BILLINGS, Mont. - After being tabbed to finish seventh in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll, the MSUB women's basketball team is headed for the postseason as the third seed at the conference tournament taking place Mar. 3-5 in Lacey, Wash., hosted by Saint Martin's University.
Montana State University Billings (19-9, 15-5 GNAC) earned a berth to the conference tournament after finishing third in the regular season. The Yellowjackets are set to face No. 6 Northwest Nazarene in the second women's quarterfinal game during the opening day of the tournament. MSUB will tipoff against the Crusaders on Thursday, Mar. 3, at 6:15 p.m. Mountain time.
MSUB won both regular season games against Northwest Nazarene. During the opening week of conference action, the Yellowjackets hosted the Crusaders, winning the game 78-68 in Alterowitz.
Last week, the 'Jackets traveled to Nampa, Idaho, to play NNU during the team's Senior Night where MSU Billings won 74-55.
Junior
Alisha Breen led MSUB in both games with 25 points and 23 points respectively.
Janiel Olson had 14 points in both games and led the team in rebounds with eight and nine.
In both games MSUB shot above 40.0 percent. The first time MSU Billings shot 44.42 percent from the field (23-52) and were a huge 26-32 from the free-throw line. Last week, the Yellowjackets shot 53.7 percent from the field (29-54) and had 11 3-pointers (11-24, 45.8 percent) in the game. MSUB was stronger off the glass, 38-25, and was able to use a combination of outside shots and interior baskets for an all-around offensive game.
On the season, MSUB is averaging 62.4 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting from the field. The team's defense is third in the conference, holding opponents to an average 58.4 points. The Yellowjackets are third in the league in 3-point baskets made with 6.7 per game.
Breen is averaging 16.5 points per game with 5.5 rebounds. Olson is second in the GNAC in rebounds at 8.3 per game.
Rylee Kane leads the team in assists with 4.6 per contest with
Tiana Hanson third in the GNAC in free-throw percentage at 87.0 percent.
Northwest Nazarene (12-14, 10-10 GNAC) was on a four game win-streak heading into their last game of the season before being stopped by MSUB.
Taylor Simmons (11.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Ellie Logan (13.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) are heading up the offensive efforts for the team. Lexi Tubbs is adding 8.6 points 4.3 rebounds per game. CoCo Gall has a team-best 4.6 rebounds per game. Simmons leads the GNAC in steals per game with 3.2. Logan is No. 1 from the free-throw line shooting 88.6 percent.
Northwest Nazarene is the second-best scoring offense in the league at 71.3 points per game, they lead the league at the free-throw line shooting 76.9 percent, and are fourth-best in rebounding margin ( 3.8).
The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal game advances to play second-seeded Western Washington in the semifinals on Friday at 6:15 p.m. Mountain time. The GNAC Championship game is schedule for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Mountain time, with the winner earning an automatic berth to the NCAA National Tournament.
All games at the GNAC Basketball Championships will be streamed live at GNAC.tv.
Tickets can be purchased through the GNAC's ticket sales page at EventBrite.com. Discounted tickets for youth teams, senior and members of the military will be available until Tues., Mar. 1. For more information please visit gnacsports.com.
GNAC Tournament Schedule
Mar. 3-5, hosted by Saint Martin's University
Marcus Pavilion, Lacey, Wash.| Game | Away | Home | Time | Live Video | Live Stats |
| 1 - Quarterfinal 1 | #6 Northwest Nazarene | #3 MSU Billings | 5:15 p.m. | Video | Stats |
| 2 - Quarterfinal 2 | #5 Central Washington | #4 Simon Fraser | 7:30 p.m. | Video | Stats |
| 3 - Semi 1 | Winner Game 1 | #2 Western Washington | 5:15 p.m. | Video | Stats |
| 4 - Semi 2 | Winner Game 2 | #1 Alaska Anchorage | 7:30 p.m. | Video | Stats |
| 5 - Championship | Winner Game 3 | Winner Game 2 | 7:30 p.m. | Video | Stats |
*All times are local
