Austen Hanser feature from the GNAC

POMONA, Calif.  – The Montana State University Billings Women's Basketball team has their opening game of the West Region tournament on Friday, Mar. 14 at 2:30 PM Pacific Time in Pomona, Calif.
 
The MSU Billings (23-7) team is in California at the NCAA Div. II West Regional tournament being hosted at Cal Poly Pomona.  The Yellowjackets are going into the tournament the No. 2 seed after the seeding and bracket were announced last Sunday in the NCAA selection show.  MSUB will face the No. 7 seed in the Academy of Art University. 
 
MSUB is coming into the tournament the regular season Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) champions.  Last week the team lost in the GNAC championship semi-finals held in Lacey, Wash. to Simon Fraser University 74-85, and so is looking to enter this tournament with some renewed energy.
 
"Last week we didn't do as well as we could have," Head Coach Kevin Woodin said.  "This week the team is focused and we are looking forward to playing our opponent in the Academy of Art."
 
The Academy of Art, from San Francisco, Calif., enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed, and was the winner of the PacWest Conference Championship to get one of three automatic bids into the Regional tournament.  There are a total of eight teams from the the West Region which features three conferences: the GNAC, the PacWest, and the California Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA).
 
MSUB received one of five of the remaining at-large bids.
 
This will be the first meeting between the Yellowjackets and the Academy of Art Urban Knights women's basketball team since the Academy of Art added women's basketball.
 
The Urban Knights are averaging 79.8 points per game and shooting 39.5 percent from the field and 24.8 percent from the three-point arc.  Against other GNAC schools this season, the Academy of Art has won two games against Western Oregon University, and one game against Saint Martin's University.  The Urban Knights lost two games to Simon Fraser University in early November at a tournament in B.C.
 
The big addition the Academy of Art added to their roster mid-season of this year is 6'4" Krystal Fortham, a transfer student-athlete from Div. I Louisiana State University.  The Urban Knights were 6-5 in the early season.  Since the addition of Fortham, the Academy of Arts has gone 17-2 on the season to take their team record to 23-7, the same as MSU Billings.

Forthan is on a 15-game double-double streak.  In her 19 games played in the PacWest, she is averaging 19.5 points and 12.4 rebounds (No. 4 in the country).  The sophomore from Portland, Ore. was named the PacWest Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, the PacWest tournament MVP, and with Bobbi Knudsen was just selected to the Daktronics All-West Region First Team.  In her time at LSU, Forthan was a two-time SEC Freshmen Player of the Week, where she averaged 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds.
 
Besides Forthan, the Academy of Art has four other players averaging in double-digits in scoring.  Regina Camera is averaging 11.5 points per game.  Camera had 32 points in the Urban Knights two games last week en route to the PacWest title.  Zoie Sheng leads the Academy of Art in assists with 3.3 per game.  She also averages 10.7 points per game while having the best assist to turnover ratio (1.8) in the PacWest.   
 
The Academy of Art is currently ranked No. 7 in NCAA Div. II in turnover margin (+6.13), No. 13 in scoring offense (79.8 points per game) and No. 20 in steals per game (11.1).
 
MSU Billings is being led by GNAC Player of the Year, Bobbi Knudsen.  The Yellowjackets' senior is leading the team in scoring (17.2), free-throw percentage (84.2), assists (5.9) and steals (1.5).  Knudsen is ranked No. 5 in the nation in assists, and No. 1 in the GNAC in assists and assist to turnover ratio at 2.1. 
 
Chelsea Banis is leading MSUB and is No. 2 in the GNAC in field-goal percentage at 56.3 percent.  In her last four games, Banis averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds.
 
Kayleen Goggins is averaging 10.6 points per game.  In her last four games, Goggins averaged 16+ points with 7 rebounds, including a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in the team's loss last week to Simon Fraser University. 
 
MSU Billings is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation in personal fouls per game at 14.5.  The Yellowjackets are also No. 6 in turnovers per game at 12.4, No. 12 in rebound margin at 7.9, and No. 15 in field goals made with 7.8 and assist to turnover ratio at 1.15.
 
As a team, MSUB is shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from the three-point arc.  The Yellowjackets are averaging 74.1 points and 38.8 rebounds per game.
 
Montana State University Billings will play in the second of the four women's quarterfinal matches on Friday, Mar. 14.  The Yellowjackets will tip-off against the Academy of Art at 2:30 PM Pacific Time following the 12 PM start time of #3 Simon Fraser against #6 Western Washington University.  At 5 PM Pacific Time will be #4 Cal State Dominguez Hills against #5 Chico State followed by the host school #1 Cal Poly Pomona against #8 Alaska Anchorage at 7:30 PM Pacific Time.
 
"We are excited to start play in the West Region tournament," Coach Woodin said.  "The Academy of Art plays a really fast game and is good in the post position so we know we will have to respond well and have good defense."
 
The winner of the MSUB and Academy of Art game will face the winner of the Simon Fraser and Western Washington game on Saturday at 5 PM Pacific Time.
 
Live video and live stats for all of the West Region tournament games will be available at broncoathletics.com/ncaa.  Also, be sure to follow along with your Yellowjackets and "like" our Facebook and twitter accounts at msubsports for live coverage during the game. 
 
Friday, March 14
First Round
 
Game One at 12 p.m.
No. 6 Western Washington vs. No. 3 Simon Fraser
 
Game Two at 2:30 p.m.
No. 7 Academy of Art vs. No. 2 Montana State Billings
 
Game Three at 5 p.m.
No. 5 Chico State vs. No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills
 
Game Four at 7:30 p.m.
No. 8 Alaska Anchorage vs. No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona
 
Saturday, March 15
Second Round
 
Game Five at 5 p.m. - Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two
Game Six at 7:30 p.m. - Winner Game Three vs. Winner Game Four
 
Monday, March 17
Third Round
 
Game Seven at 7 p.m. - Winner Game Five vs. Winner Game Six