BILLINGS, Mont. – Competing for the first time in more than 300 days Friday night at Alterowitz Gym, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team battled Lewis-Clark State College to the finish in a 56-49 defeat.
 
The Yellowjackets (0-1) trailed by as many as 14 points midway through the third quarter, but refused to give in as they kept themselves in it until the end. "I thought we played better as the game went on, and some of our younger players really stepped up," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We were uptight and had a hard time settling in, and part of that is we just haven't played in so long. We were playing really hard there at the end, and we kept getting better."
 
Taryn Shelley led all players with 18 points while adding eight rebounds and a pair of blocks in 29 minutes. The Yellowjackets saw strong production out of a pair of true freshmen as well, with Kortney Nelson hauling in a game-high 12 rebounds and Dyauni Boyce contributing seven points, four rebounds, and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench. "Kortney and Dyauni helped us as freshmen, especially in the second half tonight," Woodin said. "We have a nice group of players who have worked hard to become closer off the court, and I'm proud of them."
 
LC State was led offensively by Abbie Johnson and Jansen Edmiston, who scored 15 and 12 points, respectively. Kiara Burlage just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, and Peyton Souvenir scored nine points on a night where 51 of the team's 56 points came from its starters. The warriors improved to 7-3 on the season with the victory.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start, and the Yellowjackets were able to capitalize to the tune of a 9-2 advantage over the first seven minutes of play. It wound up being MSUB's largest lead of the night, as the Warriors fought back and had a productive second quarter out-scoring MSUB 17-8. The 'Jackets had chances to cut into the spread before halftime, but Edmiston made the final bucket of the second quarter to make the score 28-21 at the halftime break.
 
Momentum swung into the favor of LC State in the third quarter, as MSUB endured a lull that consumed much of the period. After a Shelley layup at the 8:12 mark, the 'Jackets didn't score again for five minutes – a drought that allowed the Warriors to build their largest lead of the game at 38-24.
 
Boyce helped ignite the offense with a 3-pointer, and was a physical presence defensively under the basket to help MSUB get back into the game. Four different Yellowjackets scored over the final three minutes of the third quarter, and they trailed just 40-34 entering the fourth. Boyce helped narrow the spread to as little as four points with a jumper at the 1:24 mark in the fourth, but in a game where they shot just 10-for-18 from the foul line the Warriors made 5 of 6 within the final minute to help hold off the persistent 'Jackets.
 
Overall in the game LC State shot just 34.5 percent from the floor (20-for-58) and 30.0 percent from distance (6-for-20). MSUB however hit at just 29.2 percent overall (19-for-65) and made just 3 of 18 threes (16.7 percent). The Yellowjackets had a strong showing on the glass, out-rebounding the Warriors 49-32 on the evening including 19 offensive rebounds.
 
The 'Jackets also committed 18 turnovers, while the Warriors limited their giveaways to 10 on the evening. "Their zone and pressure really bothered us," Woodin said. "I am looking forward to tomorrow, and I think we will show up and be ready to fight."
 
THE BUZZ: Cariann Kunkel, Skylar Patton, and Marie Five joined Nelson and Boyce in making their debut as Yellowjackets on Friday…Addison Gardner made her first collegiate start, scoring four points…Friday was the first-ever meeting between MSUB and LC State.
 
NEXT UP: The teams reconvene on Saturday afternoon, with a 2 p.m. tipoff at Alterowitz Gym. Live video will be available online through the MSUB Sports YouTube channel, and live statistics will be available through msubsports.com.
 
Per Great Northwest Athletic Conference mandate, no fans are allowed at MSUB home games during the 2021 basketball season.