BILLINGS, Mont. – Taryn Shelley got her senior season started with a headline performance Friday night at Alterowitz Gym, scoring 25 points to lead host Montana State University Billings to a 72-66 women's basketball win over Minot State University on the opening day of the D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead.
 
Shelley shined brightest during crunch time, scoring six straight points early in the fourth quarter to help the Yellowjackets maintain a narrow 59-55 lead over the persistent Beavers. "Taryn is just an elite player," MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin commented on the senior forward. "Offensively she can just do so many things, she has great touch, and tonight she got some key offensive rebounds. Taryn has proven game after game how good she is, and I'm definitely glad she's on our team."
 
On a night where Shelley matched her career high with 12 field goals and just missed a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds, it was Danielle Zahn who hit the biggest single shot of the evening. With 52

seconds left on the clock and the Yellowjackets leading 68-66, Zahn hit a three from the wing as the shot clock wound down to give the Yellowjackets breathing room down the stretch. In her return to the court after going down with a knee injury last spring, it was the last of three treys Zahn hit en route to nine points. "She did some really good things in crunch time, and she can handle the ball," Woodin commented on Zahn's performance, which also included a team-high five assists. "Dani is a success story. She worked harder this offseason than I have ever seen her work before to get back, and she came back a little bit earlier than planned."
 
Cariann Kunkel added 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting from both the field and the foul line, and the junior also had five rebounds and four assists in the start. Kortney Nelson was a big difference maker with nine hard-fought rebounds off the bench, while also hitting a key 3-pointer and finishing with five points.
 
MSUB (1-0) is set up for a marquee tie against No. 1 Lubbock Christian (1-0), the two-time defending NCAA Division II champions, on Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live regionally on SWX and online via the MSUB Sports YouTube channel. "We have a lot of respect for them obviously," Woodin commented on the Chaparrals, who topped Montevallo 69-55 in their opening game of the season earlier on Friday. "Tomorrow, on our court, we need to attack and play with confidence. We need to come out and expect to win, and play like we want to win. They are a great team but so are we, and it should be a great game."
 
"I am super excited," Shelley said at the prospect of facing the No. 1 team. "We know it's going to be a tough game, but we are going to work hard, play hard, and see what we can do tomorrow."
 
Minot State (0-1) was led by Amber Stevahn who, like Shelley, notched a chunk of her scoring in the waning minutes to keep her team in the game. Stevahn made 8 of 14 field goals for 18 points, and was complimented by solid post play from Anna Counts who had 11 points and seven rebounds. "They are both really great post players," Shelley commented on the Beavers' bigs. "They are strong and they can really attack the basket. It was a challenge but it was a good battle."
 
Stevahn had 10 of her points in the fourth quarter including a burst of six straight starting at the 2:04 mark, which brought the Beavers within a single bucket to set up Zahn's dagger three. "It was a hard-fought win, and Minot was very good especially off the dribble," said Woodin. "Close games are always fun at the beginning of the year, and I think this will help us as we go forward. We got some great defensive stops there at the end. They put a lot of pressure on us in the back court, and we hadn't seen that yet, but I thought that we handled that pretty well."
 
Senior Shannon Reny made the most of her nine minutes off the bench, connecting on 3 of 4 shots for six points while adding a rebound, and assist, and a block. Dyauni Boyce hauled in four rebounds and added six points, and Natalie Andreas had three rebounds in her Yellowjacket debut. "I'm really glad we could work together tonight and push all the way until the end," said Shelley. "We were really prepared, and we made adjustments when we realized that we needed to. Everybody did a really great job, and we hit big shots when we needed to."
 
MSUB shot a solid 45.5 percent overall in the game while hitting 7 of 20 threes (35.0 percent) and 5 of 6 free throws (83.3 percent). Minot State meanwhile made 28 of 70 shots (40.0 percent) and hit just 5 of 22 threes (22.7 percent) and 5 of 8 foul shots (62.5 percent). MSUB held a 44-35 advantage in rebounding, while Minot State limited its turnovers to eight compared to 14 by MSUB.
 
Kate Head had an outstanding performance at guard for MSU, with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as she flirted with triple-double territory in 39 minutes on the floor.
 
THE BUZZ: Shelley was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Shelley was four points off her career high of 29, which she reached on Nov. 2, 2019 against Cal Poly Pomona…it was the fourth time in Shelley's career she has made 12 field goals in a game…it was Shelley's 12th-career 20-point game…MSUB is now 2-1 in the all-time series against Minot State, with all three games being played at Alterowitz Gym.
 
NEXT UP: Saturday's prime-time matchup against No. 1 Lubbock Christian will be the first-ever meeting between the teams, who were each members of the 2017-18 NCAA D2 Elite Eight. Lubbock Christian has won three national titles in the last six years and is coming off a 23-0 season in 2020-21.