BILLINGS, Mont.  – MSU Billings is set to open Great Northwest Athletic Conference play against perennially tough Alaska Anchorage and a newly invigorated Alaska Fairbanks this week. The Yellowjacket women's basketball team begins conference competition at home this Thursday in Alterowitz Gymnasium.
 
MSUB is 5-2 on the early season. The Yellowjackets are coming off a 2-1 trip to Hawai'i where they fell against Hawai'i Pacific last Tuesday, but rebounded with wins against Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday and Chaminade on Friday.
 
"I think our team had a great trip," head coach Kevin Woodin said on the team's time in Hawaii. "It was a lot of fun and we played some good basketball too. We got beat by a very good HPU team but came back with two solid wins over Hilo and Chaminade. Our time in Hawaii allowed our team to bond off the court and partake in many activities which were both fun and team-building."
 
Thursday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m., Alterowitz Gymnasium
Live stats/video: msubsports.com
No. 18 University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
2014-15 Record: 5-0
Head Coach: Ryan McCarthy (3rd year)
2013-14 Record: 19-9, (12-6 GNAC)
 
No. 18 Alaska Anchorage is sitting at an undefeated 5-0 record to the start of its season. The nationally-ranked Seawolves opened their year with a 67-61 exhibition win against NCAA Div. I Utah in Salt Lake City and have been on a roll ever since. Last weekend UAA hosted the GCI Great Alaska Shootout, winning game one against Div. I opponent Yale 72-63, before falling against another Div. I school Long Beach State 69-60 in a non-counter for the championship.
 
"Conference play in December is a relatively new concept," Coach Woodin said on the team opening GNAC play the first week of this month. "But, it is the same for everyone in the league, so you need to be ready for it. It will be nice to start at home against the Alaska schools, but both of them are playing very well and present great challenges for us. We need to get back in our gym this week to experience some good practices so we can improve our level of play."
 
Last year the Seawolves finished tied for third on the season, and in this year's preseason coaches' poll were picked to finish No. 2 in the conference behind Western Washington.
 
No. 18 Alaska Anchorage has five players averaging points in the double-figures. Jessica Madison, a 5'8" junior is leading the offensive charge, averaging 13.8 points per game. Leah Bonner (12.8), Alli Madion (12.2), KeKe Wright (10.2), and Megan Mullings (10.0) are also putting up big numbers in the early going.
 
UAA is ranked No. 2 in the nation as a defensive scoring team averaging 44.0 points per game, while the offense is No. 10 averaging 88.7 points per game.
 
Bonner is No. 2 in the GNAC in rebounds with an average of 10.2 per game. Guard Kiki Robertson is No. 4 in the nation, and No. 1 in the conference in assists per game with 7.8.
 
Another big statistic for Alaska Anchorage is in steals. Robertson is averaging 4.2 per game while Adriana Dent is averaging 3.0.
 
The Series: MSU Billings is 26-25 all-time against Alaska Anchorage. The Yellowjackets are 15-10 at home. Since 2008, MSUB is 2-12 against the Seawolves.
 
Last season: The two teams split their games last season with MSUB losing the first contest in a 90-59 rout in the first conference game of the season for both teams in Anchorage. The Yellowjackets came back to win the game in Alterowitz, 75-72 on senior night during the last home game of the season.
 
Both MSU Billings and Alaska Anchorage advanced to the west region tournament last season with MSUB winning two games and advancing to the championship against Cal Poly Pomona. Alaska Anchorage lost in the first round of the tournament to CPP 60-56 in Pomona.
 
Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., Alterowitz Gymnasium
Live stats/video: msubsports.com
University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks
2014-15 Record: 6-2
Head Coach: Codi Bench (4th year)
2013-14 Record: 9-17, (3-15 GNAC)
 
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is off to a hot start as well. The Nanooks are 6-2 in the early start of play, last week dropping games against Augustana (S.D.) 88-75 and Saginaw Valley State 75-66, but earlier in the season had wins against perennially-tough Dixie State as well as Cal State San Marcos and Chico State.
 
Last season Alaska Fairbanks finished the year tied for eighth in the GNAC. This year, the preseason coaches' poll had UAF slated to finish eighth again.
 
Returning for the Nanooks this season, Jordan Wilson (14.6), Benissa Bulaya (12.8) and Kaillee Skjold (11.0) are all contributing double-digit points. Skjold is No. 4 in the GNAC in rebounds averaging 8.6 per game. Wilson is shooting 52.2 percent from the field, which is good enough for No. 5 in the conference while Bulaya is leading the team, and also No. 5 in the GNAC, in assists per game with 4.1.
 
Alaska Fairbanks is shooting 41.4 percent from the field averaging 81.4 points per game. The team is also averaging 44.8 rebounds per game with 16.4 assists. The Nanooks are No. 2 in the GNAC in steals behind Alaska Anchorage with 11.1 per game.
 
The Series: MSU Billings is 48-11 all-time against Alaska Fairbanks and 24-2 at home. The Yellowjackets have won the last 15-straight contests against the Nanooks.
 
Last season: MSUB won both games against Alaska Fairbanks. In Alaska, MSU Billings won the game 83-46. At home on Feb. 27, MSUB clinched the GNAC regular season title with a 104-77 win against the Nanooks. The 104 points was the fifth-highest total ever scored by a MSUB women's basketball team. 
 
"The GNAC once again is going to be extremely competitive from top to bottom," Coach Woodin commented on the conference. "Most of the teams in our league have multiple, impressive wins in the preseason. It will definitely be an exciting league race and I would not be surprised to see a lot of teams bunched together."
 
The Yellowjackets' GNAC preseason all-conference selection Kayleen Goggins is No. 2 in the GNAC averaging 19.0 points per game. Last week Goggins had games of 19, 22, and 25 points. The senior from Shepherd, Mont., is second on the team in rebounds averaging 6.9 per game. Goggins has been MSUB's scoring leader in the last four games of the season.
 
Sophomore Alisha Breen is averaging 16.0 points per game. Breen has been the team's leading rebounder off the glass averaging 8.0 per game. Breen is the only Yellowjacket in the GNAC's top-10 in both points and rebounds; she is sixth in the GNAC in scoring and ranked fifth in rebounds.
 
Senior Quinn Peoples is averaging 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Peoples has been the team's leading scorer and rebounder in multiple contests for the Yellowjackets this season. Continuing her success from the 3-point arc, the Butte, Mont., native is No. 4 in the GNAC in 3-point baskets made with 2.4 per game. She is No. 1 in free-throw percentage, No. 13 in scoring and No. 14 in rebounds in the league as well.
 
The Yellowjackets are connecting with 38.4 percent of their shots from the field. The team is averaging 73.3 points per game and 49.0 rebounds per contest. MSUB is averaging 7.1 3-pointers per game which is No. 2 in the conference.
 
Yellowjacket women's basketball action kicks off this Thursday with a 7 p.m. tip-off against No. 18 Alaska Anchorage. The team then hosts Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday at the same time. Live video and live stats for both contests are available free of charge on the MSUB athletics home page msubsports.com.
 
Coming up this month: MSU Billings welcomes the two GNAC schools followed by a contest against Jamestown College on Dec. 13 with the MSUB men's team playing its alumni game earlier in the day. The Yellowjackets then travel to Montana State University for an exhibition game against the Bobcats before returning home to host the Yellowjacket Women's Basketball Classic sponsored by the Billings Hotel and Convention Center and ExxonMobil on Dec. 18 and 19. For more details please visit msubsports.com.