BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team would collect their seventh straight win on the season, taking down Northwest Nazarene University 93-62 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
While the game would start as a tightly contested affair, a 27-point second quarter would flip the script and give the Yellowjackets (23-4, 12-2 GNAC) control of the night's proceedings. That spark would become an offensive explosion for the 'Jackets, who would finish the game shooting 49.3% from the field and 40.7% from three, overwhelming the Nighthawks (14-10, 8-7 GNAC) and avenging their previous loss against NNU on the road in January.
 
"This was an awesome win tonight," said Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin. "And it was an important one. Northwest Nazarene came out ready to play and had a good first quarter, but we settled in well and had three phenomenal quarters the rest of the way. I really liked how our offense and defense worked in tandem tonight, and it was one of our best games this season."
 
The night was also highlighted with the celebration of MSUB's Hall of Fame and Distinction Class of 2025, which included associate head coach Alisha Breen.
 
"It was a special night with Alisha going into the hall of fam," Woodin said. "Our team and I really wanted to celebrate her tonight with a victory, and we were happy to do just that. Both her and Janiel (Begger) did a great job of preparing our team for tonight's game."
 
Layla Baumann would lead all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-16 overall and 4-7 from three. Baumann added a trio of rebounds, an assist, and a steal to her stat line. Dyauni Boyce finished just behind her, scoring 19 points and adding ten rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, also adding four assists, a steal, and a block. The game also marked Boyce's 131^st game as a Yellowjacket, breaking the program's record for games played. Also making history was Aspen Giese, who collected her 200^th career three-pointer in the game and moved into fourth place all-time for MSUB. Giese went 4-8 from three in the game, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Kaitlin Grossman scored 15 points, making 7-10 of her shot attempts and grabbing six rebounds, a pair of steals, and a block. Chloe Williams and Kortney Nelson each scored nine points, with Williams tying a career-high with eight assists to go with seven rebounds and a pair of steals, while Nelson had eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Chenoa Louie had four points in the game, while Camryn Koester scored three.
 
"I loved how we shared the ball on offense," said Woodin. "We handled their pressure really well. A big part of that was our four seniors, who combined for 22 assists tonight. They set the tone for us, playing unselfishly and sharing the ball. And Layla and Kaitlin really benefited from that. We also talked about the importance of rebounding tonight. They beat us on the boards earlier this year, so it was great to flip the script tonight and outrebound them 46-27."
 
Both squads would start the first quarter strong, trading baskets in the early stages of the game. Neither team would be able to generate much separation, with neither team taking a multi-basket lead until the 2:09 mark in the quarter. It would be the Nighthawks who would finally buck the trend, knocking down 3-4 three-point attempts and putting together a 10-2 run in the middle of the quarter. The Yellowjackets would battle back though, with five free throws helping MSUB close the gap to 21-19 going into the second quarter. The 'Jackets would regain control of the game in the second, retaking the lead as a part of a 17-4 mid quarter run, with all 17 of those points coming from Boyce and Baumann. The Yellowjackets would finish the quarter with 27 points on 57.1% shooting from the field, while holding the Nighthawks to just a 30.8% mark from the field. The big second quarter swing would help the 'Jackets carry a 46-31 lead and all momentum as the game reached the halfway point.
 
The Yellowjackets offense would continue to impress as the third quarter commenced, with the team kicking off the period with an 11-2 run in the first three minutes of play. While the Nighthawks would continue to battle to try and work their way back into the game, the MSUB offense would be too much to overcome, with the Yellowjackets growing their lead to 77-44 as the game made it's way into the final quarter. The final ten minutes would be more of the same, with the Yellowjackets finishing the game by shooting 53.3% in the final quarter of action, putting up 22 points down the stretch, closing out an impressive all-around victory and moving the 'Jackets to 14-1 this season while playing at Alterowitz Gym.
 
THE BUZZ: Baumann was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… Boyce has now scored 1,484 points in her career, just 16 away from becoming the ninth player to score 1,500 points in program history… Giese and Nelson both passed Robyn Milne to move to 25^th and 26^th in program history on the all-time scoring lists… Nelson also played in her 127^th game as a Yellowjacket, trailing only Boyce and Alisha Breen for most games played at MSUB… Nelson crossed 700 career rebounds in the game, and ranks inside the top ten at 707 career boards… with the victory, MSUB has now defeated every GNAC opponent at least once this season… the 'Jackets are now 26-22 all-time against Northwest Nazarene, and 6-4 in their last ten matchups.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets begin their final road trip of the regular season on Thursday, February 20 when they take on #20 University of Alaska Anchorage at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM MT (5:30 PM AKT), with live video available here, and live statistics available here.