BILLINGS, Mont. – Late in the fourth quarter, Emily St. John made key plays on both ends of the floor to help Montana State University Billings hold off South Dakota School of Mines and Technology 58-57 in a non-conference game at Alterowitz Gymnasium Saturday night. With under seven minutes to play, St. John dropped in a pair of layups, drew a charge and blocked the final shot attempt in the waning seconds as the Yellowjacket's earned their first regular season win of the season.
 
"On the last play, I wasn't necessarily thinking about getting the block," said St. John after the game. "I was just thinking about not fouling. We've really been working on being consistent and battling through adversity. There were definitely some ups and downs today but in the end, we came through as a team which was what we needed to do."
 
MSU Billings (1-4) led by as many as 12 in the third quarter but the Hardrockers came back and the teams traded short leads the rest of the way. Taryn Shelley finished with 12 points and nine rebounds and Hannah Collins recorded 11 points and five rebounds in the win. The Yellowjackets were out-shot and out-rebounded in the contest but managed to hold off SDSMT despite trailing in the two major statistical categories. 14 players contributed minutes for the 'Jackets including seven freshmen. St. John put in 29 minutes off the bench after starting forward Taylor Cunningham left the game after she played seven minutes.
 
The Yellowjackets managed the first half well and minimized turnovers while shooting 35-percent from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. Collins led all players at the break with seven points. Shelley also collected five defensive rebounds to go with four first half points.
 
The 'Jackets had a solid start to the second half and Jeanann Lemelin made a long range jumper to give the MSUB a 12-point advantage with 6 minutes, 27 seconds remaining. South Dakota Mines mounted an 8-0 run to close the gap to one possession nearing the end of the quarter.
 
The 'Jackets led 43-39 heading into the fourth quarter, but SDSMT opened with points on three straight possessions to turn the lead back in their favor for the first time in since the second quarter. At the seven-minute mark, St. John drew a charge on defense, ran down the court, banked a layup, and was fouled for a three-point play. The 'Jackets led 51-47 with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left to play.
 
Neither team scored in the final 2 minutes, 3 seconds after Lemelin's fast break layup gave MSUB the upper hand for the final time. St. John blocked the Sami Steffeck's last shot attempt near the sideline to seal the victory for MSUB.
 
"I though Jeanann played good defense and had a great steal and finish to help in the final minutes," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "It was a great team effort tonight. It wasn't pretty at times but it was a win against a good team. We have really been focusing on every person playing well on both ends of the court and I do believe that our defense was very critical tonight. Any time you can hold a team in Division II under 60 points, it's a success."
 
Ryan Weiss and Anna Haugen did a majority of the damage on offense for South Dakota Mines. Weiss led the squad with 19 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes. Haugen notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists. Naomi Hodalgo was most effective off the Hardrocker bench with nine points and a pair of rebounds.
 
MSU Billings ended the night 20-for-59 (33.9-percent) from the field and 4-for-17 (23.5-percent) from long-range. The 'Jackets also shot 14-for-17 (82.4-percent) from the free throw line and received 23 points off the bench and 21 points off turnovers. The Hardrockers connected on 23 of 59 shot attempts (39-percent) and went 7-for-21 (33.3-percent) from beyond the arc. SDSMT also made 4 of 9 free throws (80-percent) and had 11 bench points with 15 points off turnovers.
 
South Dakota Mines grabbed 40 rebounds including nine on the offensive glass. MSU Billings took in 37 rebounds with 10 on offense. Fouls favored MSUB 17-13 though the Hardrockers scored more points in the paint 26-24.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets (1-4) continue their torrid stretch of games Monday, November 18 at 12 p.m. when they host Corban University in the Pack the House Elementary School Game at Alterowitz Gymnasium. The team then hosts Chadron State next Saturday before kicking off play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
"We are excited to be home Monday for elementary school day," Woodin said. "I think the atmosphere is going to be amazing. We might be a little bit fatigued with the quick turnaround but Corban is playing in a tournament in Great Falls this weekend as well. We have our hands full with a good team that is well coached but I think it's going to be electric in the building and hopefully we can come out with a win."
 
THE BUZZ: Emily St. John was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for MSUB…Including exhibition contests, the Yellowjackets have played seven games in the first 16 games of November. The team has an exhibition win over University of Providence and a regular season victory over South Dakota Mines. Both were home affairs.