A slow start hampered the Chadron State College women’s basketball team Saturday night as host Montana State University Billings built a 40-26 halftime lead and went on to defeat the Eagles 69-59 in the final game of the Yellowjacket Classic.

Now 4-0, MSU Billings was led by 5-10 senior guard Alisha Breen, who finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds.  She already had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds by halftime and was the only Yellowjacket to reach double digits in either category for the game.

Chadron State was led in scoring by junior center Savannah Weidauer and freshman guard Brooke Turek, each with 15 points.  No one else had more than six for the Eagles, now 2-2 for the season.

Chadron State was particularly cold in the opening period, making just two of 13 field goal shots.  Billings was five of 16 while taking a 13-6 lead.

Breen’s nine points and six rebounds led the way as Billings outscored the Eagles 27-20 in the second period to build its 14-point halftime lead.

With Weidauer tallying 11 points, Chadron State outcored Billings 19-15 in the third quarter and eventually cut Yellowjackets’ lead to 61-57 on Turek’s jumper with 3:38 to play.  However, Breen answered with a layup and also added two free throws to help keep her team in the lead.

Billings shot 34.3 percent (23-67) from the field for the game while the Eagles hit 36.5 percent (23-63).  But the Yellowjackets outscored CSC eight to six from 3-point territory and finished 15 of 17 from the free throw line. Chadron State also missed just two free shots, but went to the line only nine times.

Breen’s 16 rebounds, one shy of her career-high, helped the Montana team to a 44-30 advantage off the glass.  However, CSC freshman guard Jessica Harvey was the game’s second-leading rebounder with nine.

Breen was named the Classic’s outstanding player.  The Eagles’ Kalli Feddersen also was among the five players placed on the all-classic team.  She finished the Eagles’ two games with 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Feddersen had a game-highs of 20 points and seven assists and also claimed five rebounds when the Concordia Cavaliers of Portland, Ore., took a 65-60 decision to open the Yellowjacket Classic on Thursday night.

The Eagles will meet Nebraska-Kearney at 5:30 Tuesday night and visit the Denver Pioneers for an exhibition game the next night while closing out their non-conference schedule.  They will open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play by hosting Colorado Mines and Colorado Christian on Dec. 1 and 2.

                                             Chadron State              6          20         19        14       —-59
MSU-Billings                13         27          15        14      —-69