NAMPA, Idaho – Marina Valles posted 21 points and assisted Northwest Nazarene University to an 80-72 victory over Montana State University Billings in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball Thursday night at Johnson Sports Center.
 
Valles continued to be a thorn in MSUB's side this season after she shot 7-for-14 from the field and added seven rebounds for NNU. The Nighthawks pulled away late after the Yellowjackets held a narrow halftime lead and took advantage of 16 'Jacket turnovers.
 
"We lost a tough one tonight," commented MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "I was proud of how we competed, but I also felt we let an opportunity to upset an elite team on the road slip away. We gave a determined effort, though our program is not interested in moral victories. We need to regroup quickly and get ready to play a very talented Central Washington team Saturday.'
 
The Yellowjackets (10-10, 5-6 GNAC) fell for the second straight time in conference action. They have nine regular season games left on the schedule. The top six teams qualify for the conference post-season tournament, hosted by Seattle Pacific University in March. The Nighthawks (15-5, 10-2) maintained second place in the GNAC standings after winning their fourth straight contest.
 
The Yellowjackets shot 47-percent in the opening quarter and got off to a quick start on the road. Lemelin carried over her record breaking shooting performance from the previous game and opened 2-for-2 from 3-point range and MSUB led 20-16 after 10 minutes of play. The 'Jackets held a 37-34 advantage at halftime after trading baskets with the Nighthawks through the second quarter, but Valles and the Nighthawk offense rallied for 46 points in the second half.
 
"NNU is a great team and Valles hit some late big shots for them," said Woodin. "We had a couple critical late turnovers and shot only 3-for-12 in the fourth quarter which proved costly. I thought we allowed them too many extra shots in the second half as well."
 
Taryn Shelley led the 'Jackets with 18 points (7-for-13) and seven rebounds. Taylor Cunningham marked a strong game with nine points and 10 rebounds. Avery Albrecht posted 14 points, seven rebounds for NNU and Erin Jenkins finished with 10 points.
 
The Nighthawks shot 44-percent (28-for-63) overall and 35.5-percent (11-for-31) from the three points arc. NNU also received 28 points from its bench and nabbed 12 steals with 37 rebounds. Conversely, the Yellowjackets connected on 43.5-percent of all shots taken (27-for-62) and hit 36-percent (9-for-25) of three point attempts.
 
The Yellowjackets led by as many as six midway through the first quarter and trailed their largest margin of eight at the conclusion of the game with 13 lead changes.
 
THE BUZZ: Taylor Cunningham was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for the Yellowjackets after missing her first double-double of the season by one point. "It was nice to see Taylor get double figures in rebounds and we had balanced scoring which was good," Woodin said. "I also was pleased to see Hannah (Collins) playing effectively again. It was a great game played by two good teams but in the end they were just a little better than us. I still like where we are headed as a team."
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets travel to Ellensburg, Washington to play Central Washington University Saturday, February 1 at 5 p.m.