Women's Basketball | 2/27/2010 3:40:04 PM

Box Score [Box score]

BILLINGS, Mont. - The Western Oregon women's basketball team failed to earn a weekend split for the first time in conference play this season as they fell 64-69 to Montana State Billings Saturday (Feb. 28), in Alterowitz Gym.

The loss drops WOU to 6-9 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (11-18 overall), while the win snaps a five-game losing streak for MSUB as they improve to 4-10 in conference (11-14 overall).

Western Oregon was led by senior forward Katie Torland's 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Freshman guard Hannah Whitsett scored all 11 of her points in the second half; she also hit three three-pointers. Junior guard Sarah McNamee came off the bench to lead MSUB with 18 points (6-of-7 from the field). Also in double-figures for Montana were sophomore guard Kalli Stanhope (17) and sophomore forward Callie Kautzmann (13).

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Wolves take a five-point advantage with 5:19 remaining, but the Yellowjackets would battle back to take a 34-31 lead into the locker room. The second half was a different story, however, as WOU never led. The Yellowjackets had their largest lead of the night (14 points) with 7:24 left to play, and they led by double-digits from the 9:10 mark until the 4:48 mark. A late flurry of baskets by Western resulted in the final six-point margin.

WOU played a solid game statistically; they won the battle on the boards 36 to 33 and had 19 offensive rebounds. The Wolves only turned the ball over 11 times while forcing 23, and they recorded nine steals. Western's bench outscored Montana's 23 to 18, and they had 21 points off turnovers compared to 11 for MSUB. However, WOU shot only 32-percent (20-63) from the field and 68-percent (19-28) from the charity stripe. Montana shot 52-percent and 94-percent, respectively.

“It just goes to show that even when you dominate a game statistically, the result is still very much dependent on how many shots you put in the basket,” WOU head coach Greg Bruce said. “We missed way too many easy looks, and I was disappointed in our offensive execution considering where we are in the season.”

Western Oregon will conclude its 2009-2010 season Saturday (Mar. 6) when it plays host to Saint Martin's. The Wolves will say goodbye to seniors Katie Torland, Shayla Corder, and AJ Hawk. Tip-off time is set for 2:00 pm PST.