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Senior Grace Weeks and the 'Jackets begin GNAC play this weekend at home.

Women's Basketball

‘Jackets jump into early GNAC play at home

BILLINGS, Mont. – Great Northwest Athletic Conference play has arrived for the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team, which will play its first two league games of 2017-18 this weekend at Alterowitz Gym.
 
The Yellowjackets (5-0) will host Western Washington University (3-3) on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Simon Fraser University (4-2) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games will feature live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics, available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"I'm really looking forward to opening GNAC play at home," commented MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Western and Simon are two of the most consistent and successful women's basketball programs year after year in our league. I'm curious to see how we compete against top-level competition from our league, and both games will be exciting to watch."
 
MSUB had one game last week, defeating South Dakota School of Mines 80-64 last Tuesday to push its season-opening winning streak to five games. The 'Jackets played an exhibition game at NCAA Division I Montana State University on Saturday, losing to the Bobcats 67-47 in the non-counting affair. 

CONFERENCE TEASER: The 'Jackets will take a three-week hiatus from GNAC play after this weekend, as the next league counter won't fall until after Christmas. Over the next two weeks, MSUB has five more non-
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Taylor Edwards hits a three in last week's
win over SD Mines.
conference matchups leading up to the holiday break. When play resumes in Seattle on Dec. 28, it will be 18 consecutive GNAC contests through the end of February leading into the 2017-18 GNAC Championships hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage on March 1-3, 2018. The top-six teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the year will earn a berth into the conference tournament.
 
LAST FIVE: W-W-W-W-W
 
THE UNDEFEATED: MSUB is one of four GNAC teams entering the first weekend of conference play with a perfect record. No. 2 Alaska Anchorage sits atop the league at 6-0, and is the only team with more victories than the 'Jackets. No. 13 Seattle Pacific University is 5-0, and Western Oregon University is also perfect at 4-0. Overall, the league is off to an incredible start as no team sits below .500. The 11 GNAC teams have combined to go 44-16 (.733) through 60 non-conference games.
 
REGIONAL POLLS: Six of the 10 teams ranked in this week's D2SIDA west region poll hail from the GNAC, including the Yellowjackets who checked in at No. 6 for the second week in-a-row. SFU is one spot ahead of the 'Jackets at No. 5, and UAA is the unanimous top team with all six first-place votes. The D2SIDA poll is voted on by a committee of sports information directors in the west region and is separate from the official west region ranking used by the NCAA to determine postseason berths.
 
BREEN FEATURED ON GNAC INSIDER: Senior Alisha Breen will be featured as a live guest on GNAC Insider Tuesday evening, with the conference radio program airing at 8 p.m. Mountain time. A 12-point, 12-rebound effort in the win over SDSMT gave the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year her second straight game with a double-double, after her 23-point, 16-rebound showing in a win over Chadron State. Breen also had six assists, three blocks, and zero turnovers in the game against the Hardrockers. She continues to lead the team and rank second in the GNAC in both scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg), and she is second on the squad with 4.2 assists per game.

Alisha Breen Double-Doubles (as of Nov. 28, 2017)
Date Opponent Points Rebounds Minutes
11/21/17 vs. South Dakota Mines 12 12 33
11/18/17 vs. Chadron State 23 16 31
3/4/16 vs. Western Washington 23 10 36
1/2/16 at Alaska 20 17 37
2/26/15 at Alaska 12 16 36
2/12/15 at Northwest Nazarene 16 11 37
1/31/15 vs. Simon Fraser 12 10 38
11/28/14 vs. Chaminade 21 11 27
11/14/14 at CSU Pueblo 23 13 35
*9 Total; Blue: 2014-15 (Sophomore, 5); Yellow: 2015-16 (Junior, 2); Red: 2017-18 (Senior, 2)
 
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Senior Alisha Breen ranks second in the GNAC in scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg).


6 THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR KANE: Senior Rylee Kane has had at least six assists in all five games this season, and continues to lead the conference with an average of 6.4 helpers per game. Kane jumped to second on the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game, as she chipped in 19 against the Hardrockers in her second-highest career scoring output. The senior four-year starter continued to ascend the GNAC career assists leaderboard, as she now ranks No. 9 in conference history with 416 assists. Her average of 4.47 assists per game pits her 14th in conference history, one spot behind former Yellowjacket All-American Bobbi Knudsen (4.51 apg).
 
GNAC Career Assists Leaders (as of Nov. 28, 2017)
Rank Name School Assists Seasons
1 Kiki Robertson Alaska Anchorage 700 2013-17
2 Ellen Kett Simon Fraser 692 2013-17
3 Bobbi Knudsen MSU Billings 532 2010-14
4 Beth Christensen Seattle Pacific 501 2004-08
5 Melanie Wagoner Alaska  500 1998-2002
6 Kerie Hughes Seattle Pacific 498 1999-03
7 Mallory Whipple Northwest Nazarene 466 2005-09
8 Jasmin Edwards Central Washington 463 2014-18
9 Rylee Kane MSU Billings 416 2014-18
10 Kristy Eggen Western Washington 412 1994-96, 2002-03
 
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Kane enters the week No. 9 in GNAC history with 416 career assists.

 
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Freshman Hannah Collins is averaging
11.2 minutes per game this year.

WEEKS IN, WEEKS OUT: Senior Grace Weeks made the most of 19 minutes against SDSMT last week, producing 11 points, three assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and a steal for the 'Jackets. The post has gotten off to a strong start with a field-goal percentage of .515 through her first five games, and ranks fourth on the team with an average of 8.8 points per contest. Weeks is also contributing 3.0 rebounds, while maintaining a positive assist-turnover ratio at 1.33.
 
STAVISH STEADY FROM THE ARC: Vanessa Stavish kept her strong pace from 3-point range going last week, knocking down two more from long range and scoring a dozen points. She is the only Yellowjacket with a made trey in all five games, and is hitting at a clip of 34.6 percent from the arc on the season. Stavish ranks third on the team with 10.6 points per game, and is fourth with 3.8 rebounds.
 
COLLINS KEEPS IT UP: Freshman point guard Hannah Collins has shown steady improvement through the first three weeks of her collegiate career. The Great Falls, Mont., native scored a season-high five points in her last game, and has played double-figure minutes in each of her last four contests.
 
Western Washington University Vikings7543
Thursday, Nov. 30 – 7 PM – Alterowitz Gym
2017-18 Record: 3-3
Last Five: W-L-L-L-W
Head Coach: Carmen Dolfo, 26th season
2016-17 Record: 26-6, 18-2 GNAC (2nd place, NCAA West Region Championships 2nd Round)
 
Coming off a run into the second round of the NCAA playoffs last year, the Vikings bid farewell to 2016-17 GNAC Player of the Year and All-American Taylor Peacocke among a handful of experienced veterans.
 
The new-look Vikings snapped a three-game losing skid last week with a convincing 82-66 home win over the Academy of Art. WWU will host Simon Fraser on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Mountain time before the two teams take turns in Billings this weekend.
 
WWU is being led by Hannah Stipanovich, who is averaging 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-1 senior forward causes problems for teams in the post, and is shooting at a clip of 50.0 percent on the year.
 
Sophomore guard Dani Iwami is a threat both as a passer and a shooter, as she leads the team with 18 assists and 16 3-pointers with a percentage of 35.6 from the arc. Iwami (11.7 ppg) and Gracie Castaneda (10.3 ppg) are WWU's other double-figure scorers.
 
In addition to Stipanovich's prowess as a rebounder, Anna Schwecke (6.5 rpg) and Bobbi Westendorf (5.8 rpg) have been effective on the boards for the Vikings.
 
Through six games, WWU is out-scoring the opposition 65.8-64.5, and is owning the glass with a rebounding margin of plus-8.0 (44.0-36.0).
 
The Series: The Yellowjackets are 14-22 all-time against the Vikings and are 8-8 in games played at Alterowitz Gym. MSUB has won three of the last five meetings, and the series is even at 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.
 
Last Time Out: WWU swept last year's season series, winning 63-59 in Bellingham, Wash., on Jan. 21 and 73-59 in Billings on Feb. 16. Kane had 18 points and five assists in the narrow road defeat, and Lexi Prevost matched her career high with 15 points while hitting four 3-pointers in the home loss.

Simon Fraser University Clan7657
Saturday, Dec. 2 – 7 PM – Alterowitz Gym
2017-18 Record: 4-2
Last Five: W-W-L-W-W
Head Coach: Bruce Langford, 15th season
2016-17 Record: 26-8, 15-5 GNAC (3rd place, NCAA West Region Championships 3rd Round)
 
A perennial GNAC and NCAA D2 west-region contender like the Vikings, the Clan are coming off another deep regional run that ended with a loss to Cal Baptist in the third round last season. SFU is off to a solid 4-2 start this year, and avenged last season's loss to the Lancers with a 79-65 win over CBU last week in Burnaby, B.C. The Clan also defeated Academy of Art in an 88-49 blowout, and will roll into Tuesday's game against WWU with two straight wins.
 
SFU features a balanced offense, with seven of its nine players averaging more than 7.0 points per game. Nicole VanderHelm is at the top of the list with 14.2 points per game, and is also second on the team with an average of 5.3 boards.
 
Tayla Jackson and Sophie Swant are each averaging 13.3 points per game, with the latter shooting 94.4 percent from the foul line. SFU's top 3-point shooters include Tia Tsang (9-for-21, 42.9 percent), Tayler Drynan (14-for-35, 40.0 percent), and Jessica Jones (14-for-44, 31.8 percent). As a team, SFU is hitting at a clip of 39.6 percent from the arc, which leads the conference.
 
While SFU is a top shooting team, it hasn't been as successful on the boards with a rebounding margin of minus-5.8 (40.5-34.7).
 
The Series: The 'Jackets are 8-9 all-time against the Clan and hold a 5-3 edge in home games. SFU has won three in-a-row, and the series is 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.
 
Last Time Out: SFU won both games last year, with an 86-72 win in Burnaby on Jan. 19 and an 87-65 triumph in Billings on Feb. 18. Kane had 18 points in the road loss to go along with five assists, while Weeks had her career high of 17 points in the home loss.
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Players Mentioned

Alisha Breen

#20 Alisha Breen

F
5' 10"
Senior
SR
Rylee Kane

#25 Rylee Kane

G
5' 6"
Senior
SR
Lexi Prevost

#21 Lexi Prevost

G
5' 7"
Senior
SR
Vanessa Stavish

#15 Vanessa Stavish

F
6' 0"
Junior
JR
Grace Weeks

#43 Grace Weeks

F
6' 2"
Senior
SR
Hannah Collins

#2 Hannah Collins

G
5' 5"
Freshman
FR

Players Mentioned

Alisha Breen

#20 Alisha Breen

5' 10"
Senior
SR
F
Rylee Kane

#25 Rylee Kane

5' 6"
Senior
SR
G
Lexi Prevost

#21 Lexi Prevost

5' 7"
Senior
SR
G
Vanessa Stavish

#15 Vanessa Stavish

6' 0"
Junior
JR
F
Grace Weeks

#43 Grace Weeks

6' 2"
Senior
SR
F
Hannah Collins

#2 Hannah Collins

5' 5"
Freshman
FR
G