The Basics

• Final score: Montana State Billings 64, Western Oregon 60
• Records: Western Oregon 7-16, 3-13 GNAC; Montana State Billings 8-15, 5-10 GNAC
• Location: Monmouth, Ore. – New P.E. Building

How It Happened
Montana State Billings used a 26-15 advantage in the fourth quarter to erase a Western Oregon 12-point lead and notch a 64-60 win Thursday night at the New P.E. Building.
 
A three-point play by Ali Nelke with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter gave the home club a 50-38 lead. Each team would hit four field goals, including a 3-pointer by Jasmine Miller, but the visiting Yellowjackets got to the charity stripe 22 times in the final period and connected 18 times while the Wolves were 6-of-6 in the same span.
 
Tied with 52 second left, the Wolves got a defensive rebound and worked the ball into the front court. With the shot clock waning, Kaylie Boschma was whistled for her fifth foul on an illegal screen. The Wolves were assessed a technical foul for not getting a sub on the floor in the allotted substitution period and MSUB's Tiana Hanson made one of two free throws. Hanson made a pair of freebies after being fouled on the offensive end.
 
Sydney Azorr got a good look from the left wing for a game-tying 3-pointer, but her missed was corralled by Rylee Kane. Hanson made four free throws in the final eight seconds to close out the game.
 
Western Oregon took a 24-19 lead at the break after holding MSUB to 28 percent shooting in the first half. A highly-contested third quarter saw the Wolves extend their lead to seven, 45-38, on a triple from Launia Davis.
 
Nelke netted the opening five points of the fourth quarter before the Yellowjackets began their comeback effort.
  
Wolves' Top Performers

• Jasmine Miller went 6-of-11 from the floor for a team-high 15 points. She added four rebounds in 30 minutes.
• Kaylie Boschma netted 10 points with seven rebounds.

 
For the Yellowjackets

• Tiana Hanson exemplified the MSUB advantage from the free-throw line hitting 15-of-18 from 15 feet away toward a game-high 23 points. She finished with 12 rebounds for a double-double.
• Rylee Kane was only 4-of-18 from the field, but hit 8-of-9 from the stripe finishing with 17 points.

 
Stats of the Game

• Free throws: MSUB 28-of-35, 80 percent; WOU 7-of-8, 87.5 percent.
• All 64 MSUB came from the starting five. Western Oregon's bench outscored MSUB, 31-0.
• MSUB shot the lowest opponent percentage against WOU in a win this season at 30.4 percent (17-of-56).
• Western Oregon led for 23:15, MSUB for 10:51, game was tied for 5:54.

 
Coach Quotes
WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter after the loss:

• "I'm really proud of how my team fought tonight.  They competed and they deserved this win.  We got the shot we wanted at the end, it just didn't fall.  We shot the ball well, made seven more baskets than they did and shot 88 percent from the FT line, but didn't get there nearly enough. "
   

Up Next
The final two games at home are on the schedule next week beginning Thursday, Feb. 14 against Northwest Nazarene at 5:15 p.m. from the New P.E. Building.