NAMPA, Idaho – Hayley Hanson and Emma Clark haven't played a ton of minutes this season, but they played perhaps their most important Thursday.

The pair both used strong defense to help turn the momentum in the game in the fourth quarter.

Northwest Nazarene rallied past Montana State Billings for an 80-72 win in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play and a big part was the play of the young guards.

With NNU trailing 68-66 and less than 5 minutes remaining, point guard Marina Valles missed two free throws but Hanson knocked the ball off a defender out of bounds. She then caught the inbounds pass and drilled a 3-pointer for a lead the Nighthawks would not surrender as they closed the game on a 14-4 run.

"In my head, I was thinking we really need this right now and I wanted to do anything I could for the team," Hanson said. "In my mind, I was going to get the ball. She turned her back and I just slapped it off of her. I got lucky I'd say."

Luck or skill or smarts or whatever the play was, it worked.

After Hanson drained her 3-pointer, she then stole the ball at the top of the key, kicked it to Valles who found a wide-open Clark streaking for a layup. Just like that it was 71-66 and the Yellowjackets were calling timeout with the crowd on its feet.

"She is a really smart player and a really tough player and she made the big plays when we needed them," NNU coach Steve Steele said of Hanson. "I thought she changed the game in that minute and a half right there."
 

Valles then had a pair of layups and four free throws to ice the game, giving the Nighthawks (15-5 overall, 10-2 GNAC) their fourth consecutive win.

While Clark only scored four points, she played 16 minutes and was on the court constantly for defense down the stretch.

"My coach always tells me I'm too nice, so I figured I'd be mean tonight," Clark said. "I wanted to flip the switch, I guess. Just go out there for my team and make it easy for them to get steals and stuff."

Clark is an athletic on-ball defender who helped slow down Billings point guard Hannah Collins in the second half.

"She played the most important minutes of her career tonight," Steele said. "She did a fantastic job on their point guard, who sets everything up for them. She made her work. We keep telling our kids that if you can defend and make a difference on the defensive side, then you are going to play and Emma did that tonight."
 

The Nighthawks host Alaska Anchorage at 7 p.m. next Thursday in a monster game with playoff implications. NNU trails the Seawolves by one game in the standings.

"We're going to break this weekend and come hard on Monday," Clark said. "We're going to have the intensity up for every drill and be ready for Thursday."

Against Billings, Valles finished with a game-high 21 points. She also had seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. Avery Albrecht finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, Erin Jenkins had 10 points, Clare Eubanks had seven points and six rebounds and Jordan Pinson had nine points. Hanson had six points and Clark had four.

"Playing in big moments is because our seniors are so amazing and they make us feel so comfortable out there," Clark said. "They tell us where to go and they trust us, which helps our confidence out there."

Taryn Shelley's 18 points and seven rebounds led the Yellowjackets (10-10, 5-6).