(RMC release)
BILLINGS – The Rocky Mountain College women’s basketball team bounced back from a road loss on Tuesday to defeat Montana tech 60-52 on Saturday night in the Fortin Education Center.
Rocky (14-2, 4-2 Frontier) fell behind 8-2 to start the game and trailed 13-11 after one quarter. The Battlin’ Bears took built an 8-point halftime lead after using a 13-4 run over the final 4:51 of the second quarter.
After Rocky built a 13-point advantage in the early staged of the fourth quarter, Montana Tech (11-7, 1-5) got within 54-50 with 2:10 to play by mounting an 11-4 spurt. Rocky would keep Tech in the game by hitting just 2 of 6 at the foul line down the stretch, but they held the visitors without a basket during the same span to secure the victory.
The Battlin’ Bears shot 45.3 percent from the field and used 44 points in the paint to counter the 1 of 10 they shot from beyond the arc. Rocky held a slim 37-34 edge on the boards while recording 13 assists on 24 baskets.
Mikayla Jones led Rocky with 14 points while also contributing six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jones went 4 of 5 at the foul line and sealed the win with a steals and layup in the final seconds.
Rocky held Tech to 37.7 percent shooting and just 2 of 11 from deep. The Orediggers scored 19 points from 17 Rocky turnovers, but they also committed 18 turnovers.
Markaela Francis added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Battlin’ Bears. Justyn Juhl finished with 10 points while Farstveet had nine points and two blocked shots.
The Battlin’ Bears are now 6-0 in the Fortin Center this season.
Kaylynn Coverdell led Tech with 11 points and four assists.
Rocky now hits the road for two weeks and four games. They visit Lewis-Clark State on Thursday with tipoff in Lewiston, Idaho set for 6:30 p.m. MT.
