(RMC release)
BILLINGS - Despite a 32-point performance by Markaela Francis, Rocky Mountain College was unable to overcome crosstown rival MSU Billings in a 69-65 loss on Thursday night. The game counted as an exhibition for the Battlin' Bears.
Hitting 10-of-12 from the field and 11-of-14 on the free throw line, Francis posted a whopping 32 points while also pulling in 10 boards to make her the only player on either side to record a double double.
Neither team managed to break away with the game on Friday night with MSU Billings leading by only a single point at the half. Down by four in the game's final seconds, MSU Billings' Taryn Shelley blocked a layup by Grace Parker to clinch the game in the Yellowjackets' favor.
Parker scored eight points while Kloie Thatcher had six points, five rebounds, and seven assists.
MSU Billings' Hannah Collins and Taylor Cunningham both scored 19 points while Jeanann Lemelin had 14. Cunningham recorded a team-high nine rebounds.
The Battlin' Bears shot 42.3 percent from the floor while hitting 4-of-17 from deep. MSU Billings shot a 45.3 field goal percentage while landing 38.1 percent of their three point attempts.
The No. 25 ranked Battlin' Bears will next play in Phoenix, Ariz., against No. 16 ranked Our Lady of the Lake during the 2019 Phoenix Frontier Classic on Dec. 19.
