BILLINGS, Mont. – An ice-cold start by the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon at Alterowitz Gym defined a 70-53 defeat at the hands of No. 6 Carroll College in non-conference action.
 
The Saints started the game on a 14-0 run, while MSUB went 0-for-10 from the field over the opening 6:32 of play. Carroll (7-1) never trailed en route to its seventh straight victory. "Carroll is a very talented and well coached team," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "They jumped on us early and we had to play catch up all day. Our bench sparked us in both halves, and I felt we made quite a run in the third quarter and were within striking distance for most of the fourth quarter. Kortney, Natalie, and Dyauni were effective getting into the paint offensively and we got some key stops too."
 
MSUB (5-2) snapped a four-game winning streak with the defeat, as it played catchup for the duration of the game but could never pull even. The Yellowjackets went 0-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half and just 1-for-17 from the arc in the game. "The 3-point line was tough on us today," Woodin said. "Sometimes the ball just doesn't go in and today was one of those days. We need to find more ways to score when we aren't shooting well. It has to come from our defense, offensive boards, and getting to the foul line."
 
Danielle Wagner made 10 of 13 field goals – including 6 of 8 threes – to lead all players with 26 points as she missed her career high by just two. Christine Denney added 12 points and Jamie Pickens completed a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double while Kamden Hilborn had nine assists for the Saints.
 
Natalie Andreas hit MSUB's lone three and tied for the team high with 11 points. Andreas keyed MSUB's comeback effort in the game, which came throughout a third quarter led by the bench unit. Aspen Giese facilitated an offense that received buckets from Andreas, Shannon Reny, Kortney Nelson, and Dyauni Boyce, who all entered the game with MSUB down 39-24 at the 7:33 mark in the third.
 
Over the next five minutes of play, that quintet put together a 16-6 scoring push that Andreas finished with back-to-back buckets to make the score 45-40 late in the third. Carroll finished the period with a 10-5 turnaround – which featured a pair of dagger threes from Wagner – and the lead never wavered into single digits the rest of the game.
 
Andreas made 5 of 7 shots while adding a pair of assists in her highest scoring game as a Yellowjacket thus far. Nelson and Boyce each finished with six points, while the former grabbed five rebounds. Giese had two points, two steals, two rebounds, and an assist, while Reny chipped in four points and a pair of boards in 14 minutes.
 
Cariann Kunkel's 10 first half points helped MSUB weather the storm over the opening 20 minutes, as the rest of the team combined for just 12 points resulting in a 32-22 halftime deficit. Kunkel matched Andreas with 11 points in the game while adding four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Taryn Shelley led the team with six rebounds, but the 'Jackets were out-boarded for the first time this year 33-32.
 
Carroll shot 52.8 percent (28-for-53) while making 7 of 14 threes (50.0 percent) thanks to Wagner's hot hand. MSUB shot 51.2 percent on non-threes (22-for-43), but the abysmal 1-for-17 mark from the arc (5.9 percent) proved costly in the defeat. MSUB made 6 of 9 free throws (66.7 percent), while the Saints made 7 of 11 (63.6 percent).
 
"We need to learn from this game," said Woodin. "It's a long season and we have an important road trip to South Dakota this coming week. We play two good teams. I know we will regroup and we will be ready to play on Friday."
 
THE BUZZ: Andreas was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…it was the fewest threes MSUB made in a game since a 1-for-14 performance on Nov. 13, 2019 in a 60-42 loss to Black Hills State…it was MSUB's worst 3-point field-goal percentage in a game since going 0-for-6 on Jan. 3, 2015 in a 100-51 loss to Western Washington…MSUB snapped a 15-game winning streak in the series against Carroll…MSUB is now 38-8 all-time against Carroll and is 23-5 in games played at Alterowitz Gym.
 
NEXT WEEK: The Yellowjackets hit the road for the Dacotah Bank Classic in Aberdeen, S.D. next week. MSUB plays tournament host Northern State University next Friday at 6 p.m. Central/5 p.m. Mountain before taking on Minnesota State Moorhead next Saturday at 1 p.m. Central/noon Mountain. Live coverage for next week's games will be available online here.