BILLINGS, Mont. –
Taylor Cunningham and
Hannah Collins each had 19 points and Montana State University Billings took down rival Rocky Mountain College 69-65 Thursday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium in non-conference women's basketball.
A virtual deadlock for most of the night, the Yellowjackets eventually gained slender separation with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter after
Hannah Collins drained a 3-pointer right in front of the MSUB bench, taking the score to 62-57. It was their largest lead of the night to that point.
The Battlin' Bears made a late push to tie the game. Then
Taryn Shelley made a free throw to keep it a two-possession game with 18 seconds left. Shelley then made a block on the other end to secure the win and time expired.
Cunningham, who has been excellent since her return from injury shot 6-for-11 for 19 points, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc. The senior forward also pulled in nine rebounds and added two assists, one block, and one steal. Collins missed her fourth 20-point game in a row by just a single point, but helped the 'Jackets with 19 points (7-for-14), six rebounds, two assists, and one block.
"It was a hard-fought victory tonight," said MSUB head coach
Kevin Woodin. "I really liked how our team stayed the course and found a way to win. Rocky is a very good team. They run their sets well and Markaela Francis is a tremendous player. We had a hard time guarding her but I thought we contained the rest of their team. In the fourth quarter,
Taylor Cunningham guarded Markaela and did a great job on her. We went to a smaller unit and I thought it really help us offensively too."
The Yellowjackets (5-5) avoided being swept by Rocky Mountain College (6-2) for what would have been the first time since 1980 and shot 45-percent (24-for-53) from the field. For the second time this season against MSUB, Markaela Francis had a terrific effort with 32 points (10-for-12) and 10 rebounds for RMC.
MSU Billings celebrated their past with Eastern Montana College throwback uniforms. The game counted toward the team's record but it was an exhibition contest for Rocky Mountain College.
Like Cunningham and Collins,
Jeanann Lemelin was effective with 14 points (two shy of her season high). The senior shot 4-for-12 and connected on four free throws with four assists and three rebounds. Off the bench,
Danielle Zahn made a difference early in the second half and finished with five points and two assists in 15 minutes.
TyLee Manuel also showed flashes of brilliance with five points, four rebounds, and a block with four personal fouls.
The Yellowjackets led 32-31 at halftime and outshot the Battlin' Bears 43-percent to 41-percent in the opening 20 minutes. Rocky Mountain College was more effective near the rim with 36 points in the paint compared to 18 for MSUB. The 'Jackets made up the difference at the 3-point line, where they cashed in on eight of 21 looks (38-percent). Meanwhile, RMC shot just 4-for-17 from long range (23-percent).
"We shot the ball much better in the second half," Woodin said. "I felt our passing improved and we attacked the basket better and forced them to help more. Hannah, Jeanann, and Taylor played confidently down the stretch and I felt Tylee, Dani (Zahn), and Shayla (Montague) provide some great minutes for us tonight."
The Yellowjackets remain home to play Dickinson State University in a Sunday afternoon matinee at 2 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium. They will play an exhibition at University of Montana on December 20 before returning to Great Northwest Athletic Conference games.
THE BUZZ:
Taylor Cunningham was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game and missed her career high in points by two…Since starting the season 0-4, the Yellowjackets have won five out of six regular season games with a 1-1 conference record.
