BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings women's basketball team makes its final regular season road trip of the year this week with key Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups at Saint Martin's and at Western Oregon. The Jackets battle Saint Martin's at 5:15 p.m., Thursday, and then play at Western Oregon Saturday at 2 p.m.   Both game times are local to site. 

 

The Yellowjackets are one of the hottest teams in the league winning six of their last seven games. They are coming off of one of the most thrilling games in school history this past Saturday. The Jackets downed visiting Northwest Nazarene in front of a season-high 1,755 fans in triple overtime, 85-78, for WBCA Pink Zone Night benefitting the Eva Project. It was the longest women's basketball game in school and GNAC history. Senior Kayla Ryan set a career-high with 19 rebounds to go along with 18 points earning her GNAC Player of the Week honors.

 

Leading the way for the Jackets this season is senior Beata Bak who leads the team averaging 13.8 points per game ranking her fifth in the league. Bak also leads the team with 113 field goals made and 65 made free throws. She also leads the team in blocks with 27, which is good for sixth in the league.

 

Second on the team in scoring is senior Jenny Heringer at 11.9 points per game. Since January, she leads the team averaging 12.6 points per game and has knocked down 19 triples. For the season, she is second on the team in made three-pointers with 21. 

 

Ryan is third on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game and leads the team averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, which is good for second in the league. Ryan ranks fifth in the league and leads the team in field goal percentage at a .494 clip. She ranks second on the team and seventh in the league in blocks with 23. She leads the team with five double-doubles on the year.

 

Freshman Bobbi Knudsen is fourth on the team in scoring at nine points per game. She has had a very impressive first year as a Yellowjacket ranking second on the team in made field goals with 65 and leads the team in made three-pointers with 28. She is second in assists and steals with 51 and 29, respectively.

 

Senior Shantell Marquis moved into second place on the all-time GNAC steals record this past week. She has 245 for her career and will finish her career in second.  This season, she leads the team and the conference with 59 steals. She has 304 for her career (one year in the Heartland Conference) and is just 39 away from tying Amy Winslow's school record of 343 (1995-1999).       

As a team, the Jackets are shooting 38.5 percent from the field. They have knocked down 137 triples for 29.6 percent and are at a 71.2 percent clip from the free throw line. MSUB is averaging 38 rebounds per game and allowing 40.1. The Jackets are averaging 65.7 points per game and allowing 61.1.

 

Saint Martin's enters the week with a 13-9 record overall and an 8-6 mark in conference play. The Saints have dropped two of three after winning six of seven. The lone loss in the previous streak was a 62-61 setback to MSUB on a virtually buzzer-beater shot from senior Mandy Jacobs. 

 

The Saints are led by Dara Zack who leads the team averaging 15.5 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. She is the lone player on the team scoring double figures. Zack leads the team with 123 made field goals, third in triples with 23 and leads the team with 72 made free throws and a .758 average. She also leads the team with 44 assists and 32 steals. Second on the team in scoring is Marelle Moehrle at 8.2 points per game. She leads the team with 37 made triples and a .343 average. She is second on the team in made free throws with 34 and leads the team in free throw percentage at a .919 clip.

 

As a team, the Saints are shooting 37.4 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from beyond the arc and 72.4 percent from the line. SMU is averaging 39 rebounds per game and allowing 35.4. The Saints are scoring 62.1 points per game and allowing just 58.9.

 

Eight of the 10 MSUB players who played in the first meeting scored. The Jackets had just one player in double figures as Ryan scored 19 points. SMU had 20 points from Moehrle and 16 from Zack, but Jacobs' off-balance triple in the waning seconds to be the difference, 62-61. 

 

The Jackets lead the all-time series 15-7 and 8-5 in Lacey. SMU has won the past three meetings at home, however. The Jackets' last win in Lacey was an 84-68 victory Dec. 9, 2006. 

 

Western Oregon enters with a 9-13 record overall and a 7-7 mark in conference play. The Wolves will host Seattle Pacific Thursday as their annual Pink Zone night, prior to hosting MSUB Saturday for Senior Night.

 

The Wolves have won just two of their last seven which started with an 82-55 setback in Billings Jan. 20. In that game, Heringer led the way with 22 points leading four players in double figures. The Jackets shot 47.8 percent for the game and led 42-18 at halftime holding WOU to 26 percent shooting in the first half.

 

Leading the way for WOU this season Sara Zahler who leads the team averaging 13.1 points per game. She is second on the team in made field goals (93) and in rebounding at a 6.0 average. Zahler leads the team with 45 made triples. Rylee Peterson is second in scoring at 12.6 points per game and leads the team averaging 6.8 rebounds. Peterson leads the team with 100 made field goals and 60 made free throws. She also leads the team and conference with 54 blocks.

 

As a team, the Wolves are shooting .389 from the field, .302 from beyond the arc and .742 from the line. They are averaging 37 rebounds per game and allowing 40.7. WOU is scoring 64 points per game and allowing 70.

 

MSUB is 13-4 all-time versus Western Oregon and is 6-3 in Monmouth. MSUB won at WOU Feb. 14, 2009, 77-63, but lost last year 66-48 on Feb. 11. The Jackets have won 11 of the last 13 meetings.

 

The Yellowjackets then return home to host nationally ranked and league-leading Western Washington Tues., Feb. 22 at 5:15 p.m. and then closes the regular season Thurs., Feb. 24 at 5:15 p.m. versus Simon Fraser for Senior Night.