BILLINGS, Mont. – Playing the team's final exhibition game of the season, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team picked up the win in the team's first Rimrock Rivalry matchup of the season, taking down Rocky Mountain College 65-47.
 
While the result and stats don't go towards either team's total this season, it didn't matter to either the Yellowjackets (6-1) or the Battlin' Bears (4-2), as the two squads squared off in an intense rivalry matchup with bragging rights on the line. MSUB looked to be in danger early after Rocky would jump out to a sizeable first quarter lead. But the Yellowjackets would respond with an incredible second quarter, outscoring the Bears 33-6 to turn a double-digit deficit into a double-digit lead, before bringing things home in the first of two meetings this season against the crosstown foes.
 
"Tonight was a great win for us," said MSUB associate head coach Alisha Breen. "Winning these Rimrock Rivalry games is huge. We have a lot of players who grew up playing with and against each other on both sides, so there's a huge pride factor that goes back to hometowns, but also means a lot to MSUB. Rocky is a tough team, and we knew that we were going to be in for a dogfight. They came out ready to go, but our girls took the opportunity to respond and fought back, and I was really proud of their effort.
 
Dyauni Boyce would lead the way scoring wise for the 'Jackets, putting in 19 points while going 5-12 from the field, and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. The senior also added six rebounds, an assist, and a block to her stat line. Meanwhile, Aspen Giese collected another double-double, with the reigning GNAC Player of the Week putting up 11 points and 12 rebounds to go with a pair of assists. Kortney Nelson added ten points with five boards, three assists, and a steal, while Chenoa Louie had nine points, five rebounds, two steals, and a block. Both Layla Baumann and Chloe Williams scored eight in the game, with Baumann totaling a game-high five assists and two rebounds, while Williams added seven rebounds, four steals, and a pair of blocks and assists. As a group, MSUB shot 37.0% from the field and made 80.0% of the team's free throws, while the 'Jackets outrebounded the Battlin' Bears 40-20, including 10-2 on the offensive boards.
 
"Tonight was another big team win for us," said Breen. "Everybody contributed on both sides of the ball, but I think our dominance on the boards was one of the biggest factors in the win."
 
The Yellowjackets would take the early lead after making the game's opening basket, but the first quarter would quickly tilt in favor of the Battlin' Bears, who would use a 13-0 run to jump out to a 16-4 lead just six minutes into the game. Things wouldn't get much better for the 'Jackets as the quarter wore on, with the team able to stem the bleeding on the defensive side of the ball, but still trailing 20-7 at the conclusion of the first quarter. MSUB would begin to mount a comeback in the second quarter, with back-to-back threes sparking an 11-1 run to cut the deficit back down to single digits halfway through the quarter. The 'Jackets would extend that run to even further, taking the lead back at the 4:34 mark on a jumper from Louie, before continuing to outscore Rocky 33-6 in the second quarter, shooting 75% from the field and going 7-10 from three to swing the game in their favor, heading into halftime up 40-26.
 
"They definitely came out and punched us in the mouth in the first quarter," Breen said. "It took us a little bit of time to adjust and regroup to what they were doing. We talked about upping our defensive intensity and owning our matchups at the quarter, and the girls really bought in to that. We got big steals that got us going, and we were able to find our rhythm."
 
While the 'Jackets shooting would return to earth in the third quarter, the defense continued to lock things down coming out of the break. After allowing just six points in the entire second quarter, MSUB would hold Rocky to just two in the third quarter, holding the Battlin' Bears to 16.7% shooting from the field. The 'Jackets would go on to expand their lead to as high as 26 points in the third quarter, setting them up for a comfortable fourth quarter in which the 'Jackets were able to calmly see out the contest, and collect a victory in round one of the seasons against their rivals down the road.
 
Sydney Dethman had 13 points for Rocky, chipping in three rebounds and a steal, and was the only player the Yellowjackets allowed to score double figures. MSUB held Rocky to 35.3% shooting from the field, and just ten points across the second and third quarters, while forcing 16 turnovers on nine steals as a team.
 
THE BUZZ: Boyce was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… The Yellowjackets have now won five consecutive games against Rocky.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB returns to Alterowitz Gym Saturday, November 23 for a matchup against Minot State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 PM MT, with live video available here, and live statistics available here. Tickets for all MSUB home games are available for purchase online here.