CARSON, Calif. — Though they trailed by 16 points midway through the third quarter Friday night, the MSU Billings women made a game of it before falling 69-66 to Alaska Anchorage at the NCAA Division II West Regional.
The Yellowjackets outscored Anchorage 26-14 in the fourth quarter, but their second-half deficit was too great to crawl out of. MSUB finished its season with a 25-8 record while the Seawolves, also a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, advance with a 28-4 mark.
MSUB was down by 12 points with 1:02 left but a late flurry made it a game. Layla Baumann hit a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left, then Aspen Giese and Baumann converted consecutive layups, the last of which made it 67-62 with 35 seconds on the clock.
Antother Baumann 3 cut it to 68-65 with 29 seconds left. Chloe Williams made the first of two free throws with three seconds left, and the second attempt was rebounded by Dyauni Boyce. But the Jackets couldn't get off a tying 3-point try and the game ended.
Boyce led MSUB with 19 points and nine rebounds while Williams and Giese scored 14 and 12 points respectively. Kortney Nelson, who like Boyce and Giese played all 40 minutes, had seven points and five rebounds.
Tori Hollingshead finished with a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds to lift Anchorage, the GNAC's champion, past the Yellowjackets for the second time in three matchups this year.
