BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- Vanguard looked fresh to start their second game of a back-to-back Saturday afternoon, claiming the first quarter 16-15 against Montana State Billings. However, a shooting slump spanning the final three periods maimed any momentum in a 68-48 loss. The Lions shot just 28% (16-of-57) in their second defeat inside West Gym and were outscored 20-8 in the fourth quarter to end the afternoon.  Vanguard drops to 0-2 to start the campaign and Montana State Billings win its third straight game to jump to 4-1.

Halle Si'i led the Lions with 14 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Sarah Matossian scored all 10 of her points in the first half and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Ashlin Crabtree nailed two triples to claim six points, while Aryana Hudson and Jaryn Madsen each tallied five points for the contest.

The Yellow Jackets led most notably in rebounds (45-30), field goal percentage (38%-28%), and free throws made, as they netted a season-best 94.7% from 15 feet (18-of-19).
Both teams were square in points in the paint (22) and points off turnovers (18-17 VU).

What happened? MSUB shot out to a quick 7-2 lead inside the first four minutes of the game, but the Blue and Gold engineered a quick response. Si'i sliced the ball through to a cutting Matossian who finished in the lane for her first points of the quarter. Madsen then launched a high-arching triple to cap a 7-0 VU run to tie the score at 9-9. The Lions continued to test the Yellowjackets, as Hudson picked Aspen Giese's pocket and finished off the glass on the break for 13-11 lead. The quarter concluded with a huge hustle play from Akilah Kubi, who fought for an offensive rebound and kicked out the pass to Alexa Silva. The senior pounced on the second chance point, as she drained the triple to give the Lions the quarter 16-15.

Matossian's two free throws were the Lions' first points of the second quarter, where the Blue and Gold would shoot a game-low 20% (2-10) from the field. Conversely, MSUB had their best quarter of the day, shooting 57% (8-for-14) from the field and 50% (2-of-4) from deep. Their two three-pointers in the quarter came in two straight trips down the floor and lifted their lead to 25-18. Crabtree would find two threes to keep the deficit doable for VU, but the Yellowjackets pulled out from shore to close out the half, as Vanguard trailed 35-28.

A handoff from Madsen gave Emma Schaaf her first bucket of the game for a 40-30 MSUB lead with 7:32 in the quarter. Though Si'i's free throws cut the MSUB edge to eight (48-40) to close the third, VU was unable to come within single digits for the remainder of the game. The Yellowjackets stung in the fourth quarter, outrebounding the Lions 15-8 and securing 11 free throw attempts (10-for-11) to build up to their eventual 20-point win.

What's Next? Women's basketball will continue on the road, as they feature in the PacWest/GNAC conference crossover against Central Washington on Friday, November 15, at 5 pm.