Box Score

FAIRBANKS, Alaska. – The Montana State University Billings Women's Basketball team got their first conference win of the season in a commanding victory over the University of Alaska Fairbanks 83-46 Saturday Dec. 7.
 
In a statement win, Montana State Billings (6-3, 1-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) rebounded from a tough loss against Alaska Anchorage two nights ago with a 37 point win over the Nanooks.
 
The University of Alaska Fairbanks' (6-4, 0-2 GNAC) Benissa Bulaya made a three-point shot in the opening minute of the game to give UAF their one and only lead of the game.  After that, it would be all MSU Billings.  The Yellowjackets led by as much as 17 points in the first half.  With 2:33 second in the first half a lay-up by Chelsea Banis would take the Yellowjackets to a 37-20 lead.  The Nanooks would fire back.  Autumn Childers made a three-point basket with less than two minutes to go in the first half, and UAF would go on a 7-0 run in the final minutes to go into the locker room, MSUB 37, UAF 27.
 
Both Bobbi Knudsen and Banis would finish the first half in double-digits.  Knudsen would score 13 points, and Banis 10, with five rebounds.  MSUB would out-rebound the Nanooks 29-16 in the first half.  The Yellowjackets shot 42.5 percent from the field to UAF's 34.4 percent.
 
In the first half, UAF was led by Bulaya who had seven points while Jordan Wilson had six.
 
"The first half we really came out and played well," Head Coach Kevin Woodin said.  "I think we were really motivated, and as a team played well on both ends of the court.  I was proud of our team for coming back after our performance on Thursday."
 
In a complete 180-degree turn from last Thursday's game, MSU Billings used a combination of their inside game and some well-timed perimeter shooting to break open the offense in the second half.  Montana State Billings started the second half with a lay-up by Kayleen Goggins and the Yellowjackets never looked back. 
 
On a lay-up by Samantha Thornton, the Nanooks would get to within 11 points, 37-48 with 16 minutes left, but that would be as close as UAF would come.  MSU Billings would continue to build on their lead, and with 34 seconds left on the clock, a lay-up by Tenika Capouch would finish the game with MSUB's largest lead of 37 points.
 
"We played a complete game tonight," Coach Woodin stated.  "Defensively, we were very good.  We did a great job on the boards and had great intensity throughout the game."
 
For MSUB, Janiel Olson had a double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds.  Olson set several new records.  Olson's 17 rebounds is a new career-high.  Her previous high was 16 in the game against Alaska Fairbanks last year.  She was 5-10 from the field, including a new personal season-high three three-point baskets.  She also had three steals, which ties the most by a Yellowjacket this season.
 
Montana State Billings finished with 54 rebounds in the game, the most this year so far.  Goggins finished with eight rebounds.  Knudsen, Banis, and Annie DePuydt all finished with six rebounds each. 
 
Four players for the Yellowjackets finished in the double-digits in points.  Knudsen had 24, a new season-high for her.  She also had a team-high five assists. Along with Olson at 18, Banis finished with 13 points, and Quinn Peoples was 3-6 from the field, and finished with 11 points.
 
"We got great offensive balance tonight both from the standpoint that several people scored," Coach Woodin said. "But, we were also able to score in a variety of ways."  
 
Alaska Fairbanks' Wilson finished with a team-high 10 points and eight rebounds.  Bulaya and Wilson both ended the game with nine points.  The Nanooks finished the game shooting 29.5 percent from the field. 
 
Next week, Montana State Billings will play two games at home.  They will host Carroll College on Friday Dec. 13 at 7 PM.  On Saturday, Dec. 14, the team will also face-off against an MSUB Alumni team in a double-header with the men's team.  The Men's Alumni game will start at 2 PM, followed by the Women's game, which is scheduled to start at 4:00 PM.
 
Information on all of next week's games can be found at MSUBSports.com.  
 

Montana State Billings vs Alaska

12/7/13 7:00 pm at Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)

At Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS 83, ALASKA 46

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (6-3, 1-1 GNAC)

Knudsen,Bobbi 10-17 3-3 24; Olson,Janiel 5-10 5-7 18; Banis,Chelsea 6-9 1-3

13; Peoples,Quinn 3-6 4-4 11; Goggins,Kayleen 3-8 1-2 7; Hanser,Austin 0-2

4-4 4; Capouch,Tenika 1-2 1-2 3; DePuydt,Annie 1-6 0-0 2; Breen,Alisha 0-4

1-2 1; Kumm,Brandy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-65 20-27 83.

ALASKA (6-4, 0-2 GNAC)

Wilson,Jordan 5-14 0-0 10; Bulaya,Benissa 2-9 4-5 9; Thornton,Samantha 4-7

0-0 9; Logue,Kelly 4-8 0-1 8; Prestwich,Candace 1-8 0-0 3; Childers,Autumn

1-4 0-0 3; O'Neal,Ruth 1-2 0-0 2; Pichler,Heidi 0-0 2-2 2; Skjold,Kaillee

0-3 0-0 0; Chapman,Delisa 0-0 0-0 0; Kirk,Brianna 0-1 0-0 0; Broderick,Josie

0-1 0-0 0; Milton,Victoria 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 18-61 6-8 46.

Montana State Billings........   37   46  -   83

Alaska........................   27   19  -   46

3-point goals--Montana State Billings 5-19 (Olson,Janiel 3-6; Peoples,Quinn

1-3; Knudsen,Bobbi 1-2; Hanser,Austin 0-1; DePuydt,Annie 0-1; Breen,Alisha

0-2; Goggins,Kayleen 0-4), Alaska 4-16 (Childers,Autumn 1-1;

Prestwich,Candace 1-7; Bulaya,Benissa 1-2; Thornton,Samantha 1-2;

Skjold,Kaillee 0-1; Milton,Victoria 0-2; O'Neal,Ruth 0-1). Fouled

out--Montana State Billings-None, Alaska-Thornton,Samantha.

Rebounds--Montana State Billings 54 (Olson,Janiel 17), Alaska 30

(Wilson,Jordan 8). Assists--Montana State Billings 10 (Knudsen,Bobbi 5),

Alaska 9 (Logue,Kelly 3). Total fouls--Montana State Billings 13, Alaska 23.

Technical fouls--Montana State Billings-None, Alaska-None. A-220

Thornton (ALASKA) fouls out (4:44 2nd)