Billings, Mont. – Montana State Billings women's basketball team closed out the regular season strong with a huge 76-63 victory over Northwest Nazarene to win the tie-breaker, earning the No. 3 seed in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. The Yellowjackets face Seattle Pacific University in their quarterfinal matchup at 5:15 p.m. in Marcus Pavilion (Lacey, Wash.).
 
The Matchup
 
MSUB and Seattle Pacific split their series in 2012-13, with the Falcons getting the best of the Jackets, 76-71 in their most recent matchup. Seattle Pacific leads the overall series 18-22, but both teams are 1-1 when playing on a neutral site. The Yellowjackets seemed to have corrected their shooting inconsistencies at the perfect time, going 49.2 percent from the field against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Feb. 28, and 50.9 percent from the field on Saturday, March 2 versus Central Washington.
 
Kayleen Goggins, Bobbi Knudsen and Janiel Olson recently received All-GNAC honors; with Knudsen being a unanimous selection to the First Team, finishing ranked No. 1 in assists and No. 2 in scoring in the GNAC. Goggins and Olson were honorable mention selections; as Goggins finished ranked No. 14 in scoring and Olson ranked third in rebounding in the conference.
 
Seattle Pacific has three starters that average 12 plus points per game, with Katie Benson leading the charge with her 16.9 per game average. She also leads the team in rebounding snatching 7.8 per contest, and was a First team All-GNAC selection. As a team the Falcons have a +3.4 scoring margin and +8.0 rebounding margin over their opponent. Seattle Pacific is capable of catching fire from outside as they shot 51.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from three point territory in their Feb. 23 matchup with MSUB.
 
“Our team is very excited about qualifying for the GNAC tournament,” stated head coach Kevin Woodin. “We had our best road trip of the season last week with wins at Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. I believe our players are confident in their abilities and I know they are looking forward to playing Seattle Pacific. The Falcons are a very talented team and it should be a great game.”
 
The Field
 
Western Washington Vikings (No. 1)
The Vikings have had a great regular season, being consistently ranked in the top 10 in the USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. In the March 5 ranking they land the No. 6 national ranking. Head Coach Carmen Dolfo won the GNAC Coach of the Year, while Corrin Waltrip and Britt Harris received First team All-GNAC honors. Western Washington shoots the ball well from outside with a season average of 44.8 percent. The Vikings also rank No. 2 in the GNAC in scoring margin (+12.7).
 
Simon Fraser Clan (No. 2)
Simon Fraser enters the GNAC Tournament as the other nationally ranked foe, landing the No. 10 slot in the March 5 USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe has been spectacular in 2012-13 and was awarded the conference Player of the Year for her efforts. Raincock-Ekunwe recorded 18 double-doubles on the season and finished as the No. 1 rebounder in the GNAC and No 3 scorer. Erin Chambers brought home recent GNAC Defensive Player of the Year plaudits, tallying 28 steals, 13 blocks and 87 defensive rebounds on the season. The Clan leads the conference in scoring margin at +15.9.
 
Northwest Nazarene (No. 4)
The Crusaders were the hottest team in the conference from Dec. 7, 2012 through Feb. 14, 2013 winning 13 out of 14 contests. During their run, Northwest Nazarene earned a No. 22 ranking in the Feb. 12 USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. The Crusaders did not have a favorable end to the regular season, losing four out of their last five contests. Despite recent results Northwest Nazarene is still a very dangerous team as they have the GNAC leading scorer Megan Hingston (18.9 avg.), who was a First Team All-GNAC selection; and GNAC Newcomer of the Year, Kylee Schierman.
 
Alaska Anchorage (No. 5)
Alaska Anchorage is the reigning GNAC champion and has the proper experience to make a run at back-to-back titles. Sasha King and Alysa Horn have done a great job of leading the Seawolves this season and earned second team All-GNAC merits for their play. Anchorage does a great job of distributing the ball, averaging 15.4 assists per game (No. 3 in GNAC). The Seawolves also average 70.1 points per game, compared to their opponents 64.6.  
 
 
GNAC Tournament
 
The women's tournament will tip off Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. (Pacific Time), and will match third-seed MSU Billings against sixth-seed Seattle Pacific. Fifth-seeded Alaska Anchorage then plays fourth-seed Northwest Nazarene at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific Time). Nationally ranked Western Washington and Simon Fraser are the No. 1 and No. 2 seed; they both receive byes in the opening round.
 
The semifinals are slated for noon and 2:15 p.m. on Friday. The championship game, which will be televised by ROOT Sports, is scheduled for Saturday at 5:15 p.m. All 10 games of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships from Saint Martin's University will be streamed live free of charge on GNAC TV. The lead announcer will be MSUB's Jeff Rosenberry.  He will be joined mikeside by Brandon Sparks. Fans can access the GNAC TV portal on their smartphones, tablets and desktops via the conference web site, www.gnacsports.com.
 
Tickets are on sale now at a reduced price online at Eventbrite until Tuesday night at midnight (PST). Tickets will also be available at Marcus Pavilion on game days.
 
The winner of the championship game earns an automatic berth in the NCAA West Regional Tournament.
 
2013 GNAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
WOMEN (Mar. 6-9 at Lacey): Wednesday - #6 Seattle Pacific (16-10) vs. #3 MSU Billings (17-9), 5:15 p.m.; #5 Alaska Anchorage (17-9) vs. #4 Northwest Nazarene (19-7), 7:30 p.m.  Friday – 3/6 winner vs. Simon Fraser (22-4), Noon; 4/5 winner vs. Western Washington (23-3), 2:15 p.m.  Saturday – Championship game at 5:15 p.m. (Root Sports).
 
GNAC Web Cast and Live Stats