Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont.  – The Montana State University Billings Women's Basketball team defended their perfect record at home with a win over Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Mar. 1, 75-72.
 
It was Senior Night at Alterowitz, and the last home conference game for Bobbi Knudsen, Austin Hanser, and Chelsea Banis. The team would defend their home turf to stay a perfect 15-0 at home in a gritty determined battle at MSUB.
 
"Tonight was a tremendous win for our program," Head Coach Kevin Woodin said.  "We played a very good Anchorage team, and I just thought it was an all-around great basketball game."
 
With the win, Montana State University Billings moves to 23-6 and 15-3 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  The University of Alaska Anchorage drops to 19-7 and 12-6 in the GNAC.
 
It was an important game for both teams as MSU Billings looked to defend their home turf record at 14-0 on the season, and UAA needed a win tonight to go into next week's conference tournament with the No. 2 seed and a bye in the first round.  The Seawolves came into the game on a five game win streak.
 
The first five points of the game belonged to the Yellowjackets as Alisha Breen fed a pass to Chelsea Banis who put it up for two.  MSUB followed that up with a steal by Austin Hanser who fed the ball to Breen on a fast break.  Breen would make the bucket and convert it into a three-point play on a free-throw to give the Yellowjackets the first five points of the game.
 
MSU Billings would keep up the pressure up, going ahead by as many as 13 in the first half and sending the game into the break up, 44-31.
 
"I really liked our intensity at the beginning of the game," Coach Woodin said.  "We played a very good first half. I thought we passed the ball very well. We also had some great balance on offense.  I was very pleased we were up by 13 at half-time."
 
Alaska Anchorage would not go away quietly.  The Seawolves kept the game to within 10, until at UAA's Alyssa Hutchinson made a three-point basket at the 7:56 mark to get Anchorage to within 2, 58-60.  The team would trade baskets until MSUB's Quinn Peoples would make a three-point shot with 3:44 left to put the Yellowjackets back up by four 71-67. 
The Seawolves would have get it back to within one 70-71, but MSUB's Banis and Breen would make four free-throw shots in a row to keep the Yellowjackets ahead by three.  UAA's Jessica Madison would have one more chance to tie the game left with two second left on the clock, but it would bounce off the backboard as the regular season GNAC Champs MSUB would get the victory and end Senior Night with a dramatic win.
 
"In the second half I was very impressed with Anchorage," Coach Woodin stated. "They made a great run to take the lead mid-way through the second half.  I was proud of how our players regrouped from UAA's run.  The team (MSUB) played a very fast last four minutes to come out with the victory."
 
Alaska Anchorage's Madison would lead the team in points and set a new career-high with 19.  Kylie Burns had 14 points and four rebounds.  Alli Madison had a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Seawolves finished the game shooting 41 percent from the field (28-68) and 27 percent from the three-point arc (6-22).  Anchorage got more points from their bench 25-9, and more points in the paint, 30-24.
 
MSU Billings was led by Kayleen Goggins who finished the game shooting 54 percent from the field, 7-13 and had a game-high 20 points.
 
Banis finished the game shooting 58 percent from the field, 7-12 to end the game with 18 points.
 
Breen was 4-8 from the field and 6-6 from the free-throw line and also finished in double-digits with 15 points.
 
The Yellowjackets were a perfect 16-16 in the game from the charity strip.
 
Bobbi Knudsen had eight points, six rebounds, and a game-high eight assists.
 
Hanser had five points and six rebounds.
 
"It was a great team effort tonight," Coach Woodin said.  "The seniors Knudsen, Banis, and Hanser really led our team emotionally tonight.  In the final minutes of the game, all three players were extremely tired, but they made some great plays to help us win that game." 
 
"It is quite an accomplishment to go undefeated on the season," Coach Woodin continued.  "That was a goal our team set in the beginning of the season, and it is quite outstanding to accomplish that.  I am really proud of the entire team."
 
Next week the Yellowjackets head to Lacey, Wash. to play in the GNAC Championships.  The Yellowjackets' first game will be on Friday, Mar. 7 at 7:30 PM Pacific Time.  They will play the winner of the Seattle Pacific University / Simon Fraser University game which takes place on Wednesday, Mar 5 at 7:30 PM Pacific Time.
 
"We are really looking forward to next week's GNAC tournament," Coach Woodin said.  "It is an honor to represent the No. 1 seed.  It should be a great tournament.  I know the team is excited about it and will be ready to play next week."
 
For more information on the tournament, to buy advance tickets, or to follow live video and live stats at the GNAC Championships, please visit MSUBSports.com. 
 
Note: All three seniors Bobbi Knudsen, Austin Hanser, and Chelsea Banis were honored following the game for their work as a Yellowjacket.  It was also Knudsen's 22^nd birthday.  The last time an MSUB Women's Basketball team went undefeated at home was the 2002-03 season when the Yellowjackets finished the season 21-7 and qualified for the NCAA West Region.
 
Women's Basketball GNAC Championships
Quarterfinals (Day 1)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 05, 2014
#6 seed (SMU) vs #3 (UAA) seed              Lacey, WA (GNAC Championships)         5:15 p.m.*         
#5 (SPU) seed vs #4 (SFU) seed                 Lacey, WA (GNAC Championships)         7:30 p.m.*         
Semifinals (Day 2)
FRIDAY, MARCH 07, 2014
#3/#6 winner vs #2 seed, WWU                Lacey, WA (GNAC Championships)         5:15 p.m*
#4/#5 winner vs #1 seed MSU Billings     Lacey, WA (GNAC Championships)         7:30 p.m.*         
Championship (Day 3)
SATURDAY, MARCH 08, 2014
Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4          Lacey, WA (GNAC Championships)         7:30 p.m.*
 
*All times in Pacific Time
 
 
Alaska Anchorage vs Montana State Billings
3/1/14 7 PM at Alterowitz Gymnasium
At Alterowitz Gymnasium
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS 75, ALASKA ANCHORAGE 72
ALASKA ANCHORAGE (19-7, 12-6 GNAC)
Madison,Jessica 8-15 0-0 19; Burns,Kylie 5-8 3-3 14; Madison,Alli 2-6 4-4 8;
Buchanan,Jenna 3-11 1-2 8; Craft,Emily 3-4 0-0 6; Davis,Christina 3-11 0-1
6; Robertson,Kiki 2-6 0-0 4; Hutchins,Alyssa 1-1 0-0 3; Devine,Alysha 1-4
0-0 2; Wright,KeKe 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 28-68 10-12 72.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (23-6, 15-3 GNAC)
Goggins,Kayleen 7-13 4-4 20; Banis,Chelsea 7-12 4-4 18; Breen,Alisha 4-8 6-6
15; Peoples,Quinn 3-8 0-0 9; Knudsen,Bobbi 3-13 2-2 8; Hanser,Austin 2-7 0-0
5; Capouch,Tenika 0-1 0-0 0; Kumm,Brandy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-62 16-16 75.
Alaska Anchorage..............   31   41  -   72
Montana State Billings........   44   31  -   75
3-point goals--Alaska Anchorage 6-22 (Madison,Jessica 3-7; Burns,Kylie 1-2;
Buchanan,Jenna 1-7; Hutchins,Alyssa 1-1; Robertson,Kiki 0-2; Davis,Christina
0-1; Madison,Alli 0-2), Montana State Billings 7-25 (Peoples,Quinn 3-7;
Goggins,Kayleen 2-4; Hanser,Austin 1-6; Breen,Alisha 1-3; Knudsen,Bobbi
0-5). Fouled out--Alaska Anchorage-None, Montana State Billings-None.
Rebounds--Alaska Anchorage 25 (Davis,Christina 8), Montana State Billings 29
(Goggins,Kayleen 6; Knudsen,Bobbi 6; Hanser,Austin 6). Assists--Alaska
Anchorage 11 (Davis,Christina 4; Robertson,Kiki 4), Montana State Billings
19 (Knudsen,Bobbi 8). Total fouls--Alaska Anchorage 18, Montana State
Billings 10. Technical fouls--Alaska Anchorage-None, Montana State
Billings-None. A-477