BILLINGS, Mont.  – Last week the Yellowjackets opened up Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a loss against nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage, but came back on Saturday with a solid win over Alaska Fairbanks.
 
Kayleen Goggins put up 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the two games. Sophomore forward Alisha Breen contributed 29 points and 13 rebounds shooting 62.5 percent against the Seawolves on Thursday.
 
"I was pleased we were able to bounce back from our Anchorage loss with a win against Fairbanks," head coach Kevin Woodin said. "Anchorage has an excellent team and will be very hard to beat this year. For the most part, we played well against Fairbanks but we still have a lot of room for improvement."
 
Goggins is leading the Yellowjackets averaging 18.2 points per game. Breen is adding 15.7 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds off the glass. Quinn Peoples is averaging 12.8 points per game with 2.3 3-point baskets made per game.
 
As a team, Montana State University Billings (6-3, 1-1 GNAC) is shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point arc. The Yellowjackets are averaging 45.2 rebounds per game, a 9.4 advantage over their opponents.
 
This week is finals week at MSUB and the women's basketball team is concentrating their efforts on the books.
 
"This week will be a challenge, both physically and mentally," Coach Woodin said. "Final exams change practice times, regular sleep patterns, and create added stress. However, I feel we have a team that can respond with a positive effort on the floor on Saturday night. We have a lot of veterans who know how to do the right thing and they will help our younger players stay focused this week." 
 
Up first for MSU Billings is nationally-ranked NAIA Jamestown (N.D.) The Jimmies were ranked No. 10 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top-25 poll after pulling to an 8-3 record with a big 96-48 win over Trinity Bible College on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
 
"Jamestown is a very good opponent," Woodin commented on the team with six national tournament appearances in the last 30 years. "They won 27 games last year and have a strong team again this year." 
 
Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 PM
Live stats/video: msubsports.com
University of Jamestown (N.D.) Jimmies
2014-15 Record: 8-3
Head Coach: Greg Ulland (5th season)
2013-14 Record: 27-4 (7-1 NSAA)
 
Toys for Tots sponsored by MSUB Student Athlete Advisory Committee – Half-price admission for all fans donating an unwrapped toy. All toys will be given to the Toys for Tots program, aiding local families in need during the holiday season.
 
The Jimmies lost three seniors, but return two players to a team that had 27 wins last year. The team won the North Star Athletic Association conference championship, making it into the national tournament where the Jimmies won a game against Roosevelt (IL), but lost out to Cardinal Stritch, 76-54.
 
This year, Jamestown has faced four D2 schools with a 60-47 win against Concordia-Moorhead, and losses against Concordia (NE) 90-72, Northern State (68-48), and St. Cloud State (70-62).
 
This season, UJ's Jessica Buck is averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Jamestown's offense is very balanced. Three players are averaging between 8.5-9.2 points, while five players are contributing point totals between 5.2 and 6.5 per game. Four players are pulling in between 4.1 boards and 5.1.
 
The Jimmies are averaging 80.36 points per game shooting 36.7 percent. The Jimmies' defense has also been consistent and the team is taking care of the ball when in their possession. Jamestown is ranked in the top-10 in several categories in the NAIA, including steals per game (14.18) and turnover margin (No. 7, 7.09).
 
The Series: MSU Billings has played Jamestown in only one prior meeting. The Yellowjackets beat the Jimmies on neutral territory, 84-51, on Dec. 29, 1995.
 
Monday, Dec. 15, 7 PM
Live stats and pay-per-view video are available HERE
Free audio broadcast is available HERE
Montana State University Bobcats
2014-15 Record: 5-4
Head Coach: Tricia Binford (10th season)
2013-14 Record: 15-15 (10-10 Big Sky)
 
On Monday, the Yellowjackets are traveling to Bozeman, Mont., to play an exhibition game against Montana State University. The Yellowjackets have played the Bobcats the last two years; last year losing in a closely contested game 58-49, but winning the match-up the year before, 57-54.
 
Montana State University is off to a 5-4 start on the year, but is on a 3-game hot streak, including a big 79-52 win last Saturday against the Cowgirls of Wyoming.
 
"Bozeman represents a great challenge for us," Coach Woodin said. "They are really playing very well as of late and have a deep and talented roster. It is a great environment for our team to play in and it will only make us better. I expect us to play very well there."
 
MSU's Jasmine Hommes is averaging 19.9 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. Against Wyoming, Hommes recorded her second career double-double scoring a game-high 24 points and a career and game-high 12 rebounds.
 
The Bobcats have been steadily increasing their margin of victory, and are now averaging 70.3 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting. The team is hitting 30.9 percent of its 3-point baskets with 38.6 rebounds and 16.6 assists. The Bobcats' leading rebounder, Jackie Elliot, is pulling in 6.2 per game while Alexa Dawkins is averaging 5.3 per game.
 
Dawkins, a 6'1" forward from Bozeman High School, is making nearly 60 percent of her shots and leads the team in shooting percentage at 58.0 percent. Elliot, a standout from Billings Central High School had 19 points in a non-conference win over the University of Great Falls last Thursday.
 
The Series: MSU Billings hasn't played a counting game against MSU since 1994. The Yellowjackets are 9-15 all-time against MSU officially, 6-1 at home and 3-14 on the road.
 
NEXT WEEK: Montana State University Billings is hosting the Yellowjacket Women's Basketball Classic sponsored by the Billing Hotel & Convention Center and ExxonMobil.
 
At the tournament MSU Billings will host Central Washington University, MT Tech and South Dakota School of Mines. There will be four games played during the two-day tournament.
 
Thursday, Dec. 18
Central Washington vs. MT Tech, 5:15 p.m.
South Dakota School of Mines vs. MSU Billings, 7 p.m
 
Friday, Dec. 19
Central Washington vs. South Dakota School of Mines, 5:15 p.m.
MT Tech vs. MSU Billings, 7 p.m.
 
Tickets for the tournament are available at the door and are $8 for adults and $4 for seniors, MSUB faculty and staff, and students grades 7-12. Children sixth grade and under are free-of-charge. All of the tournament games will have live stats and live video available at portal.stretchinternet.com/msub.
 
For more details on the teams and details on the tournament please visit msubsports.com.
 
"It will be nice to host our own tournament before departing for the winter break," Coach Woodin said. "I am excited about the teams that are coming in and very grateful to our two major sponsors – Billings Hotel & Convention Center and ExxonMobil. Without their generosity, the tournament would not be possible. We are playing four games in one week so it is important that we get good bench play. We will need to play good team basketball and two areas I want to see improvement in are limiting turnovers and controlling the defensive boards."