Bruins’ second-half rally falls short at MSUN, 75-65

Box Score
Frontier Standings

HAVRE, Mont. -- Receiving votes in the latest NAIA top 25 poll, Montana State University-Northern built a 21-point first-half lead and held off a second-half push to defeat Bellevue University 75-65 in Frontier Conference women's basketball action Saturday evening at the Armory Gymnasium.

With the loss, Bellevue evens its record at 6-6 overall and falls to 2-5 in Frontier play. MSUN improves to 7-3 on the season and 5-2 in the conference. The Skylights shot 40.6 percent from the field, 31.8 percent (7-for-22) from 3-point range and 85.7 percent (12-for-14) at the foul line, while matching BU 33-33 on the glass and grabbing 12 offensive rebounds. Bellevue finished at 44.6 percent shooting, 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from deep and 90.0 percent (9-for-10) at the line but was outscored 14-4 in points off turnovers and 12-6 in second-chance points.

Joy Beran led the Bruins with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and eight rebounds. Taylee Wharton scored nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the line, while Karoline Ellison, Emma Russell and Danielle Coyer each added eight points, with Coyer matching Beran and Zakiyyah Muhammad for the team rebounding lead with eight boards. Canzas HisBadHorse paced the Skylights with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds, Taya Trottier added 15 points and eight boards, and Maddie Williamson recorded 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

How It Happened

MSUN established control early, using a 9-2 start fueled by layups from Ciera Agasiva and Becky Melcher and a Melcher 3-pointer to grab a seven-point lead less than three minutes in. Beran answered with a 3-pointer to bring BU within 11-7, but the Skylights pushed the margin back to 18-7 on a Kiefer layup with 3:24 left in the opening quarter. Bellevue closed the period with a 7-0 surge on a jumper by Ellison, a driving layup from Muhammad and a Beran three-point play to pull within 18-14 after 10 minutes.

The Skylights quickly rebuilt their cushion to start the second quarter. Melcher opened the frame with a layup and a 3-pointer, and Williamson followed with a free throw and a layup to ignite an 8-0 run for a 26-14 lead. After a 3-pointer by Drasoni Kyles, the Bruins used a Coyer layup and back-to-back threes from Russell to get as close as 31-25 with 4:34 remaining in the half. MSUN responded with the decisive stretch of the night, closing the half on a 17-5 run keyed by two HisBadHorse 3-pointers, two Trottier layups and a Lawrence triple to build a 48-30 advantage at the break.

Bellevue climbed back into contention with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Skylights 18-11. The Bruins opened the half on a 7-0 burst as Beran hit a jumper, Muhammad converted four free throws and Kyles knocked down a midrange jumper to cut the deficit to 48-37. Later in the period, Ellison scored on consecutive layups and Dru Zoucha finished at the rim to bring BU within 53-43. Wharton's 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in the quarter made it 57-48 before two late free throws by Williamson sent the Skylights to the fourth leading 59-48.

The teams traded baskets for much of the final frame. After a Trottier layup, Ellison answered inside to keep BU within 11, and a 3-pointer by Coleman at the 5:25 mark brought the Bruins as close as 63-53. Coyer's layup and two Muhammad free throws trimmed the deficit to 65-57 with 3:58 to play, but HisBadHorse scored in the lane and Trottier converted four free throws in the final minute to keep the margin in double figures. Wharton added a late layup and two free throws to close the scoring at 75-65.

Top Performers

Bellevue University

Joy Beran: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6-for-10 FG, 2-for-2 FT

Taylee Wharton: 9 points, 3-for-3 FG, 1-for-1 3FG, 2-for-2 FT

Karoline Ellison: 8 points, 2 steals

Emma Russell: 8 points, 2-for-4 3FG

Danielle Coyer: 4 points, team-high 8 rebounds

Zakiyyah Muhammad: 6 points, 8 rebounds

Montana State University-Northern

Canzas HisBadHorse: 21 points, 9 rebounds (5 offensive), 3 steals, 2 blocks

Taya Trottier: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-for-7 FT

Becky Melcher: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Maddie Williamson: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals

Ciera Agasiva: 7 points, 1 steal, 1 block

Inside the Numbers

MSUN committed just four turnovers compared to 15 for Bellevue, leading to a 14-4 advantage in points off turnovers. The Skylights also owned a 12-6 edge in second-chance points and a 36-28 margin in points in the paint. BU's bench outscored MSUN's reserves 29-15, and the Bruins converted 9-of-10 free throws, but the Skylights attempted 13 more field goals (69-56) and made one more 3-pointer.

Up Next

The Bruins will travel to Emporia, Kan., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, for a 5:30 p.m. exhibition contest at NCAA Division II Emporia State University.