BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings women's basketball team returns to the road for a three-game stretch beginning Saturday at 2 p.m. at No. 17 Seattle Pacific. The Yellowjackets enter the game with a 6-6 record overall and a 2-2 mark in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. SPU stands at 9-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
The Jackets are coming off of a 3-2 record in a season-long five-game home stand. MSUB throttled Alaska Fairbanks on Monday with a 90-45 win. In that game, the Jackets were led by five players in double figures. Freshman Bobbi Knudsen led all scorers with 14 points on 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Seniors Beata Bak and Jenny Heringer chipped in 12 points, while freshman Lisa Laslovich and junior Kalli Stanhope each had 10 points off the bench.
MSUB dominated the game from start to finish and the Yellowjacket defense clamped down for 40 minutes. MSUB went 28 of 60 from the floor for 46.7 percent. The Jackets tied their season-high going 12 of 31 from beyond the arc. Seven different Yellowjackets made a triple. They were 22 of 27 from the charity stripe, including 18 of 20 in the second half after starting the game 4 of 7.
The Jackets held UAF to 18 of 61 from the field for 29.5 percent. The Nanooks shot just 1 of 17 from beyond the arc, and UAF was 8 of 14 from the line. MSUB forced UAF in 19 miscues and led 21-14 in points off turnovers. The Jackets also had a season-high 13 steals.
Leading the way for MSUB this season is Bak who leads the team averaging 16.1 points per game. She ranks second in the league in scoring. Senior Kayla Ryan is second in scoring at 11.1 points per game and she leads the team averaging 8.4 rebounds per contest. Her 8.4 rebounds also is good for second in the league. Bak also leads the team with 70 made field goals and 43 made free throws and 16 blocks, ranking her fifth in the league in rejections.
Ryan is just 28 points away from becoming the 19th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career point total. In addition, senior Shantell Marquis is 64 steals away from the career lead in school history. Marquis leads the team with 30 thefts and ranks second in the GNAC.
Knudsen leads the team from beyond the arc with 15 made triples. She is fourth in scoring at 7.4 points per game. Knudsen also leads the team with 31 assists on the year and is second in steals with 12.
As a team, the Jackets are shooting .378 from the field, .302 from beyond the arc and .746 from the line. MSUB is pulling down 37.1 rebounds per game and is averaging 65.2 points per contest.
Conversely, the Jackets are holding their opponents to .369 from the field, .287 from beyond the arc and .672 from the line. The opposition is averaging 39.5 rebounds per game and scoring 60.3 points.
SPU enters the game on a seven-game winning streak and defeated nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage its last time out, 71-67 Monday. The Falcons were led by 15 points from Nyesha Sims who hit the go ahead triple with 1:18 left as then-No. 23 SPU upset 11th-ranked UAA. UAA downed MSUB 78-59 in Billings last Saturday.
Leading the way for the Falcons this season is Sims who is averaging 12.2 points per game. She also leads the team with 55 made field goals and averages a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Caitlyn Rohrbach is second in scoring at 10.7 points, while Melissa Reich is third at 10.3 points. Rohrbach is second in rebounding as well at a 5.9 clip.
Katie Benson leads the team with 12 made triples on the year.
As a team, the Falcons are shooting .411 from the field, .259 from beyond the arc and .691 from the line. They are averaging 40.7 rebounds per game and scoring 67.6 points per game. The opposition is shooting .386 from the field, .300 from deep and .681 from the line.
SPU leads the all-time series 20-14 and 15-3 in Seattle. The last Yellowjacket win in Seattle came on Feb. 10, 1996, in an 83-72 victory. The Falcons have won 10-straight in the series. MSUB's last win in the series came on Jan. 6, 2001, in a 61-52 decision in Alterowitz Gymnasium.
