FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Stunning the home crowd with 1.6 seconds on the scoreboard, Taylor Cunningham drained the game winning 3-point shot to lift Montana State University Billings over University of Alaska Fairbanks 70-68 at Alaska Airlines Court in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball late Thursday night.
 
The Nanooks took a one-point lead with six ticks remaining on a layup by Jocelyn Gandara before Cunningham received a hurried pass from Jeanann Lemelin and connected from the right side of the arc for MSUB. In a last ditch effort, Brittany Richards took an off balance three-point shot for UAF at the buzzer but it clanked just left of the basket.
 
Taryn Shelley dominated in the post and finished with 27 points on 12 of 13 shooting. Shelley added seven rebounds, and three free throws to her team leading performance. Gandara marked 23 points and six boards for the Nanooks.
 
"That was an exciting win to say the least," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "I really liked the how we responded. We got down nine points in the fourth quarter but were able to claw our way back. Then Danielle (Zahn) made an important shot, which led to the chance for Taylor later on. On the final play, Jeanann did a good job attacking the middle of the court and then found Taylor for the game winner. Taylor is a tremendous senior leader for our team and we know we can count on her."
 
The Yellowjackets (9-7, 4-3 GNAC) moved into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Standings and will try for their first road sweep of the season at No. 6 Alaska Anchorage (17-1, 7-0 GNAC) Saturday night. Alaska (6-11, 1-7 GNAC) lost its seventh game in a row and hosts Simon Fraser University (10-7, 5-2 GNAC) on Saturday. The Nanooks are still alone in last place.
 
The Yellowjackets were sluggish at the start, but managed a narrow halftime lead 36-34 after coming alive for 26 points in the second quarter. The Nanooks countered with a 9-4 run to take a 54-48 advantage with under two minutes to play in the third quarter. MSUB chiseled away a nine-point margin in the early stages of the fourth, cutting the deficit to one with 34 seconds on the clock.
 
Alanna Conwell drew a foul for UAF but missed both ensuing free throws, opening the door for Danielle Zahn's jump shot with 24 seconds left. Gandara went to the rim with her right hand with six seconds left to give the Nanooks their last lead of the night. Cunningham then sealed victory for MSUB.
 
Shelley scored 27 points in 27 minutes for the Yellowjackets and fouled out with under a minute to play. TyLee Manuel surpassed her season high with 11 points and nine rebounds. Manuel went 4-for-4 from the field and added three free throws.
 
"I felt we did a good job of getting the ball inside to Taryn and TyLee all night," said Woodin. "Even though we started the game slowly again, we played solid in the second quarter and I was proud of our players for finding a way to win. It wasn't pretty. We had players out with injury and an opponent that deserves a lot of credit for how they played tonight. We just made one more play than them in the end."
 
The Yellowjackets shot 44-percent (27-for-61) as a team and 20-percent (4-for-20) from beyond the arc. MSUB also recorded 32 rebounds, eight steals, and one block. Alaska Fairbanks shot 43-percent (27-for-63) and 23-percent (3-for-13) from 3-point range. The Nanooks grabbed 26 rebounds, had 18 steals and three blocks.
 
MSUB outscored UAF 20-12 in the fourth quarter to snatch the two-point victory.
 
THE BUZZ: Taryn Shelley was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for the Yellowjackets…MSUB won its fifth straight head-to-head meeting with Alaska Fairbanks Thursday.