BILLINGS, Mont. – After a thrilling 55-53 victory over visiting Saint Martin's University Monday, the Montana State Billings women's basketball team has a quick turnaround as it travels to top-seeded and nationally ranked Western Washington for a Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Carver Gymnasium. The Yellowjackets enter with a 16-11 record, while WWU is 25-2.
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the first GNAC Championship game scheduled for Sat., Mar. 5, at 7 p.m. at a site to be determined based on the highest remaining seed.
The Jackets, fueled by a career-high 19 points from freshman Bobbi Knudsen, sparked the team with a number of big shots time and time again against the Saints Monday. Senior Jenny Heringer hit a critical jumper off an assist from Knudsen with 17 seconds left to put the Jackets up 55-51.
“Heringer's shot with around 17 seconds left was really big with the shot clock running down,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said after the game. “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.”
For the season, the Yellowjackets are led by senior Beata Bak who leads the team averaging 13.3 points per game. She has a team-high 133 made field goals and 78 made free throws. She is second on the team in rebounding at a 5.4 average. Bak leads the team with 32 blocks and is tied for third with 28 steals.
Second on the team in scoring is Heringer at an 11.6 clip. She has played in just 19 games after sitting out the first semester from transferring from Montana State. Heringer is third on the team in made field goals with 77. She has 29 triples which is good for second on the team and leads the team with an .826 average from the free throw line. She is third on the team in rebounding at 4.9 per game.
Leading the team in rebounding is senior Kayla Ryan who has had a storied four-year career as a Yellowjacket. She became the 19th player in school history to score 1000 career points this season. She leads the team and ranks second in the conference in rebounds at a 7.4 average. Ryan is third on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game. Her 107 field goals made is second-most on the team and so are her 66 made free throws.
Knudsen leads the team from beyond the arc with 35 made triples. She has 83 made field goals on the year and is averaging 9.1 points per game.
As a team, the Jackets are shooting .392 from the field on 613 of 1565. They have made 162 triples (.299) and are shooting 70.6 percent from the free throw line on 360 of 510. The Jackets are averaging 37.1 rebounds per game and 64.7 points per contest.
Conversely, the Yellowjackets are holding opponents to 37.4 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from range and 70.5 percent from the line. The opposition is averaging 38.5 rebounds per game and scoring 60.7 points per contest.
With the win Monday, the Jackets tie their win total from the 2008-09 season when they also went 16-11 and barely missed the NCAA Tournament. MSUB hasn't won more than 16 games in a season since the 2006-07 when it went 22-10 with a Heartland Conference regular season and tournament championship.
The series with Western Washington this season has been a really good one. The Jackets battled back in the opener Dec. 4, 2010, in Bellingham to tie the game in the closing moments forcing overtime. WWU won 80-70 in overtime in a hard-fought contest. The Jackets were led by 25 points from Bak and Ryan chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
All five starters for WWU were in double figures led by 19 points from Megan Pinske and 18 from GNAC Player of the Year Amanda Dunbar. Both teams didn't shoot the ball exceptionally well as the Yellowjackets dominated inside scoring 36 points in the paint.
In the return trip to Billings, Feb. 22, 2011, the Jackets had the opportunity at the upset versus the No. 6 team in the country, but came up just short in a 63-57 loss. Senior Mandy Jacobs was the lone Yellowjacket in double figures with 11 points, while Dunbar led the way for WWU with 19 points.
Knudsen hit a jumper in the lane with 1:37 left to pull the Jackets within 58-57. Pinkse hit a dagger triple and two free throws in the closing seconds for the Vikings.
WWU leads the all-time series 13-10, including 8-2 in Bellingham. The Jackets own a 6-4 lead in Billings and 2-1 advantage in neutral site games. The Vikings have won four straight. MSUB's last win was a 67-62 home victory on Feb. 18, 2009. The Vikings have won the last eight in Bellingham. MSUB's last win in Carver Gymnasium was a 63-59 decision on Feb. 27, 1999.
