Saturday, March 11, 2023

CARSON, Calif. – Montana State Billings’ season has come to the end in the semifinals of the NCAA West Regional after falling 77-66 to No. 1 seed and host Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Yellowjackets led by as many as four points in the first quarter, but the Toros showed why they came into the tournament as the No. 1 seed by roaring back to take a 23-18 lead by the end of the first quarter that they wouldn’t surrender for the remainder of the game.

The Montana State Billings offense was led by a pair of 13-point performances from junior guard Kortney Nelson and senior forward Taryn Shelley. Along with their points, Nelson also finished with eight assists and a rebound while Shelley had four rebounds and two blocks.

Early in the game, the Yellowjackets found point production from outside courtesy of senior guard Shayla Montague who knocked down three three-pointers in the first quarter. Montague ended the night with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block while shooting 4 for 10 from the field and 3 for 8 from long range.

Cal State Dominguez Hills managed to pull away in the second quarter, carrying over a 13-2 run to start the frame. The Toros’ high-intensity brand of defense proved to create some struggles for MSUB heading into halftime but the Yellowjackets began to draw more fouls as the game went on. Sophomore Asia Jordan led the way for CSUDH with 23 points and 10 rebounds but committed four fouls by the final buzzer.

The Toros took a 43-31 lead into halftime, but the Yellowjackets didn’t go down without a fight, keeping pace with the home squad in the third quarter and outscoring them in the last 10 minutes. The depth scoring came into play for MSUB in the second half with Nelson driving the play alongside junior forward Dyauni Boyce who finished the game with 12 points. Boyce also had five rebounds and an assist while shooting 6 for 13 from the field.

The final frame was the highest scoring quarter of the night for the Yellowjackets as they put up 20 points while shooting 64.3% from the field. They finished the game shooting 45.5% from the field, 22.7% from the three-point range and 73.3% from the free-throw line. Eight of the 10 players who suited up for MSUB recorded three or more points.

Montana State Billings finishes the season with a 25-8 record after advancing to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018.