BILLINGS, Mont. – Holding its opponent to the lowest point total since the 2003-04 season on Saturday evening at Marcus Pavilion, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team trounced host Saint Martin's University 55-31 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
The point total allowed was the fewest by an MSUB team since a 79-31 win over Green Mountain on Jan. 17, 2004, the season before 18th-year head coach Kevin Woodin was appointed to his current position. "We played excellent team defense tonight," said Woodin after the lowest point total allowed in his tenure in charge of the 'Jackets. "Our post defense was great but we also got out to the perimeter and guarded the 3-point line well. Our effort was outstanding, and a lot of the loose balls were going our way. It was really fun to watch us outscore them for four consecutive quarters on the road."
 
All 11 Yellowjackets who played on Saturday scored in the wire-to-wire victory, with Taryn Shelley leading the way at 10 points and seven rebounds. Shayla Montague hit three 3-pointers on her way to nine points, and Dyauni Boyce made 4 of 5 field goals to contribute eight points. MSUB elevated its record to 9-8 with the win, and improved to 3-2 in conference action. Saint Martin's meanwhile fell to 9-4 overall and is now 1-3 in league play.
 
Lauryn Morris led the Saints with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, and Tierney DeDonatis was the other SMU player to hit multiple field goals at 3-for-11 for six points. SMU shot just 23.9 percent in the game (11-for-46), and went 0-for-12 from 3-point range.
 
Morris made a layup at the 1:53 mark in the first quarter to pull the Saints within a point down 7-6, but the 'Jackets quickly embarked on a 9-0 run to develop a 10-point lead at the outset of the second quarter. SMU never got closer than six points the rest of the runaway game, with MSUB leading 26-16 at halftime and never looking back.
 
"I was proud of our team," Woodin said, as the Yellowjackets bounced back well from Friday's 66-57 loss at Western Oregon. "We had a film session today after our shoot-around where we studied our opponent, and Alisha (Breen) and Sven (Jeuschede) prepared our team well. We also watched half our game from last night, and felt we learned a lot, like how close we were to doing the right thing."
 
MSUB out-rebounded Saint Martin's 32-31 and committed 10 turnovers, while the Saints had 22 giveaways. Claire Dingus led all players with 10 rebounds, while Emily Nelson had eight and Morris added seven for the Saints.
 
The Yellowjackets relied on their stout defense on a night where they didn't shoot particularly well, hitting at 32.2 percent overall (19-for-59), 22.2 percent from 3-point range (4-for-18), and making 13 of 17 foul shots (76.5 percent). Cariann Kunkel finished with seven points and four rebounds, Danielle Zahn added six points, and Shannon Reny chipped in four points and five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Aspen Giese had the first and last point of the night – both coming at the foul line – and hauled in four rebounds to finish one off her season high in the category.
 
"I thought we passed the ball much better, and had great offensive balance inside and outside," Woodin said. "It was nice to play everybody; everybody scored and made contributions on the defensive end, and it was a great team win. It is one that will give us momentum going forward, as we take on a very good Anchorage team on Monday."
 
THE BUZZ: Boyce was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 31-12 all-time against SMU and is 14-10 in road games against the Saints…Saturday was the first time MSUB held its opponent without a made 3-pointer since a 69-49 win over Western Oregon on Dec. 31, 2011 when the Wolves went 0-for-5 from the arc…the last time an MSUB team allowed fewer than 31 points in a game was a 69-25 win over Montana Tech on Feb. 15, 1977…Saturday was the third time since 1988 that the 'Jackets surrendered 31 points in a game.
 
NEXT UP: MSUB completes its three-game road trip on Monday, with a 5:15 p.m. (AKST) tipoff at No. 9 Alaska Anchorage. Live coverage for Monday's game will be available online here.