BILLINGS, Mont. – Kicking off the 2021-22 season with one of the premier NCAA Division II events, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team is set to host the D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead tournament this weekend at Alterowitz Gym.
 
The 15-game, three-day event will showcase 10 of the top women's basketball programs in the country and will be the largest women's basketball tournament ever hosted by the Yellowjacket program. "I was very excited to hear MSUB was chosen to host the D2 CCA Women's Basketball Tipoff Classic for 2021 & 2023," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin, who enters his 18th season in charge of the program. "To have 10 teams coming now for the tourney is amazing. We have teams representing six different NCAA D2 conferences and from all over the United States and Canada. The level of play will be incredible and our basketball program will benefit from this special event. I truly hope people will attend as the Tipoff Classic will be awesome for both MSUB and our community. I really wanted to get this event to Billings to showcase women's basketball on a national stage."
 

Tournament Schedule
All games take place at Alterowitz Gym on the MSU Billings campus
Friday, November 5, 2021
Time	Home Team	Away Team	Live Video	Live Statistics	Box Score	Player of the Game
10 AM	Nova Southeastern	Simon Fraser	Live Video	Live Statistics	Nova Southeastern 58, Simon Fraser 45	Kyarrah Grant, NSU
12:15 PM	Kutztown	Mary	Live Video	Live Statistics	Kutztown 65, Mary 59	Abbey Hearn, KU
2:30 PM	#1 Lubbock Christian	Montevallo	Live Video	Live Statistics	#1 Lubbock Christian 69, Montevallo 55	Allie Schulte, LCU
4:45 PM	Seton Hill	#11 Tampa	Live Video	Live Statistics	#11 Tampa 75, Seton Hill 48	Melijah Sullivan, UT
7 PM	MSU Billings	Minot State	Live Video	Live Statistics	MSU Billings 72, Minot State 66	Taryn Shelley, MSUB
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Time	Home Team	Away Team	Live Video	Live Statistics	Box Score	Player of the Game
10 AM	Mary	Nova Southeastern	Live Video	Live Statistics	Mary 67, Nova Southeastern 62	Macy Williams, UM
12:15 PM	Montevallo	#11 Tampa	Live Video	Live Statistics	Montevallo 81, #11 Tampa 67	Kiya Sain, UM
2:30 PM	Kutztown	Minot State	Live Video	Live Statistics	Minot State 72, Kutztown 67	Amber Stevahn, MSU
4:45 PM	Simon Fraser	Seton Hill	Live Video	Live Statistics	Simon Fraser 71, Seton Hill 67	Sophia Wisotzki, SFU
7 PM	MSU Billings	#1 Lubbock Christian	Live Video	Live Statistics	Lubbock Christian 67, MSU Billings 61	Ashton Duncan, LCU
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Time	Home Team	Away Team	Live Video	Live Statistics	Box Score	Player of the Game
8:30 AM	Seton Hill	Mary	Live Video	Live Statistics	Seton Hill 74, Mary 59	Katie Nolan, SHU
10:45 AM	Simon Fraser	Montevallo	Live Video	Live Statistics	Montevallo 79, Simon Fraser 72	Jennifer Andrew, UM
1 PM	Minot State	Nova Southeastern	Live Video	Live Statistics	Nova Southeastern 74, Minot State 69	Hailey Conley, NSU
3:15 PM	#11 Tampa	#1 Lubbock Christian	Live Video	Live Statistics	#1 Lubbock Christian 56, #11 Tampa 44	Laynee Burr, LCU
5:30 PM	MSU Billings	Kutztown	Live Video	Live Statistics	MSU Billings 66, Kutztown 55	Cariann Kunkel, MSUB

Schedule Notes
All times Mountain Daylight Time
Home team wears light colored uniforms; away team wears dark colored uniforms
No game will begin before its listed start time
A minimum period of 20 minutes will elapse before the next scheduled game begins

The D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead is sponsored by Visit Billings, the city's local tourism bureau. Other tournament sponsors include Home 2 Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Sodexo, and Dynamic Designs. "Visit Billings could not be more excited to partner with MSU Billings Athletics in their team's efforts to welcome this invitational event this weekend," said Alex Tyson, executive director of Visit Billings. "Women's basketball is such an important sport to Montana and Wyoming. To be able to host these top teams in a pre-season tournament is great economically for Billings, but will also offer some amazing competition for fans to enjoy at Alterowitz Gym."
 
The tournament field includes teams from seven different states and six different conferences, including two-time reigning NCAA Division II national champion Lubbock Christian University which went 23-0 en route to defending its national title last March. All games at the tournament will be played at Alterowitz Gym on the MSUB campus. A full tournament schedule is available at www.msubsports.com.
 
The tournament host Yellowjackets will take on Minot State University on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m., before facing the challenge of the reigning national champion Chaparrals at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6. MSUB will close the tournament by hosting Kutztown University on Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
 
Tickets for the tournament will be available for purchase in advance online at a discounted rate, and will also be available for purchase at the door. Tournament programs, merchandise, and a full menu of concessions will also be available throughout the three-day event.
 
Live coverage will also be available for all 15 games at the tournament. Live video with play-by-play commentary will be featured on the MSUB Sports YouTube channel, and live statistics for each game will be available online here.
 
The Yellowjacket women's basketball team will enter the tournament with momentum, coming off exhibition wins over Rocky Mountain College on Oct. 27 (59-50) and Montana Tech on Monday (67-54). Preseason all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection Taryn Shelley put forth a monstrous 19-point, 15-rebound double-double in the win over Montana Tech, and enters the season after earning all-conference honors in each of her first two years at MSUB.
 
The host team's list of talented returners includes hometown sophomore guard Shayla Montague, who hit a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the exhibition win over the Orediggers. Junior Cariann Kunkel, who co-led the team in rebounding at 7.5 boards per game while scoring 14.0 points in 2020-21, is back after breaking in during the modified season. She will be joined by her Wenatchee Valley College teammate Natalie Andreas, who will make her Yellowjacket debut this year.
 
Senior Addison Gardner, from Great Falls, returns to the starting lineup in her final collegiate season, along with senior Shannon Reny from Libby to round out the Yellowjackets' veteran leadership.
 
Three talented point guards adorn MSUB's roster, with returners Skylar Patton and Danielle Zahn being joined by true freshman Aspen Giese of Fort Benton. Patton led the way with 9.0 points per game in her first year at MSUB last spring, while Zahn was sidelined with an injury that she has fully recovered from.
 
Other difference makers last spring included freshmen Kortney Nelson of Scobey and Dyauni Boyce of Winifred, who averaged 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 rebounds, respectively. Marie Five of Crow Agency saw action in six games as a true freshman last spring, and newcomer Chloe Williams from Liberty Lake, Washington, will get her collegiate career started this fall.
 
This weekend's tournament marks the first of four early-season events the Yellowjackets are scheduled to compete in, and will be followed by the Holy Names Classic in Oakland, Calif. (Nov. 12-13), the Dacotah Bank Classic in Aberdeen, S.D. (Nov. 26-27), and the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas (Dec. 17-18). The Yellowjackets will play a complete, 18-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule, beginning at home on Dec. 2 against Northwest Nazarene and Dec. 4 against Central Washington. The race to the 2022 GNAC Championships, hosted by Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Wash., on March 3-5, will continue at the turn of the calendar year. MSUB will look for its first postseason berth since making the tournament in 2019-20 – the last time the event was held before the outset of the coronavirus pandemic. The top-six teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the conference tournament – an event MSUB has qualified for seven times since its inception during the 2010-11 campaign.
 

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D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead Team Capsules
 
Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets
Location: Billings, Montana
Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 5-3 (0-0 GNAC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
Preseason Results: 10/27 – Defeated Rocky Mountain College 59-50 | 11/1 – Defeated Montana Tech 67-54
 
Yellowjackets Tourney Schedule
Friday – 7 PM – vs. Minot State University
Saturday – 7 PM – vs. No. 1 Lubbock Christian University
Sunday – 5:30 PM – vs. Kutztown University
 
The host for the tournament, the Yellowjackets' 2020-21 season was limited to just eight games due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Yellowjackets did not play any conference contests in their most recent season, but managed to complete a winning record including a 2-2 mark against fellow GNAC opponent Northwest Nazarene University. While Saturday's matchup will be the first ever between MSUB and Lubbock Christian, the teams crossed paths at the 2018 NCAA D2 Elite Eight in MSUB's most recent trip to the postseason.
 

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Kutztown University Golden Bears
Location: Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 0-0 (0-0 PSAC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
Preseason Results: 10/25 – Lost to Monmouth 74-60
 
Golden Bears Tourney Schedule
Friday – 12:15 PM – vs. University of Mary
Saturday – 2:30 PM – vs. Minot State University
Sunday – 5:30 PM – vs. MSU Billings
 
The Golden Bears' most recent appearance on the court was March 2, 2020 at the PSAC Championships. Kutztown's 2020-21 campaign was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the team eagerly awaits its return to the floor this winter. Kutztown went 18-11 overall during the 2019-20 season and was 15-7 in PSAC play to take third place. After facing the two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams at the tournament – University of Mary and Minot State University – Kutztown will close the event with its first-ever meeting against the Yellowjackets.
 

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#1 Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Conference: Lone Star Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 23-0 (13-0 LSC) – National Champion
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
 
Chaparrals Tourney Schedule
Friday – 2:30 PM – vs. Montevallo
Saturday – 7 PM – vs. MSU Billings
Sunday – 3:15 PM – University of Tampa
 
The coronavirus pandemic didn't stop the Chaparrals from winning their third national title, as they became the first program in Division II history to go undefeated in two different seasons. LCU knocked off No. 2 Drury 69-59 in the national title game last March to win its second straight title, after winning the national title in 2020 in double overtime. One of the most successful programs in the NCAA, LCU has been to three consecutive Elite Eight tournaments dating back to the 2017-18 season.
 

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Minot State University Beavers
Location: Minot, North Dakota
Conference: Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 4-10, 4-8 NSIC
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
Preseason Results: 10/23 – Defeated Dickinson State 63-56
 
Beavers Tourney Schedule
Friday – 7 PM – vs. MSU Billings
Saturday – 2:30 PM – vs. Kutztown
Sunday – 1 PM – vs. Nova Southeastern
 
The Beavers' 2020-21 season was abbreviated to 14 games due to the pandemic, and after a slow start Minot State rallied to win two of its final five contests to close the shortened year. Twelve of the team's 14 games played were against conference opponents, with MSU going 4-8 in league play and tying for sixth place in the NSIC North division. After opening the tournament with the host Yellowjackets – against whom they are 1-1 all time – the Beavers will have their first-ever matchups against Kutztown and Nova Southeastern.
 

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Nova Southeastern University Sharks
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Conference: Sunshine State Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 0-0 (0-0 SSC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
 
Sharks Tourney Schedule
Friday – 10 AM – vs. Simon Fraser
Saturday – 10 AM – vs. Mary
Saturday – 1 PM – vs. Minot State
 
The pandemic wiped out the Sharks' 2020-21 campaign, as their last time out was at the 2020 SSC Championships where their campaign ended with a loss to Saint Leo. The team played its way to an even 14-14 record in 2019-20 and went 10-10 in SSC action to tie for fourth place. The Sharks will open the tournament with their second-ever meeting against Simon Fraser, having lost the initial contest between the programs. NSU's games against University of Mary and Minot State will be the first-ever meetings between the teams.
 

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Seton Hill University Griffins
Location: Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 0-0 (0-0 PSAC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
 
Griffins Tourney Schedule
Friday – 4:45 PM – vs. Tampa
Saturday – 4:45 PM – vs. Simon Fraser
Sunday – 8:30 AM – vs. Mary
 
Seton Hill did not compete during the most recent season due to the pandemic. The team went 14-15 overall during the 2019-20 season and was 8-14 in PSAC action to take sixth place in the Western division. The team's last appearance on the court was on March 2, 2020 with a loss to Edinboro in the opening round of the PSAC Championships. The D2CCA Tip Off at the Trailhead will provide Seton Hill, which joined the NCAA in 2007, with three first-time opponents in Tampa, Simon Fraser, and University of Mary.
 

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Simon Fraser University
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 0-0 (0-0 GNAC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
 
SFU Tourney Schedule
Friday – 10 AM – vs. Nova Southeastern
Saturday – 4:45 PM – vs. Seton Hill
Sunday – 10:45 AM – vs. Montevallo
 
An inability to cross the U.S./Canada border combined with the pandemic prevented Simon Fraser from playing any games during the 2020-21 season. SFU put together a solid 18-13 record in 2019-20, and went 13-7 in GNAC play to tie for fourth place and qualify for the conference tournament. SFU's last time on the court was a first-round GNAC loss to Central Washington on March 5, 2020. Simon Fraser is 1-0 all-time against Nova Southeastern, 1-1 against Montevallo, and will be playing Seton Hill for the first time in school history.
 

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University of Mary Marauders
Location: Bismarck, North Dakota
Conference: Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 5-9 (5-7 NSIC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
Preseason Results: 11/1 – Defeated Concordia College 75-42
 
Marauders Tourney Schedule
Friday – 12:15 PM – vs. Kutztown
Saturday – 10 AM – vs. Nova Southeastern
Sunday – 8:30 AM – vs. Seton Hill
 
The Marauders played 14 games during the coronavirus-shortened 2020-21 season, 12 of which were against NSIC opponents. Mary ended its season with back-to-back victories over Minot State University, and took fifth place in the NSIC northern division. In the team's last full season, Mary went 22-11 overall and 15-7 in NSIC play during the 2019-20 campaign. Mary will open the tournament against Kutztown, before its first-ever meetings with Nova Southeastern and Seton Hill.
 

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University of Montevallo Falcons
Location: Montevallo, Alabama
Conference: Gulf South Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 14-7 (13-4 PBC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
 
Falcons Tourney Schedule
Friday – 2:30 PM vs. Lubbock Christian
Saturday – 12:15 PM – vs. Tampa
Sunday – 10:45 AM – vs. Simon Fraser
 
Montevallo made the most of the pandemic-impacted season, going 14-7 overall and taking second place in the Gulf South Conference Eastern division at 13-4 in league play. The Falcons' strong season came to an end in the opening round of the NCAA D2 South Region Championships, as they fell to Union University 70-65. The team enters the 2021-22 season coming off back-to-back winning campaigns, as it went 18-11 overall during the 2019-20 season. After its first-ever meeting with Lubbock Christian to open the tournament, Montevallo will face Simon Fraser (1-1 all-time record) and Tampa (2-2 all-time record) on the final two days.
 

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#11 University of Tampa Spartans
Location: Tampa, Florida
Conference: Sunshine State Conference
2020-21 Season Record: 7-0 (0-0 SSC)
2021-22 Season Record: 0-0
 
Spartans Tourney Schedule
Friday – 4:45 PM – vs. Seton Hill
Saturday – 12:15 PM – vs. Montevallo
Sunday – 3:15 PM – vs. Lubbock Christian
 
Tampa played just seven games during the coronavirus-shortened 2020-21 season, but the Spartans went undefeated all within the span of three weeks. The strong performance was no surprise after a 24-5 record in 2019-20, including a mark of 19-1 in Sunshine State Conference play to claim the league title. Overall Tampa has enjoyed three straight winning seasons entering the 2021-22 calendar. Tampa is 2-2 all-time against its Saturday opponent Montevallo, but will be seeing Seton Hill and Lubbock Christian for the first time.