BILLINGS, Mont. – Winning its third-straight game by upwards of 24 points, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team routed visiting Seattle Pacific for an 81-55 Great Northwest Athletic Conference triumph on Saturday afternoon at Alterowitz Gym.
 
Danielle Zahn scored 10 of her game-high 15 points in the first quarter, helping the Yellowjackets establish a lead that continually grew throughout the game. Zahn made 5 of 8 field goals including a pair of 3-pointers, while adding a game-high seven assists.
 
Cariann Kunkel matched Zahn with 15 points – making 6 of 9 field goals – while adding four rebounds, three assists, and a blocked shot. Kortney Nelson hit a career-high three treys en route to 11 points, while adding five rebounds in the win. "The girls just put their foot on the gas," said MSUB associate head coach Alisha Breen after the team's third straight game allowing fewer than 60 points. "The biggest thing in our last three wins is that defensively we have shown up. Our defense has held its own to the point where our offense can get it going again, and that showed today."
 
MSUB shot 47.5 percent in the game (29-for-61), marking its third-highest total of the season and best mark in its last 13 games overall. The Yellowjackets made 13 of 25 threes (52.0 percent), which was their highest total and best percentage from the arc this year. One of MSUB's best shooting performances of the year came against a Falcon team that entered the night ranked second in the GNAC in field-goal percentage defense, allowing the opposition to hit at just 34.1 percent on average through its first 14 games of the year. "We shot the three very well tonight, especially in the second half," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin on a night where seven different players connected from long range. "A lot of different people made them, and that is hard to guard. Our point guard play was great, and Dani and Skylar both did well there. It was a great team win."
 
MSUB (11-8, 5-2 GNAC) also protected the ball exceptionally well with a season-low five turnovers – including zero giveaways in the first half. The 'Jackets also took care of business from the free-throw line, making 10 of 13 foul shots (76.9 percent). "It was a big deal for us to keep it under double digits," Breen said regarding the team's lowest turnover total of the season. "Dani was hot right from the beginning, and she and Skylar both did a good job of finding people."
 
Anna Eddy made a 3-pointer with 3:09 to go in the first quarter, giving the Falcons a 10-8 lead early on in the game. MSUB finished the quarter on an 11-2 run however, with Zahn knocking down a last-second jumper that set the tone for the rest of the game.
 
MSUB's first double-figure lead came at the hands of a Kunkel trey a minute into the second quarter, but the Falcons kept things close and trailed just 34-29 at halftime. The Yellowjackets exploded for a 29-point third quarter, and SPU failed to keep pace in a game that slipped away well before the fourth.
 
"We really focused on coming out strong in the third quarter, and it was really big getting that momentum for the second half," said true freshman guard Aspen Giese, who matched her season high with nine points on Saturday. "It was really nice to finally see my shots fall. I am getting used to the college level, so just to see those shots go in felt really good. The support I get from my teammates when those shots fall is so amazing."
 
Giese made three 3-pointers on the evening, while adding a pair of assists, a block, and a rebound in 14 minutes off the bench. Skylar Patton also finished with nine points, while Taryn Shelley had a team-high seven rebounds to go along with six points in an appearance that was limited to 19 minutes due to foul trouble. Shayla Montague made a pair of threes and finished withs even points, two assists, and two boards. "I feel a lot more comfortable," Giese commented on her growth through the first half of her debut collegiate season. "The pressure from defenders is something that I wasn't really used to coming from playing high school basketball, so coming into games I have just had to get used to that pressure. We practice really hard every single day, and that has helped make me a lot more comfortable for games."
 
Playing without leading scorer Ashley Alter, who averaged 12.1 points coming into the night, the Falcons went without a player reaching double figures in a loss that snapped a three-game winning streak. Kaprice Boston and Rachel Berg – who made her 2021-22 season debut Saturday – tied for the team high with nine points, while Natalie Hoff chipped in eight and Eddy finished with seven. Boston also had a game-high eight rebounds, helping SPU win the rebounding battle 37-36.
 
While the Falcons committed just 12 turnovers, the visitors shot just 32.8 percent (19-for-58) in the game including 28.6 percent (6-for-21) from 3-point range. SPU also made 11 of 14 free throws (78.6 percent) in its first game since Jan. 6.
 
Chloe Williams had the first two blocked shots of her collegiate career on Saturday, while adding two rebounds and an assist in eight efficient minutes. Natalie Andreas converted a three, Dyauni Boyce had three rebounds, three steals, and two assists, and Shannon Reny made a pair of field goals for four points as well. "You look at our practices, and on any given day someone can have a great practice," said Giese. "That really shows in the games when we have different people scoring a lot of points each night. It is hard to guard. You never really know who is going to go off, and it makes it difficult for the other teams."
 
THE BUZZ: Zahn was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…she was one point off her career high of 16 points…MSUB is now 24-33 all-time against SPU and is 16-9 in games played at Alterowitz Gym.
 
NEXT WEEK: MSUB prepares for a stretch of three home games in four days next weekend, hosting No. 8 Alaska Anchorage next Thursday before back-to-back games against Alaska Fairbanks next Saturday and Sunday. Live coverage for next week's games will be available online here.