BILLINGS, Mont. – Fresh off of its upset at 17th-ranked Seattle Pacific, the Montana State Billings women's basketball team returns to the road this week at Northwest Nazarene (Jan. 13, 7 p.m.), and at Central Washington (Jan. 15, 2 p.m.). The Yellowjackets enter the week with a 7-6 record overall and a 3-2 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
MSUB pulled a 59-50 upset at SPU this past weekend for the first win against the Falcons in 10 meetings. It also marked the first win by the Yellowjackets in Seattle in 10 meetings as well. The Jackets' last win in the series came on Jan. 6, 2001, in a 61-56 win in Billings. MSUB's last win in Seattle was on Feb. 10, 1996, 83-72.
It also snapped a 21-game home winning streak as the Falcons were 135-5 in the 10-year history of the GNAC at home and 79-1 in conference games. SPU's last home conference loss was a 78-54 setback to Western Washington, Mar. 2, 2006.
“This was a great win for us,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said after the game. “Since I have been the coach we haven't been able to win here. Our team played well and I thought we competed hard. We put together a consistent effort and a strong second half especially.”
Knudsen was named GNAC Player of the Week for her efforts as she completely shut down SPU's leading scorer, Nyesha Sims. Knudsen held Sims to 1 of 8 from the field and three points. She was averaging 12.2 points per game entering the contest.
“It was a good team effort, but I thought Bobbi (Knudsen) did a great job on their leading scorer Nyesha Sims,” Woodin also said after the game.”
Knudsen and the rest of the Yellowjacket defense held SPU to just one player in double figures and 31.4 percent shooting from the field for the game. MSUB stymied the Falcons in the second half defensively, holding SPU to 7 of 26 from the field for 26.9 percent. The Jackets outscored SPU 39-24 after being down 26-20 at intermission.
The Yellowjackets are led by Bak who leads the team averaging 15.8 points, ranking her second in the league in scoring. She leads the team with 75 made field goals. Bak also leads the team with 16 blocks ranking her sixth in the league at 1.2 blocks per contest.
Second on the team in scoring is Ryan who is averaging 10.9 points. She leads the team and ranks second in the league averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. Ryan is second on the squad in field goals made (50) and leads the team with 38 made free throws. She is second on the team in blocks with 12 ranking her seventh in the league. She is just 19 points away from becoming the 19th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
Heringer is third in scoring at 9.0 points per game, while Knudsen is fourth at a 7.7 clip. Knudsen leads the team with 16 made 3-pointers on the year. Marquis leads the team with 34 steals and ranks tied for first in the league in steals. She also ranks 56th nationally in steals.
Northwest Nazarene enters the week with an 8-6 record overall and a 3-3 mark in conference play. The Crusaders downed Alaska Fairbanks 87-69 in their last outing. Leading the way for the Crusaders this season is Briaunna King who is averaging a team-high 13.1 points per game. She leads the team with 71 made field goals and averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. She also leads the team with 33 made free throws. Chelsie Luke is second in scoring at 9.5 points per game and is tied for second in made 3-pointers with 14. Heather Adams leads the team with 27 made triples.
The teams are tied 6-6 all-time in the series. MSUB leads the all-time series 4-1 in Billings, while NNU leads 5-2 in Nampa. MSUB had not won in Nampa since a 66-65 win on Jan. 3, 2005. NNU also has won the last three meetings overall.
Central Washington enters the week with a 5-7 record overall and a 0-5 record in conference play. The Wildcats host Seattle Pacific Thursday, prior to MSUB Saturday. Leading the way for the Wildcats this season is Luv Rattler who is averaging 11.7 points per game. She is third on the team in made field goals (38) and 13 3-pointers. Rattler leads the team with 28 made free throws. Sophie Russell is second in scoring at 10.6 points and leads the team with 21 made triples. Stacy Albrecht leads the team with 51 made field goals and leads the team averaging 7.6 rebounds per contest.
MSUB leads the all-time series with CWU 12-6. The Jackets are 6-1 in Billings and the series is tied 4-4 in Ellensburg. MSUB leads 2-1 in neutral site contests. CWU won both meetings last season and three of five in the series.
Fans can access live stats and live streaming of both games by logging on to www.msubsports.com and going to the women's basketball schedule page. MSUB then returns home to host Western Oregon, Thurs., Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in Alterowitz Gymnasium.
