LACEY, Wash. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team's run at the 2025 GNAC Championships was cut short Friday, following a 50-48 defeat to Saint Martin's University in Lacey.
 
Playing the host school in the semifinals, the No. 2 Seed Yellowjackets (25-7, 14-4 GNAC) would battle hard to overcome a scrappy No. 6 Seed Saints (18-11, 9-9 GNAC) squad who came ready to play in front of their home fans. In a back-and-forth contest that featured 14 lead changes, it would be Saint Martin's who would strike last, with a layup with 0.4 seconds remaining giving them the victory.
 
"It was a difficult loss tonight," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "I think we just didn't play as well as we needed to, and we struggled to put the ball in the basket. I do like the fight of my team; I thought they played extremely hard in a hostile environment. They worked their tails off tonight, and I'm very proud of them. We've had a great season to date, and hope we've done enough to make the regional, but time will tell on that. If we do get more games, I think the maturity and experience of our senior class will help us respond, and we're going to be excited if we get the opportunity to change the outcome.
 
Dyauni Boyce finished with a team-high 14 points for MSUB, adding six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Behind her, Aspen Giese scored 12 points, shooting 50% from both three-point range and overall, while also totaling five rebounds and one assist. Chloe Williams scored eight points to go with five rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block. Meanwhile, the duo of Kortney Nelson and Chenoa Louie each scored four points, with Nelson putting up team highs in rebounds with 11 and assists with five, adding two steals, and a block, while Louie grabbed five boards. Kaitlin Grossman would score three points with one rebound, and Layla Baumann would score three with two assists and one rebound. As a group, MSUB defended well, allowing the Saints to make just 33.3% of their chances and 35.7% from three, but MSUB would struggle to score consistently, with the 'Jackets shooting just 31.0% from the field and 23.8% from beyond the arc.
 
The two squads would set the tone for the game early, with both teams struggling to score in the opening stages, while passing a small lead back-and-forth over the opening minutes. Five early points from Giese would help MSUB take a 7-5 lead with 2:57 remaining, but Saint Martin's would grab the lead back with a 5-0 run, before William's late floater would help MSUB trail by just one at the close of the first quarter. The lead would continue to flip flop as the teams traded baskets in the second quarter. But the Yellowjackets would appear to grab their first taste of sustained success with a 6-0 run, taking a five-point lead at the 2:54 mark. But the Saints would punch back again, finishing the quarter with four points, and closing the lead to 22-21 in favor of MSUB heading into halftime.
 
The third quarter would open with MSUB going on an 8-4 run in the first five minutes to restore their largest lead of the game. But just when the game looked to be swinging in favor of the Yellowjackets, the Saints would snatch the momentum right back, responding with a 11-2 run to retake the lead at the three minute mark. While Giese would cut the advantage to one with another three-pointer, the Saints would take a narrow lead into the fourth quarter, setting up a tense final ten minutes. The fourth quarter would see the 'Jackets battle hard to regain the lead, but the two squads would continue to score step-in-step. MSUB would finally retake the lead at the 5:47 mark behind a pair of Boyce free throws, which would last all of 17 seconds before the Saints would respond. The home team would hold onto the lead as the game march towards the final minute, but with 1:07 remaining and trailing by three, Baumann would find the perfect moment to score her first points of the game, with her three from the wing evening the game up once more. Both teams would have chances late, with the Saints missing a pair of free throws, and MSUB missing a pair of shots in the final ten seconds before the Saints would call a timeout with two seconds left. Advancing the ball into the frontcourt, Saint Martin's would get the ball low, with Kiana Rios battling through the 'Jackets defense to roll in a layup with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. MSUB would not be able to get off an attempt in the time remaining, and the 'Jackets would be sent home early from the tournament.
 
THE BUZZ: Nelson was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… Boyce moved to 1,562 points in her MSUB career, just ten away from cracking the top five in program history… her 136^th career game now ties her for the most games played in GNAC history… Giese would move to 99 made three-pointers on the season, tying for second most in conference history and moving just one three away from becoming the second player in GNAC history to make over 100 three-pointers in a year… Giese also moves on three away from entering the top ten for a career in GNAC history.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB will await the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 9 to see if their season will continue at the NCAA DII West Regional. A link to the show will be made available on the homepage of ncaa.com.