BILLINGS, Mont., December 28, 2019 – Scoring a team-high 21 points, Rocky Mountain College's Markaela Francis surpassed 1,000 career points during No. 20 ranked Rocky Mountain College's 88-55 win over Mount Royal University.

The senior forward from Great Falls, Mont., is only the second player in program history to hit the millennium career point mark since the beginning of the 2003-04 seasons and the first 1,000 point scorer under head coach Wes Keller.  Rocky's Gretchen Wall recorded 1127 career points between 2004 and 2008.

"We are proud of what Markaela has been able to accomplish as a Battlin' Bear. She has been with the program for five years and is a big part of who we are as a team," said Keller. "She is a hard worker, a natural leader, and great player. It is a well-deserved honor."

Rocky entered the half with a 38-27 lead, but a 21-2 run out of halftime allowed the Battlin' Bears to outscore the Cougars 32-6 in the third period and maintain a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Five Battlin' Bears finished the night in the double digits in the scoring column.

"Being able to do this on a night like tonight means a lot," said Francis. "It wouldn't mean as much if we had been playing badly as a team, but we had five players score in the double digits. I couldn't score without my team, so to have the entire team playing together like we did tonight is just great."

Francis posted a double double on her historic night with a team-high 21 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. It counts as her sixth 20-point performance and sixth double double this season.

Kloie Thatcher scored 15 points with four assists and four steals while Destinee Pointer posted a 14-point performance. Mackenzie Dethman had 12 points in addition to 10 points from Shiloh McCormick.

The Battlin' Bears shot 43.8 percent from the field while landing 6-of-19 from beyond the arc. Mount Royal University shot 33.3 percent from the field while holding a 38-36 edge in boards.

The Cougars were led by Jenika Marten's 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Battlin' Bears will next play Yellowstone Christian College on Jan. 6 in the Shrine Auditorium.