BILLINGS, MT. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team concluded their opening weekend of games with another win, taking down Florida Tech 69-59 to conclude the D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead.
 
The Yellowjackets (2-1) and Panthers (0-3) battled tough, with Florida Tech hanging with MSUB throughout the contest. The 'Jackets would manage to pull away late however, with multiple players hitting big shots down the stretch to help MSUB close out it's opening weekend with a victory.
 
"Florida Tech had their team ready to go today," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "They started strong right away, got us down early. We responded well to get back into the game. Sometimes you just have to find ways to win when things aren't working, and we did a good job of that today."
 
Kola Bad Bear led the 'Jackets with 17 points, going 8-10 from the free throw line, while collecting six rebounds and a pair of steals and assists. Dyauni Boyce and Shayla Montague each scored 14 points in the game, with Boyce collecting three rebounds and assists each, and Montague grabbing five boards. Kortney Nelson added 11 points with five rebounds and three assists, while Aspen Giese scored six points with a team high five assists.
 
"We did a good job of establishing Kola down low, and Dyauni hit some big shots for us late," said Woodin. "We have several players that can hit a big shot for us, and so many of our players have been in these types of games over multiple seasons now. It's great as a coach when you have multiple different players who can step up and perform well to close things out."
 
The Panthers jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game, which would help them take a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, while the 'Jackets struggled to make their shots early in the game. A trio of three pointers would help keep MSUB close though, and the team would find it's rhythm defensively in the second quarter, holding the Panthers to just 11 points as they would retake a narrow one point lead heading into halftime.
 
The third quarter saw the two teams trade baskets, with the Yellowjackets threatening to create separation between them and the Panthers, only for Florida Tech to hit a clutch shot or two of their own to hang close with MSUB. That took things to the fourth quarter, where with 5:10 remaining, the Panthers would take a two point lead in the game. Needing a response, the 'Jackets would get it on the next possession, when Boyce knocked down a clutch three pointer to put her team back in the driver's seat. MSUB wouldn't look back from there, with Boyce scoring another basket before the team finished the game out at the free throw line, going 11-11 over the final three minutes to help close out the victory.
 
"We had moments where we would create a little separation in the third, but they'd come right back," Woodin said. "Credit to Florida Tech, they were a tough team to close out today. But I thought we played our best basketball today in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and we executed well down the stretch."
 
Emily Acampora scored 17 points for Florida Tech, going 5-10 from deep, while Tai Roberts added 15 points with seven rebounds and four assists.
 
THE BUZZ: Boyce was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… the junior from Winifred averaged 16 points a game in the 'Jackets opening three games, adding 3.3 rebounds per game, and eight assists and steals each… The Yellowjackets finished the D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead with an overall record of 2-1, tying the teams record from the first iteration of the tournament in 2021.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets head to Hawaii next week for a pair of games as part of the GNAC/Pac West Crossover in Honolulu. They start off the week's games with a matchup against Hawaii Hilo on Friday, November 10 at 1 PM HST (4 PM MST). Live coverage can be found online here.