BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team is hitting the road for the final time in the 2011-12 campaign following last week's split of their home games with the two Alaska schools. The Yellowjackets are still in the thick of the hunt to earn a bye in the first round of the 2012 Great Northwest Athletic Conference basketball tournament, and that race will surely heat up this weekend.
 
The Yellowjacket women are currently fifth in the league standings with an overall record of 16-8 and an 8-5 mark in the league. Western Washington University is currently second with a 9-3 record in conference play while Seattle Pacific University and Simon Fraser University each have four losses for the year in third and fourth. SPU has nine GNAC wins while the Clan have claimed eight victories.
 
Last week, MSUB defeated the Nanooks of the University of Alaska Fairbanks 88-72 on Thursday night before turning their attention to a shot at redemption on Saturday night. The eighth-ranked Seawolves of the University of Alaska Anchorage entered Billings, but MSUB's late-game efforts proved to be not enough to score the upset as Anchorage left with an five-point, 56-51, win.
 
The Yellowjacket women have now turned their attention to Central Washington University and Northwest Nazarene University. The Yellowjackets will first visit the Wildcats of CWU (6-13, 3-9 GNAC) in Ellensburg, Wash. on Thursday, Feb. 9 and then turn around and head to face the Crusaders of NNU (13-7, 7-5 GNAC) in Nampa, Idaho on Saturday, Feb. 11.
 
The last time MSUB faced this pair of opponents, they sent the Crusaders home with a 58-53 loss and then fell 59-65 to the Wildcats at home inside Alterowitz Gymnasium.
 
Both the Wildcats and Crusaders are averaging more points per game than the Yellowjackets' 66.1 points per contest, but MSUB is currently second in the league in points allowed at 58.3 points per game. CWU averages 69.9 points scored per game while NNU averages 71.1 points per contest.
 
The Yellowjackets are currently in the top-20 nationally in two categories. They are currently 10^th in the nation with an average of 14 turnovers per game and are also 19^th-nationally with 7.6 three-point field goals per game which is also second in the conference to Central Washington's 8.3.
 
Bolstering MSUB's three-point numbers are senior guard Kalli Stanhope and freshman guard Quinn Peoples. Stanhope is currently sixth in the league as she has hit on 38.8% (38-98) of her looks from three-point range. Peoples has recorded a league-best 53 treys so far this season and is currently third in the GNAC with 2.2 treys per outing. Stanhope is eighth with 1.6 three-pointers per game and sophomore point-guard Bobbi Knudsen is 10^th with an average of 1.4 treys.
 
Knudsen continues to pace the Yellowjackets with a conference third-best 16.4 points per game. The Malta, Mont. native is currently seven points away from eclipsing the 400-point mark for the year as her 393 points are tops in the GNAC.
 
Freshman forward Janiel Olson has moved up a spot in the league standings into fifth with an average of 8.8 rebounds per game as she has a brought down a league third-most 211 boards this season.
 
Central Washington enters Thursday's game in the midst of a two-game losing skid and are currently eighth in the league standings. The Wildcats' 8.3 treys per game currently lead the conference and that has them currently seventh in the nation in the category.
 
Sophomore Jessica VanDyke leads the way for CWU with 14.2 points per outing which is good enough for ninth-best in the league which includes a league-high-tying 2.6 treys per outing. She is also 10^th in rebounding with 7.2 boards per game presenting a formidable force off the glass and is sixth in free throw percentage as she has hit 81.3% (52-64) of her attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Courtney Johnson paces the Wildcats from three-point range as the freshman has hit 23 of her 59 attempts for a .390 clip. Besides teammate VanDyke, senior Sophie Russell is another fan of the three-ball as she is fourth in the league with 2.1 three's per game.
 
Northwest Nazarene enters the week currently on a two-game winning streak which has moved them up to sixth in the GNAC. The Crusaders are currently 13^th in the nation in free throw percentage with a .765 clip.
 
They are led by Briaunna King who is currently second in the league with an 83.3% (75-90) shooting percentage from the charity stripe. She is one of two NNU players who are ranked in the top-10 in the league in scoring as she paces the Crusaders with 16.0 points per game, good enough to leave her tied for fifth in the league. The other player is Megan Hingston who averages 15.4 points per game and is seventh.
 
King has 12 double-doubles on the season, sitting fourth in the conference with 9.2 rebounds per game. Her 12 double-doubles have her currently 12^th in the nation in the category.
 
Alla Dzhidzhiyeshvili leads the GNAC and is 15^th in the nation with 3.2 steals per game off 63 total swipes this season.
 
Following the pair of road-games, MSUB will close the curtains on their 2011-12 season with a three-game home-stand which will include their annual Pink Zone night as well as Senior night.