BILLINGS, Mont. – The game of runs ended in favor of Montana State Billings after a hot start by the No. 23 Lewis-Clark State Women’s Basketball team. The Warriors came out swinging with a 23-6 first quarter, but a resilient MSUB team battled back to take the contest by a final of 77-69.
“You have to give MSUB a ton of credit,” Head Coach Brian Orr said. “The last three quarters, they were the better team on both ends of the court. We had no answer for (MSUB’s Taryn) Shelley, and their guards shot lights outs, especially in the fourth quarter.”
Kiara Burlage fought through traffic under the hoop to drop the first two points of the game before MSUB rattled off four to take the lead. Souvenir broke the LC State four-minute scoreless streak with a layup and assisted Burlage on a go-ahead shot at 5:52.
Burlage continued her strong physical play when she hit a layup while being fouled. She completed the three-point play to give the Warriors a 10-6 edge at the halfway point of the first frame. Back-to-back blocks by Maddie Holm and Abbie Johnson helped LC State regain possession and gave Edmiston a change to further the lead.
The foul trouble continued for the Yellow Jackets and gave the Warriors more chances at the line. Both Edmiston and Buralge took advantage of foul shots late in the quarter to give LC State a 14-6 lead. Free throws by Heidi Sellmann made it 18 straight points for LC State as the defense held MSUB off the board for the final 6:14 of the quarter.
The Warrior women led 23-6 after the opening 10 minutes.
MSUB turned things around in the second to outscore LC 22-18. It snapped its scoreless streak in the first 20 seconds of the new quarter, but a rebound by Sellmann put the Warriors back in control. Good ball movement by the LC offense gave Abby Farmer the chance for a 3-pointer to widen the gap, and another trip to the free throw line for the Warriors saw Johnson drain a pair to make it a 28-10 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets picked up the pace in the quarter to triple their efforts from the first and pull within 10, 33-23, in the final three minutes of the half. Edmiston returned to the foul line and drained a pair before sinking a 3 to swing the momentum back in favor of the Warriors, and Farmer carried the energy into another triple.
LC State held a 41-28 lead the half. Edmiston led the team with 10 points and five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
Edmiston got the second half rolling quickly with a jumper in the opening possession. LC converted a Peyton Souvenir steal into a layup by Burlage before the senior went back to the basket to make it a 47-36 game.
MSUB picked up momentum down the stretch to tie the game 47-47 near the end of the quarter. The Warriors were held off the scoreboard for over six minutes to allow the 11-point run, but a buzzer-beating jumper by Rachel Schroeder put the Warriors ahead by two heading into the final 10-minute period.
A big 3 by the Yellow Jackets gave them the lead to start the fourth. Sara Meuhlhausen put the Warriors back in front by one at 8:15, but a costly foul gave MSUB a shot a go-ahead free throws.
Three 3-pointers by MSUB gave the Yellow Jackets a 61-55 advantage with 6:43 remaining. Offensive rebounds helped them earn second-chance points as the Warriors battled to keep the game within reach.
Johnson came up big with a three-point play to make it a one-point game with 3:19 remaining, with MSUB’s top scorer fouling out on the play. Burlage hit her foul limit on the following play to leave the game without two of its leading scorers in the final minutes.
The back-and-forth raged on as Johnson turned a steal into a layup to bring LC within one at 70-69 with 1:41 on the clock and force a Yellow Jacket timeout. MSUB drilled a big 3-pointer to beat the shot clock as the game clock ran under a minute.
The Warriors could not overcome the deficit and fell 77-69. LC State now sits at 7-4 on the season.
“What was really frustrating was our inability to control defensive boards,” Orr said. “It’s something we need to get fixed immediately. Even though we’ve only played 11 games, the season is almost over. To reach our team’s potential we need a sense of urgency in everything we do.”
Edmiston and Burlage led the Warriors with 15 points each, while Johnson added 13. Johnson was an efficient 4-for-7 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Burlage grabbed a team-high six boards, and Edmiston and Johnson each tallied five. Farmer dished out seven assists, Muehlhausen blocked two shots and Souvenir had two steals.
The Warriors shot 40 percent from the field and made 16-of-20 free throws. The outrebounded MSUB 34-44.
LC State is not done with MSUB this season and hosts the Yellow Jackets on Feb. 12 and 13. Before that, the Warrior women head to Caldwell to take on the College of Idaho in a non-conference matchup on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. PT. Links to watch the game can be found on lcwarriors.com.