Career-high from Van Atta helps lift MSUB 62-60 over UMW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu December 12, 2015 Career-high from Van Atta helps lift MSUB 62-60 over Montana Western Women’s Basketball on Facebook MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU Interactive Box Score

Sophomore Marissa scored a career-high 13 points in the win over Montana Western.

MSU Billings fends off a big fourth quarter surge from Montana Western as the Bulldogs score 25 points in 10 minutes to give the Yellowjackets a scare in the final minutes.

BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana Western scored 25 points in the final quarter, but Montana State University Billings was able to hang-on in the final minute for a 62-60 win over the in-state Bulldogs Saturday night in Alterowitz Gymnasium.

Sophomore Marissa Van Atta scored a career-high 13 points, including a personal-best 3-3 from the 3-point arc. Senior Monica Grimsrud recorded a team-high 15 points. Janiel Olson had a team-best seven rebounds.

Montana Western (9-4) was led by a game-high 17 points from Aniese Palmore as four players from the Bulldogs finished with double-figures in points.

“I was very impressed with how UM Western played tonight,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. “I really felt fortunate to come out with the victory. Lindsay had his team well-prepared.”

MSU Billings (5-3) shot 37.7 percent (20-53), slightly below Montana Western’s 39.3 percent (22-56). Both teams shot the ball from the outside with MSUB finishing 10-28 and UMW 10-22. From the free-throw line, the Bulldogs ended the game 6-8 with the ‘Jackets making 12-16.

The teams were even in points in the paint (16) and were close in points off turnovers (16-15). MSUB did pick up 21 points from its bench with Van Atta supplying 13 of those.

MSUB opened the game with a 7-0 scoring drive. Grimsrud began the scoring with a 3-pointer and a jump shot. Alisha Breen drove in for a layup. Four minutes into the game, Montana Western’s Sierra Higheagle hit a 3-point basket for the Bulldogs’ first bucket of the contest.

After starting with a four-minute scoring drought, Montana Western came roaring back. On a layup from Higheagle, the Bulldogs poured in 10 unanswered points to take the lead 13-11. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Van Atta and Grimsrud and a layup from Rylee Kane put the Yellowjackets back up 19-13. A 3-pointer from Britt Cooper at the buzzer had the Bulldogs within three, 19-16.

Stavish grabbed the lead back in the second quarter with an open 3-pointer for a 27-25 advantage. The Yellowjackets scored two more points after a steal from Breen led to a transition layup from Van Atta putting MSUB up 29-25 at the break.

The Yellowjackets had a big surge in the third period. Back-to-back treys from Grimsrud and an 18-footer from Stavish gave MSUB a 41-29 lead with 3:40 left in the third quarter. Two layups from Molly Klinker closed the gap to 10 again 4535 at the end of the quarter.

Van Atta stretched the lead to 14 on her second trey of the night at 51-37 at the start of the fourth quarter. A foul from Montana Western sent Kane to line to shoot two. She made good on both for a 53-49 lead with 7:42 remaining in the game.

Another 3-pointer from Van Atta kept the Yellowjackets up by twelve with four and a half minutes left, but a 3-pointer from Palmore started a flurry of points from the Bulldogs.

With under a minute remaining, a jumper and a 3-pointer from Higheagle drove the deficit to within reach at 60-57.

Needing a possession, the Bulldogs began to foul. MSUB’s Tiana Hanson made it a 4-point game making 1-2 shots.

A 3-pointer from Klinker with 11 seconds left made a one-point game. At the free-throw line, Breen was 1-2, giving Montana Western a chance to win with a last-second 3-pointer. Steady defense from the Yellowjackets kept the Bulldogs from a good look at the basket, winding the clock all the way down for the win.

“We did not play very good over the final two to three minutes,” Woodin said. “We made some critical errors on both ends of the floor tonight and that is on me.”

“Individually tonight, Monica Grimsrud and Marissa Van Atta had excellent games,” Woodin continued. “It is nice to see Monica shooting the ball with confidence. She has the ability to stretch the defense, however she can also be effective

on the interior. When she gets both going, she is a tough matchup. I also thought she played some very good interior defense on Molly Klinker.”

Grimsrud was 6-11 from the field and 3-7 from the 3-point arc with six rebounds.

“Marissa played awesome tonight,” Woodin said on the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game. “She plays so hard and gives you everything she has. She shot the ball great and battled hard on the glass and defensive end.”

MSU Billings outrebounded Montana Western 38-29. Kane had six assists. Breen finished with nine points, five assists, three blocks and three steals.

THE BUZZ: MSUB had 13 turnovers in the game to 12 from Montana Western…the Bulldogs finished with eight steals compared to five from the ‘Jackets…both teams shot 75 percent from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT: MSU Billings takes to the skies next week on a trip to Las Vegas, Nev. The Yellowjackets are returning to the South Pointe Holiday Hoops Tournament for the second time in the program’s history. MSUB plays NCAA Division II Quincy on Friday, Dec. 18 at 5:45 Pacific time, followed by a contest against Tarleton State on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time.

After starting the season 0-2, the Yellowjackets have won all five of their last home contests, including a 2-0 start in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.

“Overall, we had a very good home stand with the five victories so I am proud of our team for accomplishing that,” Woodin said. “We are looking forward to the Las Vegas tourney. We will be playing two quality opponents in Quincy and Tarleton State and it is important to finish the non-conference part of our schedule strong.”

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--