from the free-throw line, while the 'Jackets capitalized on 14 of 16 attempts.
 
MSUB's lead peaked at 18 points with 4:30 to go in the third quarter, and SDSMT could not get back within 10 points the rest of the way. The first career 3-pointer by freshman Hannah Collins gave MSUB a 12-point edge early in the third and sparked the Yellowjackets' scoring push to pull the team away.
 
Overall, MSUB out-shot SDSMT 45.2 percent to 40.0 percent and though each team shot 33.3 percent from the arc, MSUB made 10 of 30 attempts compared to 6 of 18 for the 'Rockers.
 
Stavish wound up with a dozen points, and Taylor Cunningham and Grace Weeks had 11 apiece for MSUB. Rachel Koehler was once again effective off the bench, producing six rebounds and four assists in just 11 minutes. "Alisha had a solid all-around performance and it was nice to see Taylor knock down some threes," said Woodin. "Our bench again played a big role in our win, and I especially thought Rachel, Grace, and Jeanann Lemelin helped us."
 
The 'Jackets made amends for a lopsided, 83-42 loss at SD Mines last season on Nov. 26. "We are looking forward to playing at MSU on Saturday," Woodin commented on the team's upcoming exhibition game in Bozeman. "It will be a great challenge and they are a very talented team. I know our players are excited about the opportunity."
 
THE BUZZ: Kane was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the 'Jackets are now 5-1 all-time against the 'Rockers and are 5-0 in games played at Alterowitz Gym…the 19 points were the second-most in a game in Kane's career…the senior's career high is 25 points, against Western Oregon on Jan. 14, 2017 at home…Breen now has nine career double-doubles and two this season…Breen moved to No. 10 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history with 369 career made free throws…Kane moved to No. 9 in GNAC history with 416 career assists.
 
COMING UP: MSUB has an exhibition contest at Montana State University on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff against the Bobcats is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at Brick Breeden Field House. The 'Jackets return to regular-season action on Nov. 30, when they make their Great Northwest Athletic Conference debut at home against Western Washington University at 7 p.m.