BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team locked down on the defensive end of the ball in a win against Western Oregon University, collecting a 53-36 win in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
The Yellowjackets (15-2, 4-0 GNAC) held the Wolves (6-7, 2-3 GNAC) to just 28.8% shooting overall in the game, allowing just two made three-pointers, while outrebounding the visitors 45-36 on their way to their fifteenth win of the campaign. The 'Jackets shutdown performance would help MSUB overcome some slow shooting of their own, with MSUB still doing more than enough on the opposite end to hold onto a comfortable lead throughout nearly the entire game.
"We battled hard for the win tonight," said MSUB head coach
Kevin Woodin. "Western Oregon fought hard, and it took us a bit to shake them, but our defense was phenomenal tonight, it enabled us to hang in there and keep the momentum throughout the game. We didn't shoot great tonight, but sometimes you just have to find a way to win, and we did just that."
Aspen Giese led the 'Jackets in scoring with 15 points, adding in six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Chloe Williams was the other Yellowjacket to reach double-figures in scoring, collecting ten points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Kaitlin Grossman put in an all-around effort, putting up nine points, ten rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks and steals.
Dyauni Boyce added eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block, and
Kortney Nelson totaled seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals to go with her four points.
Layla Baumann had five points, and
Chenoa Louie scored two.
"We have a lot of great two-way players in this group," Woodin said. "The ball wasn't going in the basket a lot, but all of our players did such a good job of staying in the game, and contributing on the defensive end in a big way for us. I thought our offensive rebounding as a group also helped create some big extra possessions we were able to capitalize on."
The Yellowjackets would open the game strong, jumping out to an early lead thanks to a 9-1 run, led by a pair of early baskets from Williams. Western Oregon would begin to chip into the lead as the first quarter wore on, but MSUB would never give away the lead, staying a few baskets ahead for the rest of the first, taking a six-point lead into the second quarter. The 'Jackets would start fast again to push their lead to double digits, but the Wolves would battle back to remain close once again, with made baskets proving difficult once again for both teams to find. The Yellowjackets would find another mini run before the break though, pushing their lead back up to 29-21 heading into halftime.
The third quarter would see the Yellowjackets finally truly open up the game, outscoring the Wolves 15-7 across the opening ten minutes of the second half. The quarter would include a trio of big threes from MSUB, while the 'Jackets held Western Oregon to just a pair of made baskets from the field, bringing their lead to 44-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Neither team would score much in the final period of action, which would benefit the Yellowjackets, who would continue to make life difficult for the Wolves with strong defense, preventing them from scoring for the final 5:09 of the game. Their efforts on the defensive side of the ball would help MSUB see out the rest of the game, earning a hard-fought victory in a defensive slugfest.
THE BUZZ: Grossman was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… MSUB's 36 points allowed were the team's lowest this season, and the least amount of points the 'Jackets have allowed an opponent to score since letting up 31 in a win against Saint Martin's on January 15, 2022.
UP NEXT: MSUB will look to go 3-0 as a part of it's homestand since opening 2025 and returning to conference play, rounding out the week's action with a matchup on Saturday, January 11 against Saint Martin's University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 PM at Alterowitz Gym. Live video is available online here, and live statistics are available online here. Tickets are available for purchase online here, with free admission for all military and first responders as a part of Protect and Serve Night.
