BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings women's basketball team closes out a three game home stand this week with two crucial Great Northwest Athletic Conference games in Alterowitz Gymnasium.  The Yellowjackets entertain Central Washington Thursday at 7 p.m. and host Northwest Nazarene Saturday at 7 p.m.  Saturday's game is the Fourth Annual MSUB Pink Zone Event benefitting the Eva Project.

 

The Yellowjackets enter the week in a three-way tie for third place in the GNAC with a 7-5 record.  MSUB is 11-9 overall and has won four of five. The top four teams in the GNAC host the first round of the conference tournament later this month.

 

MSUB will be looking for some revenge this week as both Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene defeated the Jackets last month.  NNU won 75-62 Jan. 13 in Nampa, Idaho, while CWU posted an 81-71 home win for its then-first conference win of the season Jan. 15.

 

Leading the way for the Jackets this season is senior forward Beata Bak who leads the team averaging 14.1 points per game, ranking her fourth in the league.  She leads the team with 106 made field goals and 58 made free throws.  Her 25 blocks ranks her sixth in the league. 

 

Second on the team in scoring is senior guard Jenny Heringer.  She has come on as of late, leading the team in scoring in two of the past three games.  Senior Kayla Ryan is third in scoring at 10.3 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game, ranking her sixth in the league.  Ryan became the 19^th player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points earlier this season.  She leads the team, and is seventh in the league, in field goal percentage at a .476 clip.

 

Senior point guard, Shantell Marquis, leads the team and the conference in steals with 52.  She also ranks 11^th in the league in assists with 56.

 

As a team, the Jackets are shooting 39.1 percent from the field for the year, 30.1 percent from beyond the arc and 71.5 percent from the charity stripe.  MSUB is averaging 36.0 rebounds per game and scoring 65.1 points per contest.  Conversely, the opposition is averaging 61.0 points per game and 40.0 rebounds per game.   MSUB is holding opponents to 37 percent from the field, 30.2 percent from beyond the arc and 70.1 percent from the line.

 

Central Washington enters with a 7-12 mark overall and a 2-10 record in conference play.  The Wildcats are led by Sophie Russell who is averaging a team-high 10.9 points per game.  She leads the team from beyond the arc with 35 triples.  Stacy Albrecht is second in scoring at 9.2 points and leads the team averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.  Albrecht leads the team with 76 made field goals, while Russell is second with 71.

 

The Wildcats are shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from beyond the arc and 71.0 percent from the line.  They are averaging 40.7 rebounds and scoring 64.7 points per game.  The opposition is averaging 41.4 rebounds and 67.2 points per game.

 

In the previous meeting, Alisha Love went off for a career-high 27 points in the win versus the Jackets earlier.  She was 7 of 11 from the field and 11 of 14 from the line.  The Jackets really struggled shooting to the tune of 34 percent and had no starters in double figures.  Bak led the way with 13 points off the bench.

 

MSUB leads the all-time series 12-7 and 6-1 in Billings.  CWU leads 5-4 in Ellensburg, while the Jackets own at 2-1 record in neutral site games.  The Wildcats have won the past three meetings in the series.

 

Northwest Nazarene enters the week with a 12-9 record and a 7-6 mark in conference play.  The Crusaders are led by Briaunna King who averages a team-high 11.6 points per game.  She leads the team with 88 made field goals and 41 made free throws.  Second on the team in scoring is Beth Johnson at 9.8 points per game.  Johnson leads the team averaging 6.3 rebounds per game.  Heather Adams leads the team from beyond the arc with 39 triples.

 

As a team, the Crusaders are shooting .402 from the field, .355 from beyond the arc and .707 from the line.  NNU is pulling down 38.7 rebounds per game and 69.6 points per contest.  The opposition is averaging 36.5 rebounds and 64.1 points per game.

 

Turnovers and missed free throws were the name of the game in the first meeting as the Jackets committed 21 miscues and went just 6 of 13 from the line.  NNU was 18 of 27.  The other main difference was rebounding as the Crusaders tallied 51 rebounds with 22 on the offensive end.  The Jackets had 35 rebounds and 11 on the offensive side.

 

NNU holds a slim 7-6 lead in the series and have won three straight.  MSUB leads 4-1 in Billings, while the Crusaders are 6-2 in Nampa.

 

Saturday is MSUB's Pink Zone Event as they will trade their traditional navy and gold uniforms for pink.  In addition, all in-game materials will be printed on pink paper, and the referees will use pink whistles for the game. 

 

The festivities begin when the doors open at 6 p.m. as all fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, and all women who attend will be admitted free.  A number of breast cancer survivors will have special Coaches' Row seating on the North sideline and will be honored at halftime, including a photo with the MSUB cheer/dance team and the women's basketball team.

 

The game is sponsored by St. Vincent's Health Care and the Eva Project.