BILLINGS, Mont. – Markaela Francis scored 21 points and Rocky Mountain College held off a late charge by Montana State University Billings to win 66-65 at First Interstate Arena in downtown Billings Wednesday night in non-conference exhibition women's basketball.
 
The 'Jackets struggled on defense most of the game, but stepped up in the fourth quarter and held the Battlin' Bears off the scoresheet for the final seven minutes, 44 seconds of the contest, enabling a comeback from 13 points down late in the third quarter. Jeanann Lemelin and Shayla Montague hit back-to-back 3-point shots to get the 'Jackets within a field goal of tying the game, but the offensive was mostly silent the rest of the way. With one last chance to win with the final seconds ticking down, Hannah Collins drove the lane but missed a shot through traffic and the Battlin' Bears skirted out a victory in the crosstown rivalry.
 
"I felt that Rocky outplayed us tonight and they definitely deserved to win," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We found our way back and made it close, but they made the plays for most of the game. We got off to another poor start tonight, which we need to figure out moving forward. It's a tough loss because we had the opportunity to win but by getting behind by ten points right away forced us to play catch up and in the end, really hurt us."
 
The Battlin' Bears began the game with a 9-0 run and the 'Jackets started out 1-for-5 from the field. MSUB kept pace with Rocky the rest of the half and went into the break behind 39-34. Collins and Shelley faced early foul trouble but forward Shannon Reny picked up the mantle off the bench and scored a career high 11 points with six rebounds and six blocks. Reny finished with 29 minutes.
 
"I thought Shannon really helped us off the bench," Woodin said. "She played a lot of minutes and was very effective. I just really appreciated her energy and how hard she's worked in the off-season to be a contributor."
 
Rocky Mountain College outscored the Yellowjackets 22-17 in the third quarter to extend the lead, but the 'Jackets came storming back.
 
Collins and Shayla Montague hit back-to-back threes on the fast break to get the Yellowjackets back to a two-point deficit with under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. MSUB then scored just six more points in the final eight minutes of the game and came up short 66-65.
 
"Our 3-point shooting led us back into the game in the second half, but it also led to our demise in the end with our inability to get the ball inside," Woodin said. "We settled too many times for 3-pointers when we needed to get in the paint off the dribble or the pass. We also needed to rebound a lot better tonight. We did not give ourselves enough second chance opportunities."
 
The Battlin' Bears hauled in 46 total rebounds, 32 of which came off the defensive glass. The 'Jackets totaled 42 boards but managed only 12 on offense. RMC cashed in on 22 second chance points compared to four for MSU Billings. Montague led the Yellowjackets with eight rebounds while Taylor Cunningham grabbed five.
 
Markaela reeled in 14 rebounds to go along with her 21 point total for a convincing double-double. Markaela shot 7-for-12 from the field and 7-for-13 from the free throw line. Destinee Pointer also chipped in 14 points and five rebounds for RMC. Pointer was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
 
Four players made it to double figures for MSUB. Collins finished with 17 while Lemelin (13 points), Reny (11 points), and Cunningham (10 points) were also offensive contributors. The Yellowjackets shot a 30-percent (21-for-70) field goal percentage including 27-percent (9-for-33) from beyond the arc. Rocky Mountain College ended 21-for-55 (38-percent) from the floor and 6-for-17 (43-percent) from downtown. MSU Billings held the better free throw percentage (14-for-19, 74-percent) but made less frequent trips to the line than Rocky Mountain College (18-for-28, 64-percent).
 
For the third straight game, the Yellowjackets did not hold a lead at any point in the contest.
 
MSU Billings (0-3) continues its run of five games in nine days to start the year with their exhibition home opener Saturday, November 9 at 7 p.m. against University of Providence. The team returns to regular season action Wednesday, November 13 against Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. Rocky Mountain College (2-1) hosts Yellowstone Christian College next on November 12.
 
THE BUZZ: …Shannon Reny was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game…The 'Jackets split the season series with Rocky Mountain College in 2018-19. Two of the previous three games between the two rivals have been decided by a single point…Follow MSUB women's basketball all season on msubsports.com and via twitter @MSUBWBB, using the hashtag #JacketBaskets.