BILLINGS, Mont. – Senior Night is Saturday at Alterowitz Gym, as the 2018-19 Montana State University Billings women's basketball season comes to a close this weekend.
 
The Yellowjackets (11-13, 7-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) will host Western Washington University on Thursday evening, and Simon Fraser University on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. both nights, and live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available online via the MSUB Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"We play two great opponents in WWU and SFU," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "It is always interesting to see how you play them the second time around, as it has been three months since we last saw them. We were very competitive against both of them at their places, but got off to poor starts in those games. That has been a nemesis of ours throughout the year. Hopefully this week we can establish some momentum early and build on it."
 
MSUB fell out of contention for the 2019 GNAC Basketball Championships last weekend, with a 75-61 loss at Concordia University. That came after an 80-70 win over Western Oregon University last Thursday, as the Yellowjackets split their two recent road contests.
 
SENIOR SENDOFF: After Saturday's season finale against Simon Fraser, a ceremony will take place on the court to honor the three players graduating from MSUB's program. Vanessa Stavish is a fifth-year senior who joined the team in the 2014-15 season, and Taylor Edwards and Brina Hull are both fourth-year seniors who are completing careers that began in 2015-16. All three played a key role in helping the Yellowjackets win the 2018 GNAC Championships, the 2018 NCAA D2 West Region Championships, and advance to the NCAA D2 Elite Eight for just the second time in school history. All three players are also three-time academic all-conference selections as well.
 
"Senior week is always a special one for our program," said Woodin. "We will honor three great student-athletes in Vanessa, Taylor, and Brina. Each of them has been a pleasure to coach, and has excelled both in the classroom and on the court. We will miss them, but I know they will be successful in whatever they choose to do."
 
SODEXO FAN FEAST: Campus catering partner Sodexo will provide a Fan Feast meal in the lobby near the concession area during Saturday's game. The dinner will start at 5:30 p.m., and seating will be available in the lobby. On the menu for Saturday is a carved turkey dinner with a beverage and dessert for $12, or a personal pan pizza with a 24 ounce fountain soda for $8.
 
STAVISH BY THE NUMBERS: Vanessa Stavish will wrap up a memorable career with the 'Jackets, during which she has played in 121 games and started 60. It is the third-most games played in Yellowjacket history, behind only Alisha Breen (130), and Rylee Kane (125). During that time Stavish has scored 868 points, racked up 439 rebounds, and contributed 113 assists. In her career Stavish is shooting 39.5 percent overall, 33.5 percent from 3-point range, and 77.0 percent from the free-throw line.
 
FEATURE – Be Brave: A Tribute To Lori Stavish
 
Stavish has made 150 threes in her career, which is the eighth most in school history. Her 448 attempted 3-pointers are also eighth most, and her career free-throw percentage of 77.0 is eighth best. Stavish has recorded three career double-doubles, including two this season, and single-game career highs of 23 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. Her scoring average of 11.7 points per game this season is second on the team and is a personal season-best as well.
 
EDWARDS BY THE NUMBERS: A native of Great Falls, Edwards has battled injury throughout her career to play in 91 total games while making 19 starts. She returned from a knee injury that cost her the majority of her sophomore season in 2016-17, and has totaled 237 points in her career. Edwards also has 112 rebounds, 57 assists, and 33 steals.
 
Edwards' career high is 18 points, which she reached on December 1, 2016 at Northwest Nazarene. She also has personal single-game bests of seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
 
HULL BY THE NUMBERS: Hull has played in 100 games during her career, averaging 11.0 minutes playing primarily off the bench. The Colstrip native has scored 243 points, and is averaging a personal-best 4.0 points per game this year. Hull has hauled in 132 rebounds, while totaling 47 assists and 30 steals in her career. She is shooting 35.5 percent overall and 32.0 percent from 3-point range.
 
COLLINS IN THE HUNT FOR SCORING TITLE: Sophomore point guard Hannah Collins is in the hunt to claim the 2018-19 GNAC scoring title, as she enters this week ranked No. 2 in the league with 15.0 points per game. Only Olivia Vezaldenos of Concordia University is above her, at 15.4 points per game. Collins has totaled 344 points overall on the season, while shooting 39.8 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from 3-point range, and 86.1 percent from the free-throw line. Collins leads the team with 77 assists, and her average of 3.3 per game ranks 10th in the league.
 
CUNNINGHAM LOOKING TO FINISH YEAR STRONG: Junior Taylor Cunningham has had a breakout season, averaging 11.4 points while starting 21 of 22 games. Cunningham is shooting 40.5 percent overall, and is converting at a clip of 42.7 percent from 3-point range which ranks her fifth in the conference. Cunningham's 62 assists are second most on the team, and she is averaging 30.0 minutes per game.
 
SHELLEY BUILDS CASE FOR TOP FRESHMAN: Taryn Shelley is wrapping up a solid debut season, and is a finalist for the 2018-19 GNAC Freshman of the Year award. Entering the week, Shelley is averaging 11.3 points and ranks third in the conference with 8.2 rebounds per game. Those totals are second and first, respectively, among the conference's freshmen, and she is also second overall in the league with 44 blocked shots and an average of 1.8 blocks per game. Shelley has completed six double-doubles, which is the most among freshmen and tied for fourth most overall.
 
LEMELIN OWNING ROLE: Junior Jeanann Lemelin continues to improve with each game played this season, as she has earned 22 starts and is averaging 29.5 minutes. Last week her assignment was to guard the GNAC's leading scorer in Vezaldenos, and she limited her to 11 points including just two in the first half. Lemelin ranks fifth on the team with an average of 5.9 points per game, and she leads the squad with 36 steals. The Billings native also has 60 assists against 57 turnovers, and is shooting 39.8 percent overall.
 
Western Washington University Vikings
Thursday, February 28 – 7 PM – Alterowitz Gym
2018-19 Record: 15-12, 10-9 GNAC
Head Coach: Carmen Dolfo, 28th season
2017-18 Record: 12-16, 8-12 GNAC (T-7th Place)
First Meeting: WWU 63, MSUB 57 (December 1, 2018 at Bellingham, WA)
 
The Vikings clinched a GNAC tournament berth with a 67-49 win over Simon Fraser on Tuesday evening, shaking off consecutive losses last week against Central Washington and No. 7 Northwest Nazarene. Thursday is WWU's final regular-season game, and it will await seeding to find out when it plays at the GNAC Championships at home in Bellingham.
 
Anna Schwecke is the Vikings' leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, and her 8.1 rebounds are the fourth most in the conference. Schwecke has been a dominant force under the basket, shooting 58.2 percent from the field which is the top mark in the league.
 
Kelsey Rogers is another double-figure scorer for WWU, averaging 12.0 points and ranking third on the team with 5.2 rebounds. Checking in a hair under double figures in Emma Duff, who is at 9.5 points per game and is a volume 3-point shooter. Duff's 5.3 rebounds are second most on the team.
 
No Viking player has started all 27 games this year, with Schwecke, Duff, and Lexie Bland making starts in 26 of 27 games.
 
WWU is averaging 65.9 points per game while giving up 64.9, and the Vikings hold a commanding rebounding advantage of 40.3-31.9. WWU is shooting 42.4 percent overall, 29.0 percent from 3-point range, and 69.6 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 16-23 all-time against WWU, and has a record of 9-8 in home games at Alterowitz Gym. The teams are 3-3 in the last six meetings in Billings.
 
Last Time Out: MSUB scored just six points in the opening quarter, and couldn't catch up in the six-point road loss. Collins had 19 points and Stavish added 14, while Schwecke put together a monster 20-point, 15-rebound double-double and Lexie Bland added 18 points.
 
Simon Fraser University Clan
Saturday, March 2 – 7 PM – Alterowitz Gym
2018-19 Record: 17-9, 13-6 GNAC
Head Coach: Bruce Langford, 18th season
2017-18 Record: 14-15, 9-11 GNAC (6th place)
First Meeting: SFU 81, MSUB 74 (November 29, 2018 at Burnaby, BC)
 
The Clan appear destined to claim the No. 3 seed at the GNAC Championships, but are coming off a tough loss to Western Washington Thursday. SFU is the only team in the NCAA to defeat No. 5 Northwest Nazarene this season, as the Clan upset the 25-1 Nighthawks 76-73 on January 26 at home.
 
Sophie Swant is SFU's top scorer with 14.8 points per game, and also leads the team with 5.8 rebounds. Swant is a threat from the arc, where she is shooting 34.1 percent, and she is also averaging 3.0 assists per game. Jessica Jones and Tayler Drynan are two more 3-point shooters the Yellowjackets will have to be aware of, as they average 11.9 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Jones leads the team with 69 made threes on the year, and is hitting at a rate of 34.2 percent from the arc. Drynan meanwhile runs the point, leading the team with 122 total assists for an average of 4.7 per game to rank second in the GNAC.
 
Ozioma Nwabuko joins Drynan as the only other Clan player to have started all 26 games, and she ranks fourth on the team with a scoring average of 9.0. Nwabuko is just behind Swant with 5.7 rebounds per game. Samantha Beauchamp is the league's leading shot blocker with 65 total and an average of 2.8 per game, but she has missed each of the last three contests.
 
Simon Fraser out-scores its opposition 69.5-66.4, but is not a strong rebounding team as it is out-boarded 36.5-35.0. SFU shoots 39.8 percent overall, 33.7 percent from 3-point range, and 74.7 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 9-11 all-time against SFU and has a record of 6-3 in home games. MSUB is 4-1 in the last five home games.
 
Last Time Out: Stavish had 21 points and Cunningham added 20, but it wasn't enough to fend off four double-figure scorers for SFU. Swant led the way with 26 points, while Nwabuko had an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.