Women’s basketball team falls to MSU Billings, UNK

The CSC women’s basketball team lost to Montana State University Billings, Friday, 66-60, then traveled to Kearney to play rival UNK, losing 72-52.
The Eagles defended the Yellow Jackets well, holding them to 36.8 percent shooting and 28.6 from long range. However, Billings shot 28 3-pointers, making eight, giving them the advantage.
CSC struggled in the second quarter, only hitting three of 16 shots, going into halftime down by six points. The Yellow Jackets scored 22 points in the third, giving them enough boost until the end. CSC outscored MSU-B 17-13.
Four Yellow Jackets scored in double-digits, led by Taylor Edwards, sophomore of Great Falls, Montana, and Tiana Hanson, senior of Shepherd, Montana, with 16 each. Rylee Kane, junior of Red Lodge, Montana, and Marissa Van Atta, junior of Billings, added 13 and 10, respectively.
Kylah Collins, redshirt freshman of Waukegan, Illinois, led the Eagle attack with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kendra Baucom, junior of Colorado Springs, Colorado, chipped in 13 points. Kalli Feddersen, junior of Rawlins, Wyoming, added nine points and pulled down 13 boards.
The Eagles competed well against the Lopers in the first half, leading 29-26 at the break, courtesy of a 20-point second quarter. However, UNK bounced back in the second half, outscoring CSC 46-23, leading the Lopers to their second win 72-52.
Two Lopers lit up the score board.
Michaela Barry, junior of Battle Creek, scored 19 points and McKenzie Brown, junior of Grand Island, added 18. Barry hit 5 of 11 from long-range, while Brown hit 4 threes.
CSC shot well, particularly from behind the 3-point line, sinking 6 of 14, good for 42.9 percent.
“I just think we need to strive to play as one big unit,” Erin Graham, senior of DeLand, Florida, said. “Basketball is a game of possessions and we just should have owned more of them and executed. Even if we didn’t score, to control some of the clock and take away their chances.”
Feddersen led the way with 14 points, the only Eagle to break double-digits. She also grabbed seven boards. Collins hauled in seven rebounds as well. Graham added nine points for CSC.
The women are traveling to Colorado this weekend, playing Colorado School of Mines, Golden, at 6 p.m. Friday, and Colorado Christian University, at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Graham said that against Mines, CSC needs to get the ball inside.
“Once se do that, we have the power to score inside and beyond the arc,” she said. “We also need to control the tempo. Make them stay on defense longer.”