Box Score BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana State-Billings outscored Alaska 51-32 in the second half to rally for an 88-72 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory Thursday night at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
“I felt we came out strong defensively and we really took MSU-Billings out of its game,” head coach
Cody Burgess said. “We got up, they got up and then we countered what they did and we were able to convert on some baskets which was great and made defensive stops like we're supposed to.”
Quinn Peoples led all scorers with a game-high 20 points for the Yellowjackets (16-7, 8-4 GNAC) after she drained five of the team's 10 threes, while
Bobbi Knudsen tallied 19 points and
Janiel Olson contributed 12 points and a game-best nine rebounds. Knudsen (5) and Peoples (4) combined for nine of MSUB's 19 assists in the win.
MSUB shot just under 44-percent (28-64) for the game and converted 22 of 26 free throws (.846). It held a slim rebounding edge, 38-34, against the Nanooks (6-16, 2-10 GNAC), while forcing 22 turnovers to its 15.
Alaska was led by junior
Taylor Altenburg (Elko, Nev./College of Southern Idaho) and freshman
Nicole Hartzog (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton, who each scored 15 points apiece. It was a career-high in points for Altenburg. Senior
Nicole Bozek (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) scored 14 points in her return after missing the last game due to illness.
The Nanooks shot 42-percent (24-57) for the game, including just under 54-percent (15-28) in the first half to give the visitors a 40-37 lead. UAF took advantage of its free throws, sinking 20 of 22 attempts (.909), but struggled from outside, shooting just 22-percent from three (4-18).
Trailing 27-21 with under nine minutes remaining in the first half, Alaska scored seven in a row for a 28-27 lead, but Billings came back with nine of 11 to regain a six-point advantage at 36-30 with 3:54 to go. The 'Nooks ended the final 3:25 of the first with a 10-1 surge to snag a 40-37 lead at the break.
The lead stretched to eight at 47-39 with 16:44 remaining after the Nanooks opened the second with a 7-2 run, but the lead quickly dwindled as the Yellowjackets scored seven straight to trim the lead to a single point at 47-46. Altenburg answered with an old-fashioned three-point play on the ensuing possession, but Billings answered with a 16-4 run over 4:07 to grab a 62-56 lead.
MSUB kept applying the pressure and five minutes later, Alaska found itself down 15 at 77-62 with 5:11 to go. The deficit was never less than 10 the rest of the way.
Alaska heads to Seattle to face Seattle Pacific on Saturday at 7 p.m. (PST). The Falcons are coming off a stunning victory against eighth-ranked Alaska Anchorage 67-62 earlier Thursday.
