BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team earned a hard-fought victory over the Saint Martin's University, taking a 59-49 victory in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
The Yellowjackets (20-4, 11-2 GNAC) extended their winning streak to nine, putting in a strong defensive performance. The 'Jackets, one of the top defensive teams in the GNAC, held the Saints (7-13, 3-9 GNAC) to 49 points, lower than the 'Jackets already impressive 57.5 points allowed per game. They needed that defense on a night where both teams had to work hard to score.
 
"Tonight was a very physical, hard fought game." Said head coach Kevin Woodin. "Both teams played good defense throughout the night. Alisha did an excellent job preparing our team for what SMU was doing."
 
The scoring was spread out pretty evenly for the Yellowjackets, where their top six scorers were just four points apart. Dyanui Boyce led MSUB with 11 points, with four rebounds and two assists. Cariann Kunkel and Taryn Shelley each had nine points. Kunkel had three boards and assists, while Shelley chipped in with seven rebounds. Shayla Montague had eight points and five rebounds, while Kortney Nelson added eight points to her game high six assists. Aspen Giese made big impact on both ends, ending with a stat line of seven points, nine rebounds, with seven of them coming on the offensive end, four assists and three steals.
 
Despite the Saints shooting 50% in the first quarter, the 'Jackets lead 18-11 after the first ten minutes. They made up for Saint Martin's hot shooting with six offensive rebounds, leading to a number of second chance opportunities. "We rebounded well offensively," said Woodin. "The +11 in second chance points was critical to our win. Aspen especially was all over the offensive glass for us." It would be the hustle categories that kept MSUB ahead, although the Saints would claw back by a few points in the second quarter to trail 27-23 at the half.
 
The final quarters would likewise be tight. But MSUB's defense continued to be the difference, as they held Saint Martin's to 28% shooting across the final two quarters of the game. It would prove to be just enough, as the 'Jackets scored 16 points in each quarter. While there were iffy moments, the 'Jackets held strong, never trailing on their way to victory.
 
"Sometimes you just don't shoot it well." Woodin said. "I was proud of our team as we had to dig deep to win tonight. Great teams can win in different ways and tonight our players did that."
 
THE BUZZ: Giese was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game… Her nine rebounds tied a career high, and seven offensive rebounds set both a career high for her, and a season high for MSUB… The nine game winning streak is the longest MSUB has had since the 2017-2018 season, when the 'Jackets last won the GNAC tournament.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets play just one game next week, when they hit the road to face Seattle Pacific University on Saturday, February 11 at 2 PM (3 PM MST). Live video will be available here and live statistics will be available here.