Career Resume
The all-time leading scorer at MSUB, Carpenter finished her four-year career as a Yellowjacket with exactly 2,000 points. Her 700 made field goals and 294 made 3-pointers are also both career records, and Carpenter is the all-time leader in free-throw percentage at 88.3 and is second in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.3.
Her senior season, Carpenter was selected as a CoSIDA third-team all-American, and a first-team State Farm all-region pick. She was also a two-time NCAA Division II second-team all-region selection, a two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference first-team pick, a Heartland Conference first-team pick, and the 2005-06 Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year.
A two-time team captain, Carpenter also earned numerous academic awards including CoSIDA first-team all-region honors in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Feature Story: MSUB's Carpenter Focused on Shooting (By: Joe Kusek/Billings Gazette, 1/2/2007) - Original Publication
Don't ask Alira Carpenter about this week's opponents. She won't know.
And Carpenter relies heavily on teammates and coaches for practice times, meeting times and the schedule for team meals.
"It gets me in trouble sometimes, but I have great teammates who help me," Carpenter admitted with a quick smile.
"She calls a lot," added Kevin Woodin, Carpenter's coach at Montana State-Billings.
What her coaches and teammates ask Carpenter to do is shoot the basketball.
Shooting the ball, that Carpenter knows.
The sophomore from Lewistown has been blistering the nets from 3-point range this season. Carpenter has made 19 3-pointers MSU-B's last four wins - including a single-game record of seven last Saturday in a 24-point win over Oklahoma Panhandle State. She now shares the mark with former standouts Jenni Winter, Amy Winslow and Shannon Harvey.
Carpenter is making almost 51 percent of her 3-point attempts this season (37 of 73) and is a sizzling 68 percent (19 of 28) in the last four games. Coupled with her 45 3-pointers last season, Carpenter already ranks 12th all-time for 3-pointers made (82) and needs just 13 more to reach the top 10 with 18 games remaining in the regular season.
At her current average of 3.3 3-pointers a game, Carpenter is on pace to make just under 100 this season, which would easily shatter the single-season record of 75 set by Winter in 1998-99.
"I didn't even know that," Carpenter said of the cascade of numbers. "I just play the game and learn about it later."
The torrent of 3-pointers didn't come by accident. They're the result of countless hours spent in the gym refining her shot.
Taught by her father Brett, Carpenter began hoisting basketballs in third grade. Around junior high, she began realizing her talents. "I pretty much knew my role was a shooter and scorer," said Carpenter.
In high school, the 5-foot, eight-inch versatile Carpenter played on two Class A state champion basketball teams at Lewistown, was a starter on Eagle teams that won back-to-back volleyball titles and earned the Class A state doubles championship with neighbor Devin Nelson.
Any down time was quickly filled by more shooting at the gym.
"I worked on my shot before practice and sometimes at 11 at night during the summer," Carpenter recalled. "That's huge, my shot became more natural because of all the time I put in."
Woodin was originally recruiting Sonya Rogers of Lewistown, when Carpenter kept playing her way into his radar.
"It was like, 'Wow! I like her too,' " Woodin said. "You could tell she had the ability to score points in a lot of different ways."
Woodin was initially leery of signing another shooting guard - Glendive Kayla McPherson had already committed to the program - but Woodin couldn't ignore Carpenter's confident play and consistent shooting.
"Coach said I had potential to make an impact right away," said Carpenter on selecting MSU-B, where she is currently majoring in biology as part of a pre-med plan.
"There was a lot of competition at the guard spot. I just had to earn my shot and go out and do my thing."
It didn't take long for Carpenter to work her way into the lineup.
"In just a couple of weeks of practice, you could tell Alira could contribute right away," Woodin said.
Carpenter's specialty in high school was more a mid-range jumper. She didn't work her way outside the arc more until last season. Carpenter was actually 0 for 3 in her college debut against Fort Lewis in last season's opener. She would make her first collegiate 3-pointer the next night against Hillsdale.
Carpenter started 23 of 27 games last year, averaging 11.7 points a game. She was selected the Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year.
"The biggest adjustment is just the speed," said Carpenter of the transition from high school. "In college, you 
push the ball so much. And it's a lot more physical and a longer season. The season is almost twice as long as high school.
"It took some adjustment but I eventually got in sync with the game."
A tremendous catch-and-shoot player, Carpenter had to also speed up her delivery.
"Before, I had a few seconds to get my shot off, now it's a split-second," she said.
Carpenter's high school game was built around mid-range jumpers and easy baskets in transition. In college, she has ventured out and become more comfortable outside the 3-point arc.
"Actually, I like being farther back," Carpenter said. "There is nothing like seeing the ball for a long time and watching it drop through the net.
"When I get the ball, most of the time, I don't even know I'm at the 3-point line. It's so natural now, to just be out there and take the shot."
Despite more defensive attention, Carpenter is averaging a team-best 18.1 points a game and already has more than 500 career points just 11 games into her sophomore season.
"I have great teammates getting me the ball and who are a big part of my success," said Carpenter.
Carpenter got to play against Rogers when MSU-B traveled to the University of Montana for a game on Nov. 12. "I got to guard Sonya, that was a blast," said Carpenter. "And it was kind of weird. It's the first time we've ever played against each other."
While the points keep coming, Carpenter keeps working to expand her game.
"Coach says never be satisfied," she said. "I know I have a long way to go for myself, on defense for sure. I have to work on my defense and mid-range jumper.
"I'm having a blast. There is no place I'd rather be."
