MSUB Season Statistics (PDF)
Billings, Mont. – Fresh off an eighth ranking in the first NCAA West Region Poll, the Yellowjackets women's basketball team travels to Seattle, Wash. for their rematch against Seattle Pacific University. Montana State Billings currently sits at 15-8 overall and 9-6 in the GNAC.
While the Falcons lead the overall series 21-18, the Jackets won 66-56 in their most recent meeting on Jan. 26. Seattle Pacific has hit their stride entering Saturday's contest; as they upset No. 8 Simon Fraser University 70-60 Thurs., Feb. 14, then came five points shy of defeating No. 9 Western Washington University, losing 80-76 in overtime Sat., Feb. 16.
Katie Benson had her best weekend of the year and earned
Red Lion GNAC Player of the Week honors; scoring a total of 50 points, and grabbing 19 rebounds against the Clan and Vikings. Benson is one of three starters that average 12 plus points per game. Her 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds lead the team and rank her No. 4 in points and No. 5 in rebounds among GNAC players. As a team the Falcons average 72.1 points and 40.2 rebounds per contest, ranking them No. 1 in rebounding margin and No. 2 in scoring offense in the GNAC.
Saturday's match up will play a major role in seeding for the GNAC Championship Tournament. The Jackets only trail Northwest Nazarene by two games and lead Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage by one game. The Falcons are currently tied with the Seawolves for the fifth spot in the conference standings. If the tournament started today, MSUB would be facing either Seattle Pacific or Alaska Anchorage in the first round.
The Yellowjackets are one of four GNAC teams to be ranked in the Feb. 20 NCAA West Region Top 10 Poll. Northwest Nazarene, Simon Fraser and Western Washington are the other conference members that land in the top 10 poll.
Despite shooting struggles, MSU Billings has a plus six scoring margin over their opponents and a plus 1.7 rebounding margin. The Yellowjackets continue to remain one of the most efficient teams in the nation ranking No. 2 in turnovers per game and No. 4 in assist to turnover ratio.
Following a nine rebound performance against Simon Fraser, sophomore forward
Janiel Olson has just broken into the top 25 list for career rebounds in Yellowjackets women's basketball history. With 454 total rebounds Olson ranks No. 22 all-time. Her 9.0 per game average leads the team in rebounding and ranks her second among GNAC players; nationally she ranks 61st out of 250 players.
Junior guard
Bobbi Knudsen hit a slight speed bump in recent games, but got back on track against Simon Fraser scoring 21 points on 9-22 shooting. On the season she has 397 points and ranks No. 2 in the GNAC in scoring with a 17.3 per contest average.
Kayleen Goggins has been brilliant all year averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
MSUB will need strong performances from all three players in order to best Seattle Pacific for the second consecutive time.
“Seattle Pacific played very well last week against Simon Fraser and Western Washington,” stated head coach
Kevin Woodin. “This game represents a great challenge for our team. They have a very balanced team and we must be fundamentally sound in what we do on both offense and defense.”
To catch all of the action live, Jacket fans can click the links below for a live web stream and live stats.
GNAC Web Stream and Live Stats
NCAA West Region Poll In-Region Record Overall Record
1 Western Washington 16-3 17-3
2 Cal State Chico 19-3 19-3
3 Simon Fraser 16-4 17-4
4 Cal State Monterey Bay 16-4 17-4
5 Grand Canyon 19-4 20-5
6 UC San Diego 17-6 17-8
7 Northwest Nazarene 15-4 15-4
8 Montana State Billings 14-8 14-8
9 Academy of Art 15-7 16-8
10 Hawaii Pacific 14-6 14-6
