Box Score BILLINGS, Mont. –
Kayleen Goggins led seven players in double figures as Montana State Billings used an early run to set the tone and beat Alaska 104-77 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball on Thursday at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The Yellowjackets (22-6, 14-3 GNAC) captured the GNAC regular-season crown with the victory as Goggins led all players with a game-best 23 points. Six other MSUB players recorded 11 to 14 points as
Bobbi Knudsen finished with 13 points and nine assists to help run the offense.
MSUB shot just shy of 54 percent (35-65) for the game and hit 11 3-pointers while knocking down nearly 89 percent (23-26) of its free throws.
The Nanooks (9-16, 3-14 GNAC) fell for the sixth time in a row but saw nice production from three of their freshmen.
Forward
Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Emergency Management) finished with a team- and season-best 20 points while fellow rookie forward
Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) had the best outing in her last five starts with 17 points. Guard
Autumn Childers (Dewey, Ariz./Civil Engineering) hit three triples and tied her season-best point total with 15 points, which the most for her during the GNAC slate.
Alaska shot just under 48 percent (33-69) and knocked down nine threes but only managed five free-throw attempts, making two of them. Billings out rebounded Alaska 33-25 and turned 18 Nanook giveaways into 26 points.
The 'Jackets controlled momentum early, opening the game on a 20-2 run in the first 6:11 of the first half. The Nanooks got on the board with 17:06 remaining to make it a 5-2 contest but MSUB reeled off the next 15 points while holding Alaska pointless for 3:34. The Nanooks never drew to within 14 at 29-15 midway through the half but MSUB led by as many as 20 and took a 54-35 lead into halftime.
In the second, the Nanooks went pretty much bucket-for-bucket with the Yellowjackets but couldn't trim the deficit to less than 16 points as MSUB earned the season sweep and clinched the top seed for next week's GNAC Women's Basketball Championship.
The Nanooks conclude the season Saturday at 7 p.m. PST when they take on Seattle Pacific at Brougham Pavilion in Seattle. The Falcons (17-8, 10-7 GNAC) dropped a 76-65 decision to Alaska Anchorage earlier Thursday.
