BILLINGS, Mont. – As the 2018-19 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball schedule reaches the halfway point this week, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team is in the thick of the hunt for a postseason spot.
 
The Yellowjackets (7-7, 3-5 GNAC) enter the week in seventh place in the league, amid a clump of six teams that are separated by 2.5 games or fewer in the middle of the standings. As MSUB battles for a top-six spot and a berth into this year's GNAC Championships hosted by Western Washington University, it does so with eight of its final 12 contests being played in the friendly confines of Alterowitz Gym.
 
This week, MSUB hosts Concordia University (8-9, 3-6) on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., and Western Oregon University (6-9, 3-6) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The two West Coast opponents are directly below MSUB in the standings, just a half game behind the Yellowjackets. Both games this week will be part of doubleheaders with the MSUB men's basketball team, which plays No. 23 Saint Martin's University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Seattle Pacific University at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. Live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics for all home games are available online through the MSUB Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"It is nice to be at home this week for two games, after two difficult weeks on the road," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We have been working a lot on our rebounding, ball defense, and half-court offensive execution this week. Those are areas we need to improve upon. We got beat handily by two very good teams last week, and I think we will bounce back and play much better on our home court."
 
After next week's road trip to Seattle, MSUB will enjoy six of its final eight games at home as it makes a push to climb the standings. MSUB is looking to rebound from a pair of tough road defeats last week, as it fell 93-58 at Central Washington University and 102-75 at the hands of then-No. 4 and undefeated Northwest Nazarene University.

FEDERAL WORKER AID: All furloughed federal workers are invited to attend MSUB basketball games free of charge for the duration of the government shutdown. By presenting a government I.D. at the ticket booth, individuals will receive two general admission tickets as well as free popcorn courtesy of Sodexo.

COLLINS AMONG STRONG SOPHOMORES: Three of the top-five scorers in the GNAC are sophomores, including Yellowjacket point guard Hannah Collins (15.0 ppg). She is just 0.3 points away from co-leaders Alexis Pana of Central Washington and Kelsey Rogers of Western Washington, and she will become the 10th player in the GNAC this season to reach 200 points this week as she is currently sitting on 195 through 13 games. Along with Collins and Rogers, Saniah Simpson-Patu of Saint Martin's is the third sophomore among conference leaders at 14.8 points per game.
 
Though Collins had a quiet offensive week by her standards – with 20 total points in MSUB's two games – she put together a five-assist performance last Saturday against the Nighthawks. It was her fifth time this year with five or more assists in a game, and she has had at least one assist in all 13 games she has played in. Overall on the season, Collins is averaging 4.1 assists per game which is fourth in the conference. Collins and Pana, who also leads the conference with 5.9 assists per game, are the only two players in the GNAC to be in the top-10 in both scoring and assists.
 
ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR SHELLEY: Freshman Taryn Shelley completed her fourth double-double of the season at Northwest Nazarene, scoring 14 points and adding 10 boards in just 23 minutes. She nearly had another in the game against Central, but came up just short with 12 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes played. She is now tied for third in the league in double-doubles, as only Keesha Sarman of Concordia (6), and Cici West of Seattle Pacific (5) have more than her.
 

Date	Opponent	Points	Rebounds	Minutes
1-19-19	at Northwest Nazarene	14	10	23
1-5-19	Seattle Pacific	17	10	28
1-3-19	Saint Martin's	11	11	17
12-18-18	Maryville	19	15	27

Since her first double-double of the year, with 19 points and 15 boards against Maryville on December 18, Shelley is averaging 12.3 points and 10.0 rebounds in the eight-game stretch. Overall her 9.1 points rank fourth on the team, and her 7.9 rebounds are most on the squad and third in the league.
 
CUNNINGHAM STAYS HOT FROM THE ARC: Junior Taylor Cunningham continued her prolific pace from 3-point range last week, hitting 3 of 4 shots from the arc in each game to up her season percentage to 48.9. That figure ranks fifth in the GNAC, and she is on pace to give Amy Winslow's MSUB season-record percentage of 49.0 (1995-96) a run for the money.
 
A recent hot streak has upped Cunningham's percentage notably, as she has hit multiple threes in each of her last six games. Overall during that span she is connecting at a clip of 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from 3-point range, which has helped boost her career percentage to 34.5 to rank No. 10 in MSUB history.
 
Entering this week's games, Cunningham is one of just five players in the GNAC to have recorded at least one point, rebound, and assist in every game she has played this season. The only other players in the conference to achieve that feat are Pana and Sadie Mensing of Central Washington, Keesha Sarman of Concordia, and Sala Langi of Alaska Anchorage.
 
ST. JOHN SCORES CAREER HIGH: Freshman guard Emily St. John established a career high in scoring against the Nighthawks, thanks in large part to getting to the foul line. Five of her seven points in the game came from the line, and she also had two rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 21 efficient minutes off the bench. St. John has been a sharp shooter when she gets to the line, where she has made 13 of 15 attempts on the season (86.7 percent).
 
HOME SWEET HOME: MSUB has played just four regular-season home games this season, but is a perfect 4-0 while playing on its home floor. MSUB has had just two counting home games since November 23, and will look forward to the upcoming stretch of games in the Magic City.
 
"Our scoring has been more balanced lately, which is nice," said Woodin. "We still need to be more consistent. It is important for us to defend the 3-point line effectively against Concordia, as statistically they shoot a lot of them. Keesha Sarman is an excellent all-around player and does a lot of things for them from the point guard position. Western Oregon rebounds the ball very well as a team which is something we will have to prepare for. Natalie DeLonge has been playing very well as of late, so our interior defense will be important."
 
Concordia University Cavaliers
Thursday, January 24 – 5:15 PM – Alterowitz Gym
2018-19 Record: 8-9, 3-6 GNAC
Head Coach: Sean Kelly, 5th season
2017-18 Record: 14-14, 8-12 GNAC (7th place)
 
Concordia has won two of its last three games, including a pivotal 65-61 win over Western Oregon on Tuesday evening in Portland. The victory kept the Cavaliers among the cluster of playoff contenders, as CU looks to make up ground and advance to its first-ever GNAC tournament.
 
The Cavaliers are led by one of the premier point guards in the conference, in fourth-year starter Keesha Sarman. The senior had a streak of 78 consecutive starts snapped on December 17, when she sat out against No. 4 Drury. Overall she has started 85 of Concordia's 87 games dating back to the 2015-16 season, with her mark of 97.7 percent of team games started ranking No. 7 in GNAC history.
 

Player	School	Years	Starts	Team Games	Percentage
Rebecca Kielpinski	UAA	2005-09	126	126	100.00%
Rylee Kane	MSUB	2014-18	125	125	100.00%
Danielle Dwello	NNU	2003-07	108	109	99.08%
Kayleen Goggins	MSUB	2011-15	116	118	98.31%
Jasmin Edwards	CWU	2014-18	111	113	98.23%
Laura Wright	CWU	2003-07	104	106	98.11%
Keesha Sarman	CU	2015-19	85	87	97.70%
Heidi Arts	UAF	1999-2003	106	109	97.25%
Kiki Robertston	UAA	2013-17	128	132	96.97%
Erin Chambers	SFU	2011-15	113	117	96.58%

 
Sarman ranks second on the team with 11.6 points per game, and her 4.5 assists are second-most in the conference. Entering the week Sarman is No. 9 in GNAC history with 255 assists in her four seasons running the point. Sarman is also No. 6 in the GNAC with 7.3 rebounds per game, making her the only player in the league to be in the top-10 in rebounding and assists.
 
GNAC Newcomer of the Year candidate Olivia Vezaldenos has emerged as one of the top scorers in the league in her first year, ranking eighth in the league with 14.2 points per game. Also in double figures for the 'Cavs is Kizzah Maltezo, who is checking in with 10.8 points per game.
 
Fifth-year head coach Sean Kelly has used a wide variety of starting lineups, with 12 of his 13 players having started at least once this year and only three players starting 10 or more of the 17 games. Overall CU is being out-scored 69.3-66.3 and out-rebounded 39.1-36.4. The 'Cavs shoot 39.2 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from 3-point range, and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 6-1 in the relatively new series against the GNAC's most recent addition, and the 'Jackets have a perfect 4-0 record at home against the Cavaliers.
 
Last Time Out: The 'Jackets swept the season series in 2017-18, winning 69-61 in Portland last January and claiming a 77-57 win at home last February.
 
Western Oregon University Wolves
Saturday, January 26 – 7:30 PM – Alterowitz Gym
2018-19 Record: 6-9, 3-6 GNAC
Head Coach: Holli Howard-Carpenter, 6th season
2017-18 Record: 11-15, 7-13 GNAC (9th place)
 
The Wolves have lost three of their last four and five of their last seven after Tuesday's setback against Concordia, but remain in the hunt for the postseason just a half game behind the Yellowjackets. WOU faces the difficult road trip to No. 3 Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington next week to finish off a four-game road stretch overall.
 
Natalie DeLonge is one of the top scorers in the conference, entering the weekend ranked No. 4 in the league with 14.9 points per game. She has scored upwards of 20 points in each of her last three games and has reached double figures in eight straight games dating back to early December. She is also the team's top rebounder at 6.9 per game, a mark that ranks No. 7 in the league this season.
 
Keyonna Jones is WOU's other double-figure scorer, as she checks in with 10.2 points per game and a team-best 58 assists. Ali Nelke joins DeLonge and Jones as the third Wolf to have started all 15 games this year, and she is averaging 8.8 points with a team-second best 6.7 rebounds.
 
The Wolves have not proven to be a threat from 3-point range this season, as they are shooting just 27.2 percent which ranks last in the league. WOU gets most of its points in the paint, with a strong shooting split of 45.3 percent on 2-point baskets. WOU gets out-scored 66.5-64.9 but holds the upper hand in rebounding at 40.4-33.2.
 
The Series: MSUB is 25-7 all-time against WOU and holds a 12-3 record in home games. The 'Jackets have won five of the last six and nine of the last 11 games dating back to the 2012-13 season.
 
Last Time Out: Western Oregon spoiled MSUB's 2018 Senior Night, claiming a 77-65 win at Alterowitz Gym. That salvaged a series split on the year, after the 'Jackets won 65-56 in Monmouth, Oregon last January.