Monday, March 18, 2024
by Thomas Lal

PORTLAND, Ore. –  The Montana State Billings’ women’s basketball team is headed to the finals of the 2024 NCAA Division II West Region Championships after picking up two huge postseason wins and claiming GNAC Team of the Week Honors in what has been a historic season.

The No. 19 Yellowjackets (28-6, 16-2 GNAC) have enjoyed the most wins of any team in program history and earned two more last week to keep dancing into the regional final. The No. 4 seed  ‘Jackets opened their week with an utterly dominant 86-55 win over No. 5 seed Chico State last Friday. They followed that up with an arguably even more impressive 66-56 victory over No. 1 seed and host Azusa Pacific last Saturday as they never trailed the nationally-ranked Cougars.  

“I was happy to hear that our team was recognized as the GNAC Team of the Week,” head coach Kevin Woodin said. “Our team has elevated their play at regionals so far after a heart-breaking loss in the GNAC Championship game last weekend. I am proud of our team for all they have accomplished both on and off the court this season. We are excited to represent our school and conference in tonight’s west regional championship and I know my players will give their best effort.”

The ‘Jackets dominated from the field and on the boards in their Friday win over the Wildcats, shooting 53.3% from the field, 42.2% from three-point range and 73.3% from the free throw line. While five Yellowjackets finished the night with double-digit points, reigning GNAC Player of the Year and D2CCA first team all-region forward Kola Bad Bear led all players with 18 while shooting 80% from the field.

Bad Bear was joined in scoring double-digit points by teammates Danielle Zahn (13), Shayla Montague (12), Kortney Nelson (11) and Dyauni Boyce (10) to make it four of the starting five with 10 or more points. Nelson was also the top rebounding  player against the Wildcats as she flirted with a triple double and finished the night with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

The first quarter of Friday’s quarterfinal win provided the ‘Jackets foundation of success as they opened the frame with a 6-2 run and closed it out with a 13-2 on the back of 16 points in the final four minutes to take a 27-19 lead. They continued to roll heading toward halftime, notching 25 points in the second quarter, including 12 from long range while the defense forced 14 points off of turnovers. The final stanzas of the game came with solid defense by MSUB particularly in the fourth period where the ‘Jackets opened with a 20-4 run and did not allow Chico State to score for over three and a half minutes.

Montana State Billings took possibly the biggest win of its season on Saturday as it blitzed No. 6 Azusa Pacific 21-5 in the first quarter to build a lead that it would never surrender. The Cougars overcame their ice-cold start to some degree in the second quarter, but it was the ‘Jackets who led 30-21 at the half with Boyce, MSUB’s leading scorer of the night yet to pick up a point. All of her points, instead, came in the second half where she poured in 21 to tie for the game lead. She made it a double double performance by adding 12 rebounds on the night to go along with an assist and a steal.

On the whole, it was another incredibly balanced scoring effort for the Yellowjackets as all eight players to take the floor for MSUB picked up at least three points. Aspen Giese also finished in the double digits with 11 points along with six rebounds, two steals and a block. Defensively, the team was equally impressive, holding the Cougars to just 18.2% shooting from beyond the three-point arc and conceding just six free throw attempts all game.

That defense proved critical down the stretch as APU surged and slashed the lead to as few as four points before Boyce responded with a midrange jumper and a three-pointer in back-to-back possessions to quickly re-establish a nine-point advantage. She would make that an 11-point lead with just 39 seconds on the clock not long after, putting the game all but out of reach for the opposition.

With the semifinal win under its belt, Montana State Billings will be in action tonight for the finals of the NCAA West Region Championships as it faces No. 2 seed Cal State San Marcos at 7:00 p.m. (PDT) in Azusa, Calif.