BILLINGS, Mont. – Starting strong and never letting up on Saturday night at Alterowitz Gym, visiting Central Washington University rolled to a 79-68 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team.
 
The Wildcats (5-3, 1-1 GNAC) shot 51.0 percent (25-for-49) on the evening, and aside from trailing 3-0 on the opening possession maintained the advantage throughout the entire game. "Tonight was a tough loss," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We got beat by a very inspired CWU team. They played very well and we were too inconsistent on both ends. It is something we will continue to work on and I know we will eventually figure it out. It is important for our team to gain an identity on the court."
 
The Yellowjackets (6-5, 1-1) shot just 35.8 percent (24-for-67) including a mark of 33.3 percent from 3-point range (9-for-27). Taryn Shelley led the way with 21 points, making 8 of 14 shots including a career-high three 3-pointers for the second straight game. Cariann Kunkel added 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, and Shayla Montague made three 3-pointers to finish with nine points. "Our shooting has to be better, and we have capable shooters," said Woodin. "It is important for us to space the floor better. Tonight we didn't finish well around the basket which hurt us. We got the attempts and the offensive boards but we didn't take advantage of them."
 
Kizzah Maltezo led all players with 22 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 line on free throws while adding in five field goals. Kassidy Malcolm added 19 points – 17 in the first half – while Valerie Huerta finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Despite playing without GNAC-leading rebounder Samantha Bowman, who averages 14.7 boards per game, the Wildcats out-rebounded the 'Jackets 36-33. Claire Heitschmidt had a game-high eight boards to go along with seven points, and Malcolm chipped in five rebounds as well. "Malcolm hurt us in the first half – she is a very good player but we can't let her get that many in one half," Woodin said. "Our help has to be better. In the second half, I thought Kortney (Nelson) did a great job on her. The charges Kortney took were unbelievable, and taking a charge is the ultimate team play in my mind."
 
Kortney Nelson was MSUB's top defensive presence in the game, drawing four hard-earned offensive fouls on the Wildcats often times resulting in being thrown to the floor. The second-year freshman chipped in five points, five rebounds, and a block in 29 strong minutes of play.
 
Shelley converted a pair of free throws with 5:21 to go in the third quarter, which brought the deficit to a manageable seven points. CWU wrestled away momentum for the rest of the period however, getting the score to 61-50 to start the fourth and never letting the deficit into single digits the rest of the night. On a night where they made 21 of 24 free throws (87.5 percent), the Wildcats went 8-for-8 from the line in the final two minutes and never gave the Yellowjackets a chance for a late comeback.
 
Aspen Giese scored seven points while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 15 solid minutes off the bench, while Danielle Zahn matched her season high with six assists. The Yellowjackets kept their turnovers at a manageable 13, while forcing 20 giveaways by the Wildcats that led to 16 points. MSUB also took advantage of its trips to the foul line, making 11 of 12 free throws (91.7 percent).
 
Kunkel had eight first-half points, and her fourth bucket of the night pushed her over the 1,000-career point milestone. Kunkel scored 758 points during her two-year career at Wenatchee Valley College, and after Saturday's game has 248 as a Yellowjacket to give her 1,006 in her four total collegiate seasons.
 
Shelley's first nine points of the game came from the arc, as she upped her season percentage to 56.3 (9-for-16) from 3-point range. "Taryn has added the 3-pointer to her arsenal this year and has knocked down some timely ones for us," Woodin said. "I believe she has improved and we will continue to count on her leadership and skills all season."
 
The second quarter proved costly for MSUB, as after the 'Jackets made their first three buckets of the period they went 3-for-14 the rest of the half. The Wildcats used the 24-15 advantage in the quarter to take a 43-31 lead into halftime. "We need to play with a lead more, especially at home," said Woodin. "We are playing from behind too much over the past couple weeks. We ended up 1-1 this week against two good teams. It is important we learn from our mistakes this weekend and use the next couple of weeks to get better. Winning at home is something our program expects so I hope tonight's loss will help us refocus."
 
THE BUZZ: Nelson was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Shelley reached 20 points for the second straight game and the third time overall this season…MSUB is now 26-15 all-time against CWU and is 12-6 in games played at Alterowitz Gym…CWU's shooting percentage was the second-highest by a Yellowjacket opponent this season, behind only Carroll's mark of 52.8 percent in a 70-53 loss on Nov. 21.
 
NEXT WEEK: The Yellowjackets play an exhibition game at NCAA DI Montana State University on Thursday in Bozeman, before hosting Rocky Mountain College next Saturday in a doubleheader with the MSUB men. Live coverage for next week's games will be available online here.