ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team were defeated by Western Washington University 54-52 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship game, falling just short in a competitive back-and-forth game.
 
The Yellowjackets (26-6, 16-2 GNAC) were in the game all night, never making things easy for the Vikings (23-6, 14-4 GNAC), as the heavyweight battle between the GNAC's top two seeds lived up to its billing. The margin was razor thin all night, with both teams trading runs and momentum throughout the game, but the final punch would come from the Vikings, whose layup with 42 seconds remaining would be the basket to decide the game.
 
"It was a really hard-fought basketball game," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Both teams played excellent basketball, but Western just made one more play than we did."
 
Kola Bad Bear led the 'Jackets with 18 points, adding four rebounds and two blocks, while Kortney Nelson finished with her second consecutive double-double, ending with 12 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and both a steal and a block. Aspen Giese had nine points with five rebounds, while Dyauni Boyce finished with six points and a duo of steals and assists. Shayla Montague finished with five points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Chloe Williams had two points and three steals.
 
The game's first quarter opened as a back-and-forth affair. The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first 2:40 of play, but the Vikings would push back, evening the game up before a finishing the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 16-10 lead into the second quarter. Western Washington would maintain that lead for a majority of the second quarter after the Yellowjackets went cold in the middle of the quarter, but an 8-0 run would give the 'Jackets the lead once more following a pair of threes by Giese, and a post finish from Bad Bear. The teams would trade baskets once again in the final minute, but it would be the Vikings who would punch last, taking a 27-25 lead into the break after a late layup.
 
The Yellowjackets would come out hot in the third quarter, finding their most success on the offensive side of the ball in the game. They shot 54.5% in the third, outscoring the Vikings 17-10 to flip the game and bring a five-point lead into the start of the fourth quarter. But the Vikings wouldn't stay down for long, battling back to turn the game's final minutes into a tense affair where both teams left it all out on the court. After a pair of big threes by Western, and some clutch free throws in the final quarter from the 'Jackets, the game would head into the final minute locked at 52-all. But Western Washington's Brooke Walling would put the game's final shot in with a layup with 42 seconds on the clock, and the Yellowjackets would be unable to get their final attempts to go, falling in the conference championship game for the second year in a row.
 
"I thought we started a little slow, but did a great job climbing back into the game," said Woodin. "From the second quarter on, we played very good basketball. I thought our defense was very good, and we did a great job getting the ball inside on offense all night. Both teams made great plays late, they just made on more than us."
 
The Yellowjackets will now turn their sights to the NCAA Selection Show tomorrow night, where they are favored to earn one of the top seeds in the west region. The Yellowjackets entered the GNAC Championships as the second ranked team in the West Region, with the top eight earning selection to the dance.
 
"We're very excited about the opportunity to move on to regionals and be a part of the tournament," said Woodin. "I know that this group has the potential to do very well there, and our focus will be the same as this week, looking to take it a game at a time."
 
THE BUZZ: Nelson was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… Boyce scored her 1,000 career point as a Yellowjacket in the game, becoming the 26^th player in MSUB history to cross the 1,000-point mark.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets await the results of the NCAA Selection Show Sunday night to determine their NCAA West Regional fate. The event will go live at 8:30 PM MT. Information for the 2024 DII women's basketball tournament can be found online here.