BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings women's basketball team returns home to begin a three game home stand Saturday at 5:15 p.m. versus Seattle Pacific. The Yellowjackets enter the game with a 10-9 record overall and a 6-5 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. SPU stands a 13-6 overall and 7-4 in conference play.
Saturday's Hall of Fame doubleheader is sponsored by Hilton Garden Inn and the theme is family night as all families will be admitted for $10. The Yellowjacket men's basketball team will host Alaska Anchorage approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game. The 22nd Annual MSUB Yellowjacket Hall of Fame and Distinction Class of 2011 will be introduced at halftime of the men's game.
The Yellowjackets are coming off of a split in Alaska this past week. The Jackets won 81-60 at Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday and dropped a hard-fought, physical 62-48 decision Saturday at No. 17 Alaska Anchorage. MSUB senior Jenny Heringer led the team in scoring in both games as she tallied a combined 32 points and nine rebounds. She went 10 of 22 from the field, 6 of 12 from beyond the arc and 6 of 7 from the line.
Leading the way for the Jackets this season is senior Beata Bak who leads the team averaging 14.3 points per game, ranking her fourth in the league. She is second on the team in rebounding at 5.6 per game. Bak leads the team with 101 made field goals and 58 made free throws. She leads the team with 24 blocks, ranking her fifth in the league.
With Heringer's strong performance last week, she moved into second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game. Heringer became eligible to play the second semester this season after transferring from Montana State. Senior Kayla Ryan is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points and leads the team averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Ryan ranks sixth in the league in rebounding and is seventh in the league standings in blocks with 20.
She scored her 1,000th career point in an 82-55 win over Western Oregon Jan. 20, in Alterowitz Gymnasium. She became the 19th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark. Ryan has 1,042 points and is just 24 points away from catching Robyn Blindwoman (Milne) with 1,066.
Blindwoman (Milne) played from 2001-2005 and is one of four to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. The other three inductees are; Mike Mallowney (1958-62 football and (1960-62) track & field, (1965-81) Coach of the Year, Dennis Whitmore of GM Petroleum who has been a booster and Friend of Yellowjacket Athletics since 1996 and Joey Ehnes who competed in softball from 2001-2005.
Senior Shantell Marquis leads the team and the conference in steals with 50. She also ranks 50th nationally in steals.
As a team, the Jackets are shooting 39.1 percent from the field, 30.3 percent from beyond the arc and 72.1 percent from the line, ranking third in the league. The Jackets are averaging 36.1 rebounds per game and have a league-best 89 blocks on the year. MSUB is averaging 65.6 points per game.
Conversely, the Jackets are holding opponents to just 37.1 percent shooting which is second-best in the league. The opposition is shooting an even 30 percent from beyond the arc and 70.7 percent from the line. The opponents are averaging 40 rebounds per game and 61.5 points.
With a win Saturday, the Yellowjackets will match last season's win total as the Jackets were 11-16 in 2009-2010.
Seattle Pacific is led by Nyesha Sims who leads the team averaging 10.9 points per game. She leads the team in rebounding, too, at a 7.1 clip. Sims leads the team with 83 made field goals and is tied for third in made 3-pointers with 15. Caitlyn Rohrbach is second in scoring at 10.1 points per game. Katie Benson is third in scoring at a 9.9 average and leads the team with 41 made free throws.
As a team, the Falcons are shooting 40.2 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the arc and 70.8 percent from the line. SPU is averaging 41.1 rebounds per game and scoring 66.5 points per game. Conversely, SPU is holding opponents to 37.8 percent shooting, 30 percent from beyond the arc and 69 percent from the line. The opposition is averaging 33.3 rebounds per game and scoring 57.7 points per game.
The last time the two teams met, the Jackets pulled a thrilling 59-50 upset at then-No. 17 SPU. It was the first win for MSUB over the Falcons in 10 meetings, and it also snapped a string of 10 consecutive home wins by SPU over the Jackets.
More impressive, it 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. Prior to MSUB's win, SPU's last home conference loss was a 78-54 setback to Western Washington, Mar. 2, 2006.
The Jackets were led by 12 points from Bak, while freshman Bobbi Knudsen tallied 11 points. Knudsen earned GNAC Player of the Week honors for her efforts shutting down Sims, holding her to just three points on 1 of 8 from the field and forcing her into four turnovers.
SPU leads the all-time series 20-15, but the Yellowjackets own a 10-4 record at home. SPU has won the last three meetings in Billings since a 61-52 win by MSUB on Jan. 6, 2001.
