BILLINGS, Mont. – Jeanann Lemelin scored a career high 30 points and tied a school record, eight made 3-pointers, assisting the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team in a 72-64 win over Saint Martin's Saturday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium. Tied in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings entering the weekend, the Yellowjackets moved back into sixth place with the victory in front of a raucous crowd.
 
"Tonight was an awesome team win for our program," commented MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We needed to respond from a tough loss on Thursday and our players really earned today's victory. Jeanann's performance tonight was special to say the least. She is a heck of a defender for us every night but she has proved she can flat out play offense too. She should remember this game forever. I know I will."
 
Lemelin pitched in just one 3-point shot in the first half and had five points at the break, then torched the Saints in the second and hit seven of nine attempts. Saint Martin's continued to score down the stretch and Lemelin's historic night proved the difference in a very tight game.
 
"I don't think I've ever scored 30 points in my life," explained Lemelin. Having Hannah back in the lineup as our starting point guard really helped all of us out with getting back into our roles. I really wasn't expecting to have this type of game but I'm really happy it happened."
 
The Yellowjackets shot 42.6-percent as a team (26-for-61), including 50-percent from beyond the arc (13-for-26). Freshman Shayla Montague impressed with a season high 17 points along with six rebounds and one steal. Seven other players also made the scoresheet with at least one point and several players contributed meaningful minutes off the bench.
 
"Janessa (Williams) and Emily (St. John) gave us some great minutes off the bench," Woodin said. "They defended well and got some offensive boards and tips that turned into points for us."
 
Saint Martin's outscored the Yellowjackets 16-13 in the first quarter. Then team defense became a major factor in the second and both teams managed nine points apiece.
 
"I thought our defense was excellent in the first half," said Woodin. "My staff had us well prepared and I really liked our on court defensive communication. Scoring was low in the first half because both teams were playing so hard."
 
The 'Jackets began to heat up offensively in the third quarter and made 17 of 33 shots in the second half (51.5-percent). Lemelin and Montague combined for nine, second half 3-pointers to snuff out any chance of an SMU comeback.
 
"We shot the ball much better in the second half," Woodin said. "It was nice to see the 3-pointers start to go in. We were getting the ball into the paint effectively and making the extra pass. Shayla and Jeanann made big threes when we really needed them."
 
Claire Dingus finished with 21 points to lead Saint Martin's and nabbed 14 rebounds. Tierney DeDonatis contributed 18 points and five assists. Bria Thames was the second SMU player to notch a double-double in the loss with 13 points, 12 rebounds. The Saints shot 41-percent overall (23-for-56), including 5-for-19 from long range.
 
MSUB led by as many as 10 points with nearly eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter and the lead changed hands four times. The 'Jackets scored 16 points off 15 SMU turnovers. Conversely, the Saints forced 13 turnovers and scored 12 points. Both teams shot moderately well from the free throw line and the Yellowjackets staved off a late push from 22 SMU fourth quarter points.
 
MSU Billings (10-9, 5-5 GNAC) hits the road next week and will take on Northwest Nazarene University an Central Washington University before returning to the Magic City.
 
THE BUZZ: Jeanann Lemelin was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game. Lemelin bested her previous career high point total by 10 and tied the MSUB school record with eight made three pointers, seven of which came in the second half. Kalli Stanhope owned the school record for 3-pointers in a game. She made eight from long range against University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 2009.