ANCHORAGE, Alak. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team would finish with the victory in an all-time thriller against University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night, overcoming a first half deficit and surviving a pair of overtime periods to collect a 92-91 victory in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
Trailing by seven at halftime, and by as much as 13 in the game, the Yellowjackets (12-10, 4-5 GNAC) would relentlessly battle their way back throughout regulation against the Seawolves (11-7, 3-6 GNAC), rallying in the second half to force overtime and stay alive on the road. Both squads would continue to trade punches in the first overtime, with the 'Jackets pulling ahead by three with nine seconds remaining before a last-second three-pointer from the Seawolves would force a second overtime period. MSUB would never relent though, breaking a tie game with three second remaining on a layup by Kyla Momberg to give MSUB a two-point advantage, with the lead holding after Anchorage missed a free throw in the final seconds to seal a Yellowjacket victory, and send the Yellowjackets home from their Alaska road trip with an undefeated week of GNAC play.
 
"I'm really, really proud of our team and our coaching staff for hanging in there tonight," praised MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We played an incredible GNAC game tonight, we left everything we had on the court and that we finished with the win is a tribute to the efforts of our players, and I thought Alisha (Breen) did a great job helping us prepare as usual."
 
On a night where the Yellowjackets had to scrap for every point, the 'Jackets would dominate the rebounding battle, outpacing Alaska Anchorage 59-36 overall on the boards, and 28-6 in offensive rebounds. MSUB's 28 offensive rebounds would be the team's most in a game since 2011, with MSUB converting those chances into 33 second chance points and 40 points in the paint.
 
"I thought we did a great job on the boards," said Woodin. "That was the single most important stat for us in the win. Rae was tremendous on the offensive glass, and our whole team worked hard inside tonight."
 
Kyla Momberg would lead the way for the 'Jackets in scoring, with a career-high 26 points, with the junior adding seven rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block. Rae Smart finished with multiple career-highs in the game with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists. 13 of Smart's 17 rebounds would be offensive boards, with the freshman breaking the GNAC record for offensive rebounds in a single game, a record that has stood since Saint Martin's University's Dara Zack collected 12 offensive rebounds in 2010.
 
Behind MSUB's high-scoring duo, Cassie Chesnut would add in her sixth double-double of the season, collecting 19 points and 12 rebounds to go with a pair of blocks and a steal. Tailey Harris would post eight points and assists each, with five rebounds and a block. Lauren Kuhbacher put up eight points as well, a career-high for the freshman who also had two rebounds and a steal. Brooklynn Brennan and Alli Ligocki each scored three points, with Brennan also grabbing five rebounds and a steal, while Ligocki finished with a pair of rebounds.
 
"Our whole team just persevered tonight," Woodin said. "There were many times throughout the evening where we went down, but we just kept coming back and were finally able to take a lead. Give them credit for hitting some big shots at the end of regulation and in the overtimes. It just became a gut check game, and we were able to make one more play than them tonight."
 
Harris would hit a three to open the scoring and put MSUB ahead in the first quarter, but the Seawolves would score the next nine points to build up an early cushion. MSUB would battle back with another three from Harris and four points on back-to-back possessions for Momberg, but the host would jump back ahead after a hot close to the quarter, finishing the first on a 13-4 and carrying a nine-point lead into the second quarter. The game would continue to see both teams' swing momentum in their favor, with the 'Jackets scoring seven straight points to open the second quarter, before a quick 7-2 run saw Anchorage rebuild a cushion in just two minutes. MSUB would continue to battle inside though, finding it's way to the free throw line where the Yellowjackets made 9-10 in the second quarter, helping them to their highest scoring quarter of the night. The 'Jackets would pull it back to a one score game once more with 2:04 remaining, but the Seawolves would push back once more with six straight points. A jumper from Smart and three from Ligocki with :26 seconds remaining would help MSUB close the gap back to seven points going into halftime.
 
The third quarter would follow a similar script, with the Yellowjackets pulling it back to a one-score game with a 5-0 run to open the quarter, before Alaska Anchorage would restore their cushion once more. It wouldn't stop MSUB from hanging around though, finishing the last 3:28 of the third on an 11-4 run, closing the Seawolves' lead to 65-62 going into the fourth quarter. The final ten minutes would be tense, with MSUB continuing to threaten to take the lead back for the first time since their opening basket of the game, and Anchorage trying to hold on to a narrow advantage. The Yellowjackets would finally tie the game up at 69-69 after five straight points from Chesnut, and following another layup, would even the game back up on a putback from Smart. But after another basket from the Seawolves to regain a two-point lead, Momberg would sink a three-pointer with 1:16 to put MSUB back in the lead late. The 'Jackets would nearly close things would in regulation with some big stops late, but after fouling the Seawolves with three seconds left, the hosts would manage to sink their second attempt from the line late, evening the game at 74-all and sending MSUB to overtime for the first time since March 2, 2024.
 
Kuhbacher would open the scoring for MSUB in overtime to give MSUB a short-lived lead before the Seawolves would quickly respond with a layup of their own. From there, a single free throw from Momberg would give MSUB a narrow advantage once more, but a clutch triple from the Seawolves would put MSUB behind once more by two. The 'Jackets would remain calm though, with Smart making her way back to the line for a pair of made free throws, before Smart would once again battle inside for a putback on the offensive rebound with :21 seconds left, and putting MSUB back in the driver's seat. Momberg would nail a pair of free throws in the final ten seconds to give MSUB a three-point cushion as the first overtime wound to a close, but Alaska Anchorage wouldn't go down without a fight, sinking a three-pointer as time expired to send the game to a second overtime.
 
In the second extra period, the Seawolves would jump out to an early lead this time, but Smart would tie the game up with a clutch jumper, before one made free throw from Kuhbacher would restore MSUB's lead. Anchorage would regain the lead on the following possession, but MSUB would go back to Smart, who would score four straight points to give MSUB a three-point lead in the final minute. Another clutch three-pointer from the Seawolves would even the game back up with :32 second to go, but after running down the clock, Kyla Momberg would drive her way into the paint, spinning and hitting the biggest shot of the night for the Yellowjackets, giving MSUB a two-point lead with just under four seconds on the clock. The Seawolves would have one more chance to respond, drawing a foul and heading to the free throw line for a pair of attempts in the final second of the game. But after sinking the first one, the second shot would draw front iron, bouncing off as time expired and clinched a MSUB victory in a marathon matchup in Anchorage.
 
"To go 2-0 on this Alaska road trip with our young roster is really remarkable," Woodin said. "Tonight we had a great team victory, and I'm super happy for our players to get this outcome. I think we're continuing to get better, and I really like where this team is headed."
 
THE BUZZ: Momberg and Smart shared Intermountain Health Player of the Game honors… MSUB's 59 rebounds set a new team high this season, and second most in a game by any GNAC team this season… Smart's double-double was the second of her career… her 17 rebounds also tie for fifth most in a game by a GNAC player this season and most by a Yellowjacket… MSUB is averaging 40.7 rebounds as a team this season, second most in the conference… the game marked the Yellowjackets first overtime game since March 2, 2024, ironically in the same gym against Alaska Anchorage… it was the first double overtime game the 'Jackets have played in since December 9, 2021, an 82-81 loss against Division I Montana State University… at the halfway mark in conference play, MSUB ranks fifth in the GNAC.
 
UP NEXT: Following an undefeated week of basketball in Alaska, MSUB returns home for a game this Saturday, January 31 against Seattle Pacific University, kicking off a run of three straight home games. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 PM in Alterowitz Gym, with live video available on the GNAC Network, and live statistics available here. Tickets can be purchased online here.