BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team finished the opening week of conference action undefeated, surviving a late rally to take down Simon Fraser University 69-66 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
In a tightly contested matchup that was interesting from start to finish, the #3 Yellowjackets (9-1, 2-0 GNAC) would hold on to beat the Red Leafs (8-3, 1-1 GNAC) to finish the opening week of conference action 2-0, and pick up the team's eighth consecutive victory. The 'Jackets shot the ball at an elite level, shooting 48.0% overall, including hitting on 50.0% of the team's chances from three-point range in the contest.
 
"Tonight was a great win for our team," said head coach Kevin Woodin. "To go 2-0 on a road trip against quality teams to open conference play is a great accomplishment for our players. I'm really proud of the effort this team put in, as well as the preparation done by our assistant coaches. Simon Fraser is a tough team to guard, and they gave us a really fast-paced game tonight."
 
Dyauni Boyce would lead all players in scoring with a season-high 25 points, going 10-17 from the field and knocking down 4-5 attempts from three. Behind her was Chloe Williams and Kortney Nelson, who each scored 14 points. Nelson added six rebounds and four assists, while Williams chipped in three assists, two blocks, two rebounds, and a steal. Williams was the Yellowjacket's primary defender guarding GNAC scoring leader Sophia Wisotzki, helping to hold one of the conference's best scorers to just nine points in the game. Aspen Giese had seven points, totaling five rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal, while Kaitlin Grossman had five points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. Rounding out the scoring for the 'Jackets was Chenoa Louie, who had four points with two boards and a steal.
 
"Dyauni had a great game for us, especially on offense," said Woodin. "Her three-point shooting was valuable to our win tonight, and she played tough defensively for us. I also thought Kaitlin had one of her best weekends for us, I was really happy with how she competed, and stepped up to hit a big shot late for us. And Chloe played big tonight on both ends. It wasn't just her scoring, but how we asked her to handle one of the best players in the west region, and she did a phenomenal job."
 
The 'Jackets would open the game strong, jumping out on a 5-0 run to start the game, and leading 9-4 at the 5:46 mark in the first quarter. But the Red Leafs would respond with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes of action, catching fire from the field. The Yellowjackets would recover though, responding with a strong offensive attack of their own as both teams shot 50% in the first quarter. MSUB would trail by four heading into the second quarter, but after opening the quarter with a trio of three pointers, the 'Jackets would quickly grab back the lead, building up an advantage and remaining in the lead for the rest of the quarter. But the Red Leafs would never let the 'Jackets get truly comfortable, with a late rally to end the quarter helping to close MSUB's lead to just one, with the Yellowjackets heading into the half up 35-34.
 
"The entire first half was very back-and-forth," Woodin said. "We looked a little sloppy on offense at times, but the game really just had its ebbs and flows. We did a good job of doing what we needed to do to hold onto a lead at halftime."
 
The third quarter would see MSUB come out on fire from the field, shooting 70.0% across the third quarter as MSUB began to open up the lead more. The 'Jackets would also shoot 75.0% from three, and knock down all six of their free throws, building up their lead to as high as 14, before finishing the third quarter up 58-49. But the Red Leafs wouldn't go down without a fight, preventing MSUB from scoring for the first 6:03 of the fourth quarter as the hosts chipped away at the lead. They would manage to take it at the 5:05 mark, teeing up a back-and-forth conclusion where both teams would angle to take control of the game. But it would be the 'Jackets who would swing the lead for the final time, with a baseline jumper from Giese at 1:31 remaining putting MSUB back in the lead for the rest of the game. The Yellowjackets defense would hold on strong, denying Simon Fraser from equalizing once more, with their final efforts hitting off iron as the 'Jackets would seal a strong road victory.
 
"We executed really well in the third quarter to build up a lead," Woodin said. "But give Simon a lot of credit for coming back. We went cold from the field in the fourth, and Simon took advantage of a run to close the gap. We've done a great job of regrouping both games this week after giving up a lead in the fourth quarter, and it's shows the toughness of our players. I think our team believes they can win at any time, and they stuck to the plan."
 
THE BUZZ: Both Boyce and Williams would be named the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… Nelson now sits at 924 career points, just 76 away from crossing over 1,000.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets are set to host their crosstown rival Rocky Mountain College on Wednesday, December 11, in the second edition of the Rimrock Rivalry this season… tipoff is set for 7 PM at Alterowitz Gym, with live video available here, and live statistics available here.