BELLINGHAM, Wash. –Western Washington University used efficient inside shooting and dominated the boards on both ends to down Montana State University Billings 81-61 at WECU Court in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game Saturday night. Emma Duff and Anna Schwecke had impressive nights for the Vikings. Duff finished with a team high 24 points (9-for-14) and eight rebounds. Schwecke posted 21 points (8-for-13) and nine rebounds to narrowly miss a double-double.
 
The Yellowjackets (4-5, 1-1 GNAC) saw their four game winning streak snapped Saturday night and split the weekend road trip 1-1 after a victory at Simon Fraser University on Thursday. Collins posted her third straight game of 20 or more points in the loss. Western Washington (5-3, 1-1 GNAC) avenged Tuesday's loss and has now won three of the last four.
 
"We had an opportunity to get a road sweep but tonight was a tough night for us," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Western Washington had a great start and that forced us to play catchup. Offensively, both Duff and Schwecke were very good that made it more difficult to come back. Hannah hit some shots and we were able to cut it to single digits in the third but ultimately, we needed to play much better defense and prevent scoring in the paint to win."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Vikings shot out to a 16-5 first quarter advantage and took a 31-19 lead into halftime, shooting 67-percent from the field. The 'Jackets recoiled with a strong third quarter to cut the lead to nine with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter. During the comeback, both Collins and Taryn Shelley completed three point plays to keep MSUB within striking distance of a tie. Nine points was as close as MSUB would get however, and after Taylor Cunningham connected on her second 3-pointer of the night, the Vikings went on a 10-3 run to go ahead 76-56 and held their 20-point advantage to the final horn.
 
Western Washington shot 67-percent in the first quarter to put the Yellowjackets on their heels and 49-percent overall. The Yellowjackets connected on 37-percent of field goals and made eight from beyond the arc. Rebounding was a major difference in the outcome and the Vikings pulled down 44 total rebounds (15 offensive) compared to 25 for MSU Billings.
 
The Vikings continually pounded the basketball inside the paint with Duff, Schwecke, and a host of others. Avery Dykstra contributed 10 points (4-for-6) and grabbed six rebounds and Kelsey Rogers had eight points in the win for WWU.
 
The Yellowjackets made it to the free throw line often, but connected on just 15 of 25 attempts (60-percent). Collins was fouled most frequently and made 9 of 10 baskets from the line. Cunningham was efficient for the second straight game since her return from injury. The senior finished with eight points with a pair of rebounds and shot 3-for-4.
 
17 turnovers hurt MSU Billings and the Vikings scored 19 points off turnovers compared to six for the 'Jackets. Hannah Collins has scored double-figures in six of nine games. Most recently, the guard posted 25 versus Western Washington, 24 against Simon Fraser, and 22 against Chadron State College.
 
"Hannah is playing her best basketball of the season," Woodin said. "I know she'd rather the team win than worry about individual accolades but she's been very good both offensively and defensively for us."
 
The Yellowjackets have lost three straight games to the Vikings and trail in the all-time series 16-25 since 1994.
 
THE BUZZ: Collins was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for MSUB…The Yellowjackets return to non-conference action Thursday, December 12 against Rocky Mountain College at Alterowitz Gymnasium for EMC Throwback night.