BILLINGS, Mont. – A four-game road trip for the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team begins Thursday night, as the Yellowjackets square off against Great Northwest Athletic Conference-leading No. 8 University of Alaska Anchorage.
 
Tipoff against the Seawolves is set for 9 p.m. Mountain time at the Alaska Airlines Center. MSUB will then travel to Fairbanks, Alaska, to face the University of Alaska in a 4 p.m. tipoff at Alaska Airlines Court. Both games will feature live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics, available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"I am excited about our Alaska trip this week, as it represents a great challenge for our team," commented MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Anchorage has been so dominant for many years, and they are great again.

Fairbanks has so many new players compared to a year ago, and we will need to be ready for them as all GNAC teams seem to play better at home."
 
MSUB will remain on the road next week with games at Central Washington (Feb. 8) and Northwest Nazarene (Feb. 10), and six of the team's final eight regular-season contests are away from home. MSUB's last home stand will be Feb. 15-17 against Concordia University and Western Oregon University. "Winning on the road in this league is very hard to do, but when it happens there's nothing better," Woodin said. "I think our team is still improving, and our best basketball of the season is still ahead of us."
 
The Yellowjackets are 15-7 overall and enter the week in a tie for fourth place in the GNAC standings at 8-4 in league play. MSUB is tied with Central Washington, and is two games back of second-place Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene which are each 10-2 in conference play.
 
LAST FIVE: W-W-W-W-L
 
IN THE RANKINGS: MSUB remained at No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA west region rankings, standing pat for the second straight week. The initial NCAA regional rankings will follow in the coming weeks and will eventually determine the eight-team field for the 2017-18 west region championships. The Yellowjackets can earn a spot in the GNAC Women's Basketball Championships by securing a top-six position in the conference standings at the end of the season. This year's tournament is hosted by UAA March 1-3, with the winner claiming an automatic berth into the regional championships.
 
HOME SPLIT: The 'Jackets are coming off a split at home last week, defeating Saint Martin's 69-61 on Jan. 25 before having their four-game winning streak snapped with a 66-50 loss to Seattle Pacific. MSUB held an eight-point halftime lead against the Falcons, before being out-scored 28-5 in the third quarter and being unable to recover. MSUB is 10-3 overall at home, and holds a 4-2 record in away games this year.
 
"Last week we played a lot of good basketball, but in each game we went through a prolonged shooting slump," said Woodin. "I would like to see us become more consistent with our offensive attack, and I believe we can accomplish that. Defensively, we need to improve our interior defense while continuing to focus on our opponents' strengths. I have a lot of confidence in our veteran players and their ability to lead and communicate effectively."
 
BREEN SNAGS 10TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior Alisha Breen led the 'Jackets with 20 points and 12 rebounds in the win over the Saints, completing her 10th double-double of the year and the 17th of her career. Breen added 13 points against the Falcons, and moved up one spot among the GNAC career scoring leaders at No. 8 with 1,647 points. Breen also moved to No. 6 in MSUB history with 115 career games played, and is tied for seventh with 734 career rebounds.
 
GNAC Women's Basketball Career Scoring Leaders (1/31/18)

Rank	Name	School	Points	Seasons
1	Erin Chambers	Simon Fraser	1946	2011-15
2	Taylor Peacocke	Western Washington	1940	2013-17
3	Bobbi Knudsen	MSU Billings	1831	2010-14
4	Jordan Wilson	Alaska	1783	2013-17
5	Rebecca Kielpinski	Alaska Anchorage	1752	2005-09
6	Rose Shaw	Central Washington	1696	1998-2002
7	Amanda Dunbar	Western Washington	1654	2007-11
8	Alisha Breen	MSU Billings	1647	2013-15, 17-18
9	Katie Benson	Seattle Pacific	1645	2010-14
10	Nicole Lynch	Humboldt State	1623	2001-05

 
Breen continues to lead the GNAC in scoring with 19.86 points per game, which ranks No. 2 in the NCAA Division II west region and No. 15 among national scoring leaders. Her 122 made free throws are third-most in the country, and she is eight made free throws away from breaking the GNAC career record of 472 (Erin Chambers, 2011-15).
NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Free Throw Leaders (1/31/18)

Rank	Player	School	Class	FTM	Games
1	Kalli Feddersen	Chadron State	SR	140	21
2	Megan Rosenbohm	Southwest Baptist	SR	126	20
3	Alisha Breen	MSU Billings	SR	122	22
4	Jessica Kelliher	Lewis	JR	118	21
5	Dana Watts	American International	JR	117	22
	Ariel Jones	Shippensburg	FR	117	19
7	Desirea Buerge	Missouri Southern State	JR	115	16
8	Kylie Lorenzen	Southern New Hampshire	SO	112	20
9	Brianna Wise	Texas A&M Commerce	SR	110	20
10	Natalie Diaz	Dominican (CA)	JR	109	20
	Rikke Fabricius	Cal State L.A.	SR	109	22
	Halee Nieman	West Florida	JR	109	19

 
KANE APPROACHING 1K: Entering the week with 953 points, Rylee Kane is nearing the 1,000-point mark in her four year career. She moved to No. 6 in GNAC history in career starts last week, extending her consecutive starts streak to 110 games. The four-year veteran, who notched six assists against Saint Martin's, remains at No. 8 in GNAC history and No. 3 in MSUB history with 492 career assists. Kane also extended a streak of 88 consecutive games with at least one assists, which dates back to her freshman season in 2014.
 
GNAC Women's Basketball Career Starts Leaders (1/31/18)

Rank	Name	School	Starts	Seasons
1	Kiki Robertson	Alaska Anchorage	128	2013-17
2	Rebecca Kielpinski	Alaska Anchorage	126	2005-09
3	Kayleen Goggins	MSU Billings	116	2011-15
4	Erin Chambers	Simon Fraser	113	2011-15
5	Janiel Olson	MSU Billings	111	2011-13, 15-16
6	Rylee Kane	MSU Billings	110	2014-18
7	Lorrie Clifford	Western Oregon	109	2009-13
8	Danielle Dwello	Northwest Nazarene	108	2003-07
9	Bobbi Knudsen	MSU Billings	107	2010-14
10	Heidi Arts	Alaska	106	1999-2003

 
STAVISH CONTRIBUTING ON THE BOARDS: The Yellowjackets have out-rebounded their opponents in each of their last three games, a stat that junior Vanessa Stavish has been a major part of. She has posted back-to-back games of seven boards which is one off her career high of eight. Stavish also had 11 points against the Saints, thanks to knocking down three 3-pointers.
 
CUNNINGHAM CONTINUES HIGH OUTPUT: Sophomore Taylor Cunningham had two more solid performances last week, contributing in each of the Yellowjackets' games. Cunningham's point totals in her last four games have been four of her five highest totals this season, as she had nine against the Saints and eight against the Falcons. She has also had multiple rebounds in each of her last four games, and hit a career-best three 3-pointers in the win over SMU last week.
 
COLLINS KICKS BENCH INTO GEAR: MSUB's bench provided a key scoring burst in the third quarter against SMU, during a run that separated the 'Jackets and gave them a lead to build on the rest of the game. Freshman point guard Hannah Collins had two of her season-best six assists during the scoring push, and also had seven points in the win. Collins is now third on the team with 28 assists this season, and is averaging 4.6 points in 14.7 minutes per game. The Great Falls, Mont., native has seen action in all 22 contests for the 'Jackets, and is chipping in 1.3 rebounds.
 
No. 8 University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
Thursday, Feb. 1 – 9 PM MTN – Alaska Airlines Center
2017-18 Record: 19-2, 11-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Ryan McCarthy, (6th season)
Last Five: W-L-W-W-W
2016-17 Record: 30-2, 20-0 GNAC (1st place, GNAC Reg. Season Champion, NCAA Tournament 1st round)
First Meeting: No. 6 UAA 81, MSUB 60 (Jan. 6 at Billings)
 
UAA shook off its first GNAC loss of the season on Jan. 20 at Seattle Pacific, and has won its last three conference games. The Seawolves are still the frontrunner to win their fourth-straight regular-season GNAC title, as they enter the week in first place in the GNAC at 11-1 in league play.
 
UAA took care of the University of Alaska 63-46 on Tuesday night, and will hit the road next week to face Concordia University and Western Oregon University after Thursday's game against the 'Jackets.
 
Shelby Cloninger leads UAA with 14.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game, while playing 23.4 minutes. Cloninger is one of four key 3-point shooters for the Seawolves, as she is hitting at a clip of 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (30-for-72).
 
Also dangerous from distance are Tara Thompson at 40.9 percent (38-for-93), Kaitlyn Hurley at 37.3 percent (28-for-75), and Rodericka Ware at 33.7 percent (31-for-92). Ware is also the team's third-leading scorer with 9.5 points per game, and is coming off a 12-point performance on Tuesday against the Nanooks.
 
Averaging 13.5 points per game, Hannah Wandersee is one of the top post players in the league and is shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. Yazmeen Goo runs the point for UAA, averaging 7.8 points and leading the squad with 83 assists. Goo did not play in Tuesday's game against the Nanooks, her first missed contest of the season.
 
UAA leads the GNAC with a scoring margin of plus-16.0, averaging 77.0 points per game while allowing just 61.0. The Seawolves are also a solid rebounding team, ranking fourth in the GNAC with a margin of plus-2.0 (37.2-35.2). UAA is shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from 3-point range, and 73.6 percent from the foul line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 26-34 all-time against UAA and is 11-18 in games played in Anchorage. The Seawolves have won eight in-a-row, 10 of the last 11, and 20 of the last 22 games dating back to the 2008 season. UAA has been nationally ranked in each of the last eight meetings, and MSUB's last win in the series was a 75-72 triumph in Billings on March 1, 2014.
 
Last Time Out: MSUB led by one point with 5:10 to go in the third quarter, but watched as UAA pulled away and secured a 21-point victory. Breen led all players with 27 points and added eight rebounds, while four Seawolves scored in double figures led by 19 from Cloninger.
 
University of Alaska Nanooks
Saturday, Feb. 3 – 4 PM MTN – Alaska Airlines Court
2017-18 Record: 4-15, 0-13 GNAC
Head Coach: Brett Sawyer, 1st season
Last Five: L-L-L-L-L
2016-17 Record: 13-14, 9-11 GNAC (T-6th)
First Meeting: MSUB 86, UAF 56 (Jan. 4 at Billings)
 
The Nanooks have lost 10 straight and are still in search of their first conference victory of the season. Alaska's last victory was a 70-31 triumph over Multnomah on Dec. 17.
 
Lexi Carpenter is the lone Alaska player averaging double figures, with 12.8 points per game. She is tied for fifth in the conference with 36 made threes this season, and is shooting 33.6 percent from the arc overall. Ashlie Blackburn averages 8.0 points per game, and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.7 boards per contest.
 
Emily Evans is another solid perimeter shooter, leading the team at 37.1 percent from beyond the arc (33-for-89). Evans also has a team-high 40 assists, and has played 33 or more minutes in five of her last six games.
 
The Nanooks rank last in the conference in scoring margin at minus-9.1, allowing 66.4 points per game while scoring just 57.4. Alaska is No. 9 in the league in rebounding at plus-0.1, averaging 39.1 boards per game and giving up 39.0. The Nanooks shoot 37.2 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from long range, and 65.1 percent from the foul line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 52-14 all-time against the Nanooks, and has a strong mark of 24-9 in road games. The 'Jackets have won three of the last five, seven of the last 10, and 19 of the last 22 meetings dating back to 2003. MSUB is 1-2 in the last three games played in Fairbanks.
 
Last Time Out: Four different Yellowjackets reached double figures, and senior Grace Weeks had a personal-best 18 points in the lopsided home win. Blackburn led Alaska with 17 points, while Carpenter had 10 the last time the teams met.