BILLINGS, Mont. - The Yellowjacket women's basketball team split a pair of road games last week in Alaska and this week are back in Alterowitz to defend their home court against conference opponents Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific.

MSU Billings (7-5, 3-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) challenged No. 2 Alaska Anchorage through 36 minutes of play before the Seawolves closed out the game against the Yellowjackets with a 20-6 run. In Fairbanks, double-doubles from junior Alisha Breen and sophomore Marissa Van Atta helped lead MSUB to a conference road win.

"It was a good trip," MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said "Anchorage is an elite team and I thought we competed at a high level and if we can clean up a few things, I know we can continue to get better. Against Fairbanks we started great, but they were able to come back a little in the middle two quarters. We hung in there and made a run in the fourth quarter to create some breathing room so it was nice to win a conference game on the road."

MSUB is sitting at a 3-1 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, tied with Alaska Anchorage and Seattle Pacific and a game behind Western Washington at 4-0.

The Yellowjackets are shooting 37.7 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the 3-point arc. MSUB is grabbing 32.7 rebounds per game with an average 9.2 steals and 12.3 assists.

BOOST TO END THE GAME: Breen scored 34 points and added 22 rebounds in last week's two games. The 5-foot-10 forward pulled in almost as many rebounds as points in her double-double performance of 20 points and 17 rebounds in the MSUB win over Alaska. The 17 rebounds were one higher than her previous career best which she completed last year in Fairbanks. The native of Choteau, Mont., gave the Yellowjackets a boost in the fourth quarter against the Nanooks when she scored nine consecutive points that helped MSUB secure the final quarter and the win.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT: Van Atta made the most of her first collegiate start pouring in a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Nanooks. The sophomore played in 36 minutes during the game against Alaska, shooting 5-10 from the field with a 3-point basket and three steals in her time on the floor.

POST PRESENCE: Senior Monica Grimsrud completed her fifth game this season in double-figures in the loss to Alaska Anchorage shooting 4-8 from the field for 11 points while also supplying four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Grimsrud's presence on the floor has been felt on both ends of the court as she is second on the team in points with an average 9.4 per game while leading the team in blocks (.06 per game) and is second on the team in steals (1.7 per game).

KEY MOMENTS: Senior Janiel Olson scored 14 points and had nine rebounds in both games last week. As the forward continues to work her way back into the conference after redshirting last season with an injury, the Billings West High School graduate has proven her mettle in key situations. Olson is averaging 7.3 points per game with 6.7 rebounds. She is second on the team in steals (1.7 per game) and minutes on the floor (30.7 per game). Last week's nine rebounds moves Olson to a career total of 810 at MSUB, just four shy of tying Alicia Cahill for second all-time as a Yellowjacket.

CREATING SPACE: Sophomore point guard Rylee Kane dished out 10 assists last week scoring 10 points. She played in 30 minutes in each contest and is fifth in the conference averaging 4.3 assists per game. After starting each game for MSUB last season, Kane has been the floor general in every contest this season and is showing a more aggressive style of play her second year in the GNAC. Kane is averaging 8.8 points per game for third-highest on the team.

CLOSING THE GAP: With just four upperclassmen this season to go along with eight underclassmen, the Yellowjackets have needed the younger members of the roster to provide quality minutes in each game. Several players have begun to step-up for MSUB and have given the 'Jackets a boost when they needed it. Sophomore Vanessa Stavish leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting 47.7 percent from the field. She has 16 3-point baskets on the season and is averaging 16.3 minutes per game. Tiana Hanson is a junior on the team, but is new to MSUB this season as a transfer. She is providing MSUB with 6.8 points per game and leads the team from the free-throw line shooting 37-41 for 90.2 percent.

Turning to this week's matchups, Coach Woodin sees two more tough teams coming into Billings with good momentum. "With Saint Martin's you have to be very disciplined. They do what they do very well. They are very patient on offense and get good shot selection. You have to defend for longer periods of time and that takes discipline. They are also very good on the glass so we are going to have to block out. Offensively they are very fundamentally sound and we are going to have to make the correct reads and limit our turnovers."

"Seattle Pacific plays at a faster pace than Saint Martin's," Coach Woodin continued. "Like Saint Martin's they are well-coached and are also very good at what they do best. They have been in a lot of close games this season and I think part of their identity is their depth. They have a lot of talent and play a lot of people, especially on the perimeter so I think on-ball pressure and handling that will be extremely important for us."

Thursday, Jan. 7 - 7 p.m.
Saint Martin's University Saints
2015-16 Record: 4-7, 2-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Tim Healy, 23^rd season

Saint Martin's is 4-7 overall on the year, but do hold an even 2-2 record in the conference, including winning a road game 65-62 against Central Washington last Saturday.

A big part of the SMU offense is 5-foot-6 guard Krista Stabler who this week is leading the GNAC in scoring with 18.0 points per game and is in the top-20 in seven other categories in the conference. Senior forward Megan Wiedman is leading the conference in rebounds with 9.5 per game. Stabler has been the Saints' leading scorer in six contests this season, including a 38-point performance in SMU's win against Western Oregon.

Saint Martin's is coming into Thursday's game against the Yellowjackets averaging 60.5 points per game on 33.9 percent shooting from the field. The team is shooting 72.6 percent from the free-throw line. The Saints are averaging 35.7 rebounds per game and 10.7 assists.

Last season: MSU Billings split its series with Saint Martin's last season taking a loss on the road 63-54 before winning 60-47 at home.

All-time series: (22-10, H 12-2) MSUB has won the last 7-9 games against the Saints, but the Yellowjackets have split the last two season against SMU, falling in both games in Lacey. The Yellowjackets have not lost a home game to the Saints since a 68-67 decision in 2008.

Saturday, Jan. 9 -7 p.m.
Seattle Pacific University Falcons
2015-16 Record: 6-5, 3-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Julie Heisey, 11^th season

Seattle Pacific is tied with MSUB at 3-1 in the conference standings. Last week the Falcons were in two close games, winning a 52-49 game against Central Washington before falling to Northwest Nazarene by a score of 66-65.

Led by Jordan McPhee (12.6 points per game) and Courtney Hollander (11.7 points per game), the SPU offense is averaging 66.3 points per game on 40.4 percent shooting from the field. Seattle Pacific has a deep roster this season with 10 players averaging 10 or more minutes on the court.

SPU is outrebounding opponents by a 5.7 margin averaging 40.5 per game. Hollander leads the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game which ranks her fourth in the GNAC. Lindsay Lee is third in the conference in 3-point percentage at 47.8 percent making 23 3-point buckets this year so far.

Junior Stacey Lukasiewicz is leading the team in assists with 30 on the season. Seattle Pacific has eight players with 10 or more assists on the season as the Falcons have a spread offense that moves the ball quickly around the court.

On defense, SPU has limited opponents to an average 59.4 points per game.

Last season: The Falcons swept the Yellowjackets last season. MSUB fell at home to then No. 14 SPU 70-60 and lost to then No. 21 SPU 64-55 in Seattle.

All-time series: (19-26, H 13-6) Seattle Pacific does hold the overall winning record against MSUB, but the Yellowjackets have proven tough to beat home, holding a 13-6 advantage in Alterowitz.

UP NEXT: MSU Billings heads back out on the road for games on Jan. 14 and Jan. 16 before returning home to Alterowitz to host four straight conference contests.