BILLINGS, Mont. – A career-high 19 points from freshman Bobbi Knudsen helped propel Montana State Billings to a thrilling 55-53 victory over visiting Saint Martin's Monday evening in the first round of the 2011 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament.  With the win, the Jackets improved to 16-11 on the year, while Saint Martin's season comes to a close at 15-12.

“It was a great atmosphere for a tournament game,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said.  “It was very exciting to be participating in the playoffs.  To win a close game, you can't ask for much more than that.  I thought the game was very competitive and we knew it would be close.  It really wasn't decided until the final seconds.”

MSUB senior Jenny Heringer nailed a jumper from the corner with 17 seconds left off an assist from Knudsen to give the Jackets a crucial 55-51 lead.  The Jackets played the ball around and drained some of the shot clock with a 53-51 lead.  Heringer received the pass from Knudsen with about four seconds remaining on the shot clock when she nailed the jumper.  It was Heringer's fourth field goal for 10 points as the only other Yellowjacket in double figures for the game.

“Heringer's shot with around 17 seconds left was really big with the shot clock running down,” Woodin said.  “I thought our team did a nice job of staying patient on that possession and finding the open player as Jenny hit a big shot.”

Knudsen led the Jackets with 19 points on 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, also a career-high.  She tallied four rebounds and two assists with her second assist being the biggest of her young career. 

“Bobbi hit some big shots for us,” Woodin said.  “Her teammates found her.  For a freshman to step up under those conditions is pretty amazing.  She maybe a freshman, but she doesn't play like someone new to the job.  She deserves all of the accolades she receives.”

The Jackets shot 41.7 percent for the game on 20 of 48 from the floor.  MSUB drained nine triples out of 21 attempts for a 42.9 average and were just 6 of 8 from the line in a game that saw only 23 fouls combined.

SMU was led by 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds from Dara Zack.  She was 6 of 11 from the field and 2 of 5 from deep. Kellie Snyder tallied 13 points on 6 of 14 from the field.  The Saints shot 43.1 percent from the field on 22 of 51.  They were 4 of 13 from beyond the arc and 5 of 8 from the line.

A jumper in the paint by senior Sarah McNamee with 12:35 left in the first half tied the game at 11 sparking a Yellowjacket run of 12-2 for a 21-13 lead with 9:08 on the clock.  Saint Martin's would close within 25-22 with 4:30 left, but triples from senior Shantell Marquis and Knudsen swelled the Yellowjacket lead back to 10 as they settled for a 32-24 lead at intermission.

“I thought one of the keys was in the first half as in the previous two games we had been behind at halftime by five and seven points,” Woodin added. “We talked about getting off to a better start.  I thought we played very well in the first half, especially on defense.  To take an eight-point lead into half on them was rewarding.  I thought we were doing a good job of going inside and then outside with Knudsen and Heringer hitting some three's.”

Zack hit a triple with 14:30 remaining in the second half cutting the Yellowjacket lead to 35-31 as SMU opened the second stanza scoring seven of the first 10 points.  A layup by Heather Worley brought the Saints within 35-33 with 12 minutes left.

“We started the second half fine, but they were able to narrow the gap as we missed some pretty easy shots we normally make,” Woodin said.  “Give them credit, they are very well coached and we knew they would make a run at us and anytime you have Dara Zack you always are in the game.”

McNamee had the answer for the Jackets with a bucket moments later starting a 10-3 run capped by a another triple from Knudsen for a 45-36 lead with 9:33 left.

Zack kept the Saints in the game with her second trifecta on the ensuing possession.

Bak nailed two free throws to put the Jackets up 51-41 with 6:45 left.  The Saints then used a 10-5 run over the next 5:45 to pull within 53-51 on a jumper from Worley.

“I thought we played some good defense down the stretch,” Woodin said.  “We were able to hang on and Jenny's shot was big.” 

The Yellowjackets now head to Bellingham, Wash., to take on top-seeded Western Washington Wednesday at 7 p.m. Pacific time in a semifinal matchup.  The winner will advance to Saturday's GNAC Championship game at a site to be determined.  Fans can access live stats and live streaming of Wednesday's game by logging onto www.msubsports.com and navigating to the women's basketball schedule page.