BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings women's basketball team hosts Minot State University Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., in Alterowitz Gymnasium. The Yellowjackets enter the game with a 4-4 record, while Minot State is 9-2. The game will be an exhibition contest for the Beavers as Minot State is in the process of transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II, while it will be a counter for MSUB. The game is sponsored by the YMCA.
The Yellowjackets are coming off of a thrilling 70-67, come-from-behind victory over cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College last Saturday night. In the game, the Yellowjackets were down by as many as 12 in the early part of the second half, but a furious comeback with good inside play brought MSUB back. Senior Beata Bak scored 27 points with 21 in the second half, while senior Kayla Ryan scored her fourth consecutive double-double. Senior Sarah McNamee had her best outing of the season with 14 points.
MSUB is led this season by Bak who is averaging a team-high 18.4 points per game. She ranks second in the league in scoring. Bak leads the team with 54 made field goals and 33 made free throws. She is averaging 6.5 rebounds on the year, which is good for second on the team. Her 13 blocks leads the team and ranks fourth in the league.
Ryan is averaging a double-double with 11.9 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game. Her 10.1 rebounds ranks her second in the league. She leads the team, and is ranked sixth in the league in free throw shooting at a .857 clip (24 of 28). Ryan has a team-high 29 offensive rebounds ranking her third in the league, while her 52 defensive rebounds places her second in the league. She had four consecutive double-doubles and five consecutive games with 10 or more rebounds.
McNamee is third in scoring at 7.3 points per game. She is second on the team in 3-pointers made with nine, while junior Kalli Stanhope leads the team with 11 triples. Stanhope leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage at a .550 clip (11 of 20) and is seventh in 3-pointers made.
As a team, the Yellowjackets are shooting 35.5 percent from the field in eight games. They are 168 of 473, and are 44 of 166 from beyond the arc for a .265 clip. The Jackets moved over 70 percent from the charity stripe with a 20 of 24 performance last week against Rocky. For the season, they are 113 of 158 for 71.5 percent. MSUB is averaging 38.1 rebounds per game.
The opposition is shooting 36.5 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from deep and 65.7 percent from the line. The opponents are averaging 41.8 rebounds per game.
With a victory Saturday, the Yellowjackets would have their first back-to-back wins this season and be over .500 for the first time this season.
Minot State is coming off of a thrilling, come-from-behind 95-90 overtime victory over University of Montana Western Thursday evening. The Beavers, ranked 13th nationally in NAIA Division II, are led by Caroline Folven who leads the team averaging 13.9 points per game. She is shooting a team-best 54.4 percent from the field on 56 of 103. She also has 10 triples (.588) and is a team-high 31 of 35 from the charity stripe for 88.6 percent. Sacarra Molina is second in scoring averaging 10.5 points per game, while Kallie Erickson leads the team with 25 made 3-pointers on the year.
Folven also leads the team averaging 5.55 rebounds per game, while Carly Boag is second at a 5.36 clip. Molina leads the team with 43 assists and 19 steals on the year. The Boag sisters of Carly and Christina lead the team with six blocks each.
As a team, the Beavers are shooting 45 percent from the floor on 304 of 672. They are 66 of 165 from range (40.0) and 166 of 224 from the line for 74 percent. Minot State is averaging 76.3 points per game and allowing 61.5.
This is the first meeting between MSUB and Minot State in women's basketball.
