BILLINGS, Mont. – Hoping to continue a nearly 10-season trend of strong seasons in even numbered years, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team has its sights set on a return to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in 2019-20.
 
Last year, the Yellowjackets finished 7^th in the GNAC out of 11 teams with a record of 8-12 (12-14 overall). Though the team marked splashy wins over rival Rocky Mountain College and Western Oregon in the GNAC, they were not able to find the consistency of a 2017-18 team who made it all the way to the NCAA Division II elite eight.
 
Rather than concentrate singularly on the lofty goal of making it back to the pinnacle of Division II, MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin has instead stressed the importance of taking games one at a time, a point the staff emphasized in this year's team motto, "No Ceilings".
 
"In years past, we put down a lot of outcome based goals at the start of the season and I wanted to stay away from that this time around" Woodin said. "With our mix of senior returners and a large group of inexperienced players, I really feel if we do the things the right way, what we are capable of as a team increases as the season goes on. Then the possibilities for what we can achieve becomes limitless."
 
MSUB was selected to finish seventh last week in the GNAC preseason coaches poll, but with four veteran starters coming back, the 'Jackets may prove they are capable of more. The team begins the regular season Friday in the CCA Division II Tipoff Classic, where they will see University of Mary November 1 at 10:45, followed by perennial top Division II contenders Cal Poly Pomona and Drury University. The Yellowjackets last appeared in the tipoff classic in 2012-13 and start the year with five non-conference games in nine days.
 

2019-20 GNAC PRESEASON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
Pos.	Team (1st Place Votes)	Overall Record	GNAC Record (Place)	Pts.
1.	Central Washington (5)	18-11	12-8 (4th)	109
2.	Western Washington (3)	17-13	11-9 (Tie 5th)	107
3.	Alaska Anchorage (3)	30-3	19-1 (1st)	104
4.	Northwest Nazarene	29-3	18-2 (2nd)	88
5.	Simon Fraser	17-11	13-7 (3rd)	78
6.	Concordia	16-13	11-9 (Tie 5th)	66
7.	Montana State Billings	12-14	8-12 (7th)	57
8.	Saint Martin's	7-21	5-15 (Tie 9th)	42
9.	Seattle Pacific	8-19	7-13 (8th)	39
10.	Western Oregon	8-18	5-15 (Tie 9th)	23
11.	Alaska	4-22	1-19 (11th)	15

 
At the core of the team are senior captains Taylor Cunningham and Jeanann Lemelin, both routine starters in 2018-19.
 
The lineup will also feature junior Hannah Collins as the starting point guard and sophomore Taryn Shelley at starting forward.
 
After starting 23 games as a junior, Cunningham ranked third on the team with 11.4 points per game and second in total assists with 68. The Spokane, Washington, native was one of the team's key rebounders and upped her freshman totals from 3.1 rebounds per game to 3.5. Cunningham excelled at long-range shooting and posted the fifth-best single-season mark in MSUB history after shooting 42.7 percent from three-point range. She also ranked fourth in the GNAC last season in the category.
 
"Taylor is just a rock solid individual who gets along with everybody," said Woodin. "She has the ability to adjust to other people and understands how to get the best out of them. Her game is similar with sound fundamentals and an ability to play multiple positions. Her versatility is extremely important to our success. I look for her to be more aggressive this year, especially on offense. Last year she was hampered by a nagging foot injury most of the season, so I am really looking forward to her doing big things now that she is fully healthy."
 
 
Lemelin emerged into a key guard for the 'Jackets in 2018-19. A graduate of Billings Senior High School, she started 23 games as a junior and led the team with 5.8 steals per game for a total of 39, which was tied for No. 13 in the GNAC. Lemelin ranked fifth on the team in scoring with 5.8 points per game and totaled 766 minutes. She also shot 40.1 percent from the floor, including 30.5 percent from 3-point range, and 72.7 percent from the foul line.
 
"Jeanann Lemelin is a success story," Woodin said. "She came in as a freshman not knowing how much time she would get and slowly worked her way up. She's our hardest worker and inspirational leader on the floor. She excels at defense and does all the dirty things like taking charges and diving for loose balls that we need. I'm proud of all the time she has put in to get in top physical shape and I think if she establishes herself more on the offensive end, she is capable of being one of the best guards in our conference."
 
 
After averaging 5.1 points, 1.3 assists, and 28.6 minutes per game in the playoffs as a true freshman, Collins increased her role offensively last season and ranked second in the GNAC with a team high 14.8 points per game average. Collins also came in ninth in the conference with 3.4 assists per game, and marked the seventh best single-season free throw percentage in school history at 84.2 percent, an achievement good for fourth best in the GNAC.
 
Collins added second team all-GNAC to her list of achievements for the first time and was awarded Most Valuable Player of the Yellowjacket Classic. She led the team with 370 total points and scored a season-high 29 points on two occasions. No longer a newcomer to the GNAC stage, Collins faced increased defensive pressure from opposing teams in 2018-19.
 
"I expect Hannah to take her game to another level this year," Woodin said. "Statistically, she may end up with similar numbers because the depth of talent on our team has improved, but I feel she has gained a lot of experience on the court and will have a better feel for the game. That will enable her to focus not just on her own game but also on helping her teammates. Hannah's game speaks for itself, but I know she has targeted a few areas of improvement in the off-season. She knows that as a point guard in our program, her success is based on how the team does and I know she wants to lead us back to the GNAC tournament."
 
Both Collins and Shelley were named preseason all-conference in an announcement made by the GNAC office Tuesday. Shelley found success on both ends of the floor for the Yellowjackets in her freshman campaign and recorded six double-doubles. Her 8.2 rebounds per game led the team and ranked third in the conference. Shelley recorded 1.8 blocks per game, which was a league wide second best. With the graduation of honorable mention all-GNAC forward Vanessa Stavish, Shelley is on pace to see her role increase even more this season.
 
 
"I'm really excited to see Taryn's sophomore season," Woodin said. "She had brilliant games a year ago and now it's about establishing more consistency. Her offensive repertoire amazes me with her ability to score in the low post and at mid-range. She has excellent hands and a good feel for the game. I think she can become a better defender this year. She averaged over eight rebounds a game, but I believe she can still improve in that area. Taryn has the potential to be one of the best post players we've ever had at MSUB and we've had some really good ones."
 
Like Lemelin and Cunningham, senior captain Janessa Williams returns for her fourth season after playing in 26 games as a junior. Williams, a two-sport athlete at MSUB will look to replicate and improve on her average of 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds a year ago. Williams averaged 13.1 minutes per game and totaled 340 minutes on the floor.
 
"Janessa is a hard worker and I'm excited to see what she does this year having had a full offseason to concentrate on basketball only," said Woodin. "I think she is going to be very comfortable out there which is a big positive."
 
MSUB's other returners include sophomores Emily St. John, Addison Gardner, and Shannon Reny. St. John saw time in all 26 games in her first season and averaged 16.1 minutes with 2.1 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game. She posted a season high 10 points against Alaska Anchorage.
 
"I think Emily has improved a lot since the start of her freshman year," Woodin said. "She will play both point guard and shooting guard positions and she gives us a great fundamental sense on offense and makes good decisions without turning the ball over. She's also one of our better rebounding guards and is the type of player you need to have on your team to be successful."
 
The Yellowjackets have seven freshmen this season, perhaps the most intriguing of whom are Magic City natives Shayla Montague, TyRaa Manuel, and TyLee Manuel. All three graduated from Billings West High School and are fresh off a trip to the Montana state championship game, where they fell to Helena.
 
"I'm really excited about our freshman class," Woodin said. "They balance out all five positions and are very versatile players. They bring great size and athleticism and they've had recent success in their high school programs so they understand what winning looks like. Now the challenge is going to be trying to translate that to the collegiate level."
 
Montague was a first team all-state selection during her senior high school season and shot an impressive 48-percent from 3-point range with 40 total makes. Listed as a guard, Montague has the potential to play multiple positions for MSUB as well as a proven ability to score from all over the court. TyLee and twin sister Tyraa Manuel are twin sisters, but specialize in different positions. TyLee comes in as a 6-foot-1-inch forward with a major in political science, while TyRaa plays both guard and forward and plans to study health and human performance.
 
 
"I see Shayla and TyLee playing the most early for us, but I know that we are going to need three to four of our new players to make significant contributions in games right away. It's important also for the veteran players on this team to be mentors for the newcomers on and off the court. I've told our experienced players that they cannot achieve what they want alone. They need the new players as much as the new players need senior leadership."
 
Transfer student Jessica Harvey joins the Yellowjackets after playing 23 games as a sophomore for Chadron State University in 2018-19. There, Harvey averaged 23.7 minutes per game, while shooting 38-percent overall and leading her team in 3-point shooting at 34.1 percent. Harvey is a junior guard originally from Morrill, Nebraska and infuses two seasons of NCAA college experience to the team.
 
"Jessica gives us some nice depth at the wing position," said Woodin. "She is very athletic and has good speed with the ability to score. If she can defend at a high level, she will definitely help us right away."
 
MSUB's 20-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule begins December 5 in Burnaby, British Columbia against Simon Fraser University. The top-six teams in the GNAC regular season standings earn a spot in the 2018-10 GNAC Championships, scheduled for March 5-7 at Brougham Pavilion on the campus of Seattle Pacific University.
 
Other calendar highlights include a pair of #RimrockRivalry games against Rocky Mountain College. The first is located at First Interstate Arena in downtown Billings on November 6. MSU Billings then hosts the Battlin' Bears for Eastern Montana College throwback night December 12 at Alterowitz Gymnasium. The 'Jackets are also promoting Pink Night on February 13 against Alaska Anchorage and Senior Night for the final home game of the year February 29 against Simon Fraser.
 
"I think playing a home and home with Rocky every year is important for the community," Woodin said. "Many of the players know one another from high school, so it's always a fun environment. Getting to play at downtown this year may make it even more exciting and we're looking forward to it. We split the series with them last year."
 
Elsewhere in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Central Washington University was picked to win the league after returning four starting from last year's fourth place team. Alaska Anchorage made the most playoff noise after bowing out in the NCAA West Region title game to No. 4 seed Azusa Pacific. The Seawolves kicked off the 2019-20 GNAC season Tuesday with a win over St. Andrews (North Carolina).
 
"I feel like the bottom teams in the conference are better than a few years ago and the top-6 are going to be highly competitive and probably close at the end," Woodin said. "As for our team, I feel our seniors have a passion about them. They are just hard-working blue-collar type athletes and they do the things that don't necessarily make the stat sheet, but are important. I think that is very motivating for our younger players to see. We have added some depth that should allow us to play at a higher tempo this year. If we can do the little things and everyone puts in the extra effort, we should be a real fun team to watch."
 
ALL THE ACTION: Follow MSUB women's basketball all season on msubsports.com and via twitter @MSUBWBB, using the hashtag #JacketBaskets. All home games will have live stats and livestream available through MSUB's stretch internet portal. Games will feature play-by-play and color commentary by Kurt Wilson and Aaron Like. Ticket information for all home games, as well as season ticket information can be found online here, or by calling 406-657-2369.