BILLINGS, Mont. – Playing in the nightcap game of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team would pick up it's second win in as many days, taking a 61-50 victory over Colorado School of Mines.
 
After dropping their opening match of the tournament, the Yellowjackets (2-1) would continue to rebound nicely, making it back-to-back wins after grinding out the victory over the Orediggers (0-3). The two teams would battle back-and-forth in a game that featured 13 ties and 11 lead changes, but the Yellowjackets would find a way to take care of business down the stretch to finish out the weekend with a big win.
 
"It was a really nice win for our team tonight," praised MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Mines is a very well coached team, they were disciplined and really tough to break down. But I was proud of our underclassmen players executing down the stretch, and we did a great job battling and finding a way to win, getting a big team victory against a good program."
 
"We have a really young team," shared Yellowjacket associate head coach Alisha Breen. "We fought hard on Friday night, but got down by about four and just couldn't get over the hump. But that's something we talked about, we had a hard-fought game yesterday, and had the same type of game and the girls really capitalized. I think we showed a lot of grit."
 
In a night where the Yellowjackets had to battle for every point, MSUB found success from the free throw line, where the Yellowjackets were able to knock down 15-16 (93.8%) of their looks as a team, including all six of their second half attempts. Meanwhile, the 'Jackets would also clean up on the glass, outrebounding Mines 36-28, and would limit the Oredigger's offense on the perimeter, allowing just one made three in the game.
 
"I was really proud of our team defense, and how we found a way to make shots at the end," said Woodin. "In the first half we had a few too many turnovers and didn't shoot the ball great, but in the second half we really settled in, and the game was a back-and-forth battle for most of the second half until the final few minutes. Our ability to hit free throws late was big for us last night, and we were able to do so again tonight."
 
Freshman Tailey Harris would lead MSUB in scoring with 14 points, going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line while adding in a trio of rebounds and assists, plus one steal. Allison Kunze would score 12 points on 5-8 shooting from the field, grabbing three rebounds and two steals. Rae Smart and Kyla Momberg would each drop 11 points, with Smart shooting 5-10 and collecting three steals and two rebounds, while Momberg totaled four rebounds and assists each. Kaitlin Grossman would total nine points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while Cassie Chesnut scored two points with six rebounds, and Brooklynn Brennan also scored two points with four assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
 
"Rae played excellent defense for us, and hit some big shots late," praised Woodin. "She had a tough task guarding their best player, and she was up for the challenge. Kaitlin Grossman did a great job all night being a leader on the court, and I'm very proud of what she gives to this team on and off the court.
 
The Yellowjackets and the Orediggers would swap the advantage early in the first quarter, with the lead changing hands six times in the opening four minutes before a Grossman layup would give MSUB a small three-point cushion at the 4:51 mark. From there, MSUB would look to push on, going on a 7-2 run over the next few minutes and leading by as much as eight, before a late push from Mines would see the visitors close MSUB's lead to 16-15 going into the second quarter. There would continue to be little to separate MSUB and Mines in the second quarter in the second quarter, who would swap the lead twice more as both teams kept pace with one another, with neither team getting ahead by more than three points. As the horn sounded to send the game to halftime, the two squads would find themselves level at 27-27, deadlocked in battle with neither team wanting to give way.
 
It would continue to be more of the same in the third quarter, with neither the 'Jackets or the Orediggers giving an inch. Both teams would trade baskets and the lead back-and-forth, with the squads unable to build a run of consecutive made shots until consecutive layups by Momberg and Brennan in the final minute of the quarter. But Mines would counter once more to even the score once more with just ten seconds remaining, setting up a tense fourth quarter as both teams looked to wrestle control of the game's proceedings. But after three quarters of trying, the Yellowjackets would finally be able to generate a run. After Mines would tie the game up at 44-all, back-to-back layups by Smart would return MSUB to the driver's seat, and spark a 15-6 run across the final seven minutes of action. Smart would score eight points across that span, while five points in the final two minutes from Momberg would help push the game out of reach, and give the 'Jackets their second win of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead.
 
"Every day this team gets better," praised Breen. "Something that we maybe didn't do well the night before, we try to make that change, and I think we saw that tonight. We obviously still have areas to improve on, but what's fun with these guys is that anybody can step up. Being able to play a lot of players gives us a spark as well, and we've got a fun and unselfish group."
 
THE BUZZ: Smart was named the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… her 11 points would be a career-high for the Billings freshman, and her first game scoring double-digits for MSUB… Kyla Momberg and Kaitlin Grossman would both be named to the Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead All-Tournament Team… Momberg would average 14.3 points in three games at the tournament, shooting 51.6% from the field and going a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line, along with 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2 steals per game… Grossman would average 10.0 points per game for the tournament, adding on 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets will hit the road for a pair of games in California hosted in Santa Barbara, CA as part of the GNAC/PacWest Crossover hosted by Westmont University. They'll open the week's action with a neutral site matchup against Vanguard University at Murchison Gym, with tipoff scheduled for Friday, November 14 at 5 PM MT (4 PM PT). Live video can be purchased on the PacWest Network, while live statistics are available here.