BILLINGS, Mont. – Another busy week is ahead for Montana State University Billings women's basketball. The Yellowjackets begin with a trip to Spearfish, South Dakota to take on Black Hills State University Wednesday, November 13 at 6 p.m. Saturday, MSUB returns home to host South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Both are non-conference regular season contests and can be watched online through the MSUB women's basketball schedule page.
 
The Yellowjackets (0-3) lost to three outstanding teams in the CCA Division II Tip-Off Classic to start the month, including No. 1 ranked Drury University. Since then, the team has played a pair of exhibitions. After a one-point loss to rival Rocky Mountain College, the 'Jackets played their best basketball of the season in a 91-59 win over University of Providence Saturday at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The 'Jackets scored early and often against the Argonauts. Forward Taylor Cunningham posted 17 points and seven rebounds to lead MSUB. Freshman Shayla Montague was also effective with 14 points and nine rebounds in the non-conference exhibition contest. For the first time, the Yellowjackets put up early points and carried the lead through the rest of the game.
 
"It was nice to build that early lead which was something we didn't do in our first four games of the season," commented head coach Kevin Woodin after the game. "I really liked our focus. I felt we rebounded really well in the first half, which helped create more offensive opportunities and we shot the ball much better and made the extra pass a lot more tonight which was good to see."
 
LEADING SCORER SHELLEY: Sophomore Taryn Shelley was a pre-season all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection and has lived up to the billing so far. Shelley leads the team with 16.0 points per game along with 8.3 rebounds. The Shoreline, Washington native plays just over 24 minutes per game, with a season high 35 minutes against Cal Poly Pomona on November 2. Against the Broncos, Shelley recorded 19 points and shot 12-for-16 from the field with four offensive rebounds and 11 defensive rebounds. Shelley has one double-double through three games, adding to her total of six as a freshman.
 
 
COLLINS CONTRIBUTES: Junior guard Hannah Collins is largely responsible for running the Yellowjacket offense. The Great Falls guard ranks second on the squad in points per game (10.3) and 3-pointers (4-for-11, .364). Collins finished second in the GNAC and led the team with 14.8 points per game last year. She also ranked ninth and led the team with 3.4 assists in 2018-19. When Collins gets to the free throw line, she shoots 84-percent. Collins opened the season with 17 points against University of Mary on November 1. She also notched double-figures against No. 1 Drury University (11 points) in California.
 
 
Scouting Black Hills State University
Wednesday, November 13 – 6 p.m. – Donald Young Center – Spearfish, South Dakota
2019-20 Record: 2-0, 0-0 RMAC, 2-0 home, 0-0 away, 0-0 neutral
2018-19 Record: 16-11, 12-10 RMAC, 5-6 home, 11-5 away, 0-0 neutral
Head Coach: Mark Nore (18^th season)
 
The Yellow Jackets are hot off two home wins having opened the season by routing TAMU-Kingsville 65-37. They followed up Saturday night easily defeating Texas A&M International University lead by Racquel Wientjes's 35 points and Morgan Ham's 22 points.
 
Wientjes led Black Hills State with 19.5 points per game in 2018-19, shooting mostly from the inside. Ham is a junior who scored at a 16.0 point per game clip a year ago. The Yellow Jackets shoot a high volume of 3-point shots. BHSU went 13-for-32 from beyond the arc against Texas A&M International (40-percent) and 11-for-36 against TAMU-Kingsville (31-percent).
 
Despite their close proximity, MSUB and BHSU have not met since 2012. In Spearfish, MSU Billings fell 65-63 to Black Hills State. However, MSUB is 5-1 in the all-time series against BHSU in games dating back to 1976.
 
Scouting South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Saturday, November 16 – 5 p.m. – Alterowitz Gymnasium – Billings, Montana
2019 Record: 1-0, 0-0 RMAC, 1-0 home, 0-0 away, 0-0 neutral
2018 Record: 12-14, 9-13 RMAC, 8-7 home, 4-7 away, 0-0 neutral
Head Coach: Jeri Jacobson (1^st season)
 
The Hardrockers achieved an 80-52 victory over Waldorf (Iowa) in their season opener Saturday. SDSMT shot 42-percent from the field and had a balanced attack offensively. Sami Steffeck scored a team best 13 points while Anna Haugen notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
 
South Dakota Mines struggled within the RMAC a year ago and averaged 57.9 points per game while allowing 57.7 points to their opponents. The Hardrockers lost leading scorer Taylor Molstad to graduation this season but return Steffeck, who had 11 points per game and a team best 72 total 3-pointers a year ago.
 
Last season, the Yellowjackets fell 88-69 in South Dakota to SDSMT. Molly McCabe posted 19 points for the Hardrockers. Hannah Collins put up 15 points for MSUB and Taylor Cunningham recorded 13 in the loss. MSUB will likely need to improve their 37-percent shooting percentage to defeat South Dakota Mines on Saturday.