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Billings, Mont. – After winning the 2012 Yellowjacket Classic, the Montana State Billings women's basketball team is geared up and ready to enter their Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule this weekend. The Yellowjackets will host Central Washington University and Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday and Saturday.
 
MSUB is currently 4-2 overall and on a two game winning streak. This past weekend the Jackets defeated Dixie State College of Utah 91-87 in a highly competitive bout that went into overtime on Friday, Nov. 23. Junior guard Bobbi Knudsen scored a career high 33 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
 
Following their game against the Red Storm, the Jackets put together a dominating performance Saturday, Nov. 24 against Notre Dame de Namur University, where MSUB won 80-44. Senior guard Brooke Tolman shot the ball well from outside, leading all scorers with 19 points.
 
Knudsen, Kayleen Goggins and Tolman all received all-tournament honors for their efforts in the Yellowjacket Classic. Colorado State University-Pueblo's Ericka Hicks, Dixie State's Johnna Brown, and Notre Dame's Charnisha Bradley had solid outings over the weekend also earning all-tournament selections.
 
Scoring 44 total points en route to helping MSUB capture two victories; Knudsen was awarded the tournament's most valuable player award, and the Red Lion GNAC Player-of-the-Week. She currently leads all scorers in the conference with a 19.0 per game average. Knudsen also leads the team in assists with 35, and is tied for the lead in steals with 13.
 
All of the Yellowjackets' starters average eight or more points per game, with Goggins and Quinn Peoples averaging 12.3 and 11.5 respectively. Janiel Olson continues to remain a force on the class, leading the team with 43 rebounds.
 
Sophomore guard Annie DePuydt has provided quality depth in the back court, coming off the bench to average 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
 
MSUB has slightly outrebound their opposition this season, grabbing 37.8 per game compared to their opponents' 36.8. The Jackets have been tenacious on defense, with a total of 63 steals and forcing teams into 19.3 turnovers per game.

Central Washington comes into the Magic City with a 3-2 overall record, losing their most recent two contests. One of their losses came at the hands of Metropolitan State University of Denver, who was ranked No. 24 in the Nov. 20 USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 national poll.
 
The Wildcats have a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging seven or more points. Ally Schmitt leads the team in scoring, tallying 15.2 per game, and assists with 20 on the season. She also has 27 rebounds, one away from Amber Moser and Jessica VanDyke who are tied for the team lead.
 
Central Washington was projected to finish seventh in the GNAC this year, so they will be inspired to come away with a road victory and end their two game losing streak. The Yellowjackets and Wildcats will square off on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m.
 
After competing with Central Washington, MSUB will compete against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. Northwest Nazarene is a very talented team, that were picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches' poll. The Crusaders are off to a hot 5-0 start with their last victory coming over Metropolitan State on Nov. 24.
 
In the Nov. 27 USA Today Sports Division II Top national poll, Northwest Nazarene received eight votes for consideration of being ranked. The Crusaders are also playing well on the road with three of their victories coming on their opponent's site.
 
MSUB will have a challenge in the backcourt, the Crusaders' junior guards Megan Hingston and Luke Chelsie average 16.0 and 15.6 points per game respectively. Hingston also leads the team in rebounding with an 8.4 per game average.
 
As a team, Northwest Nazarene averages 70.2 points per game with a .404 shooting percentage. On the glass they average 47.4 rebounds, and are active defensively averaging 6.8 steals per game. One area the Yellowjackets will look to take advantage of is turnovers, as the Crusaders average 17.6 per contest.
 
“It will be a great challenge for our team to open GNAC play against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene,” stated head coach Kevin Woodin. “Both teams are off to great starts this year and have very athletic and talented teams. We will need to execute on both ends of the floor in order to come out on top.”

If Yellowjacket fans are unable to attend these events they can catch all of the action live through our web streaming link listed above.