Saturday, March 16, 2024
by Thomas Lal

AZUSA, Calif. –  Montana State Billings never trailed as it dominated host Azusa Pacific in the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball West Region Championships to take a 66-56 victory.

The No. 4 seeded Yellowjackets’ decisive win over the No. 1 seeded Cougars snapped a 25-game winning streak for APU after it won the PacWest regular season championships and tournament with a 29-3 overall record and a 20-0 conference mark. The win also marked the first time this year that the lower seed earned the upset in the west region tournament. Montana State Billings took advantage of an ice-cold start by the Azusa Pacific to open the game and finished the night with all eight players who saw action scoring at least three points, including six with six or more.

Dyauni Boyce played a huge part in the victory for MSUB, leading the team with 21 points to tie for the game lead while also snagging 12 rebounds to make it a double double. Aspen Giese was the other ‘Jacket to notch double-digit points, finishing with 11 to go along with six rebounds, two steals and a block in a team-leading 37 minutes on the floor. While reigning GNAC Player of the Year Kola Bad Bear had a relatively quiet offensive night finishing with just six points, she led the team with three steals to go with four rebounds, an assist and a block.

The first quarter set the tone for the Yellowjackets, and what a tone it was. Through the first 10 minutes of action, Montana State Billings put the hammer down on the home side, outscoring the Cougars 21-5. Giese picked up the first points of the night with a three-pointer followed immediately by a trey from Kortney Nelson to give MSUB a 6-1 run to start the game. Azusa Pacific’s early point of the game came off a free throw, however, and it was not until almost four minutes had bled off that clock that the Cougars made their first field goal of the game.

That impressive defense by MSUB continued for the remainder of the quarter as it held APU scoreless for over four minutes and didn’t allow the Cougars to make any of their seven three-point attempts in the opening period. The lightning start gave the Yellowjackets a 16-point lead heading into the second quarter, the widest margin of the night.

It wasn’t until over two and a half minutes had gone by in the second quarter that Azusa Pacific reached double digits as the Cougars pushed back against the ‘Jackets’ hot start by going on a 7-0 run of their own. After Montana State Billings was held scoreless for the first five minutes of the frame, it was Shayla Montague who righted the ship with a three-pointer to give MSUB a 10-point lead once again. Even while the Cougars were making inroads, the Yellowjacket defense remained incredibly strong on the perimeter, not conceding a three-pointer until Azusa Pacific’s 11th attempt of the night. By the end of the first half, the ‘Jackets led 30-21 and eventual team leader Boyce had picked up nine rebounds and an assist, but no points. Those would all come in the second half.

Boyce poured in seven of her points in the third quarter, including her one and only three-pointer of the night to break a cold streak for the ‘Jackets from beyond the arc. With both teams firing on all cylinders, fouls proved to be a huge difference maker as the Cougars’ leading scorer Kelly Heimburger was forced to sit on the bench with four fouls to her name as a precautionary measure. That opened the door for MSUB to respond to an early 12-3 run by APU with an 8-0 run of its own and stabilize the lead once again, giving the ‘Jackets a 45-37 lead heading into the final frame.

The Yellowjackets looked comfortable defending their lead down the stretch, pressuring the Cougars, particularly on the perimeter while staying largely out of foul trouble. Even when the home team did get some momentum going, MSUB always seemed to have a response ready. Boyce cashed in her second three-pointer of the night early on the period, stretching the lead back out to nine points in the process. She also responded in a huge way as the Cougars made one of their last big pushes by muscling up a shot down low through contact to give MSUB a six-point lead with just under two minutes to play before coming back with another trey on the ‘Jackets’ next possession. Kortney Nelson was another key player down the stretch as she finished with nine points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal while consistently proving to be a problem for the Cougars.  

With yet another postseason win in the books, Montana State Billings (28-6) will have Sunday off before facing No. 2 seed Cal State San Marcos in the finals of the NCAA West Region Championships on Monday, March 18 in Azusa, Calif.