BILLINGS, Mont. – Kicking off Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at home this weekend, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team hosts a pair of league opponents.
 
The 'Jacket women will play the early game of doubleheaders with the 'Jacket men on both Thursday and Saturday, with tipoff set for 5:15 p.m. and the men following at 7:30 p.m. MSUB will host Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday and Central Washington University on Saturday. Live video for the games this weekend will be available online here with live statistics available online here.
 
"Our team and coaches are very excited to start GNAC play after a 21-month absence," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We have had a tough pre-season schedule which I believe has prepared us well for this week. We haven't shot the ball very well from the 3-point line over the past three games so we have emphasized it this week. Our defensive positioning and communication has struggled at times too so it has been nice to get back to practice and work on these areas. It is important to get back to basics and play fundamentally sound basketball this week."
 
With the 2019-20 conference season being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, this week will mark the first GNAC games for MSUB since Feb. 29, 2020. It signals the start of the 18-game conference schedule, which will resume with road games at University of Alaska on Dec. 30 and at No. 8 Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 1. "Both NNU and CWU are off to good starts and they have many talented players returning," Woodin said. "They are picked near the top of the GNAC for a reason and I expect two hard fought, competitive games. Our focus remains to be more locked in on each possession. We have been a little streaky as of late and I would like our play to be more consistent on both ends."
 
After this week's conference games, MSUB plays a pair of in-state matchups with an exhibition game at NCAA DI Montana State University on Dec. 9 in Bozeman and at home against Rocky Mountain College on Dec. 11. The 'Jackets will then close out the non-conference portion of their schedule against West Texas A&M on Dec. 17 and University of Wisconsin Parkside on Dec. 18 at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas.
 
MSUB (5-4) is coming off a pair of defeats on the road last week. The Yellowjackets fell 76-63 against Northern State University before a 69-60 loss at the hands of Minnesota State Moorhead in a pair of games in Aberdeen, S.D.
 
NIGHTHAWKS MOST FAMILIAR GNAC FOE: While last spring's four-game series between MSUB and NNU didn't count in the conference standings, the Yellowjackets and Nighthawks are most familiar with one another among the 10 teams in the conference. The teams split the four-game set, each going 1-1 in a pair of home games from Feb. 26-March 6, 2021. "We both have video on each other from a year ago so it's not an advantage either way," Woodin commented on facing the Nighthawks last spring. "I am sure they will have a great game plan for us and I know we will be prepared for them as well. Our games against them last year were close so I expect it to be close again. Late game execution will be critical."
 
'JACKETS LOOK TO SHAKE 3-POINT STRUGGLES, GET BACK TO REBOUNDING DOMINANCE: During its current three-game losing skid, MSUB is shooting just 16.4 percent from 3-point range (9-for-55). That is a far cry from the team's solid mark of 35.2 percent (38-for-108) that it posted during its 5-1 start to the season. MSUB also had the top rebounding margin in the GNAC after its first six games of the year, at plus-15.8. Since then however, MSUB has been out-rebounded in each contest with a mark of minus-4.3 during the losing stretch.
 
KUNKEL CONTINUES OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION: Cariann Kunkel has reached double figures in scoring in four consecutive games, and led MSUB last week with 37 points in the two defeats. Kunkel made 13 of 25 field goals (52.0 percent), which helped maintain her season mark of 59.2 percent which ranks her fourth among all players in the GNAC.
 
SHELLEY NOTCHES 20TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior Taryn Shelley completed the 20th double-double of her MSUB career, scoring 13 points while adding 12 rebounds in the loss to Northern State. It was Shelley's second double-double of the season, and her rebounding average of 7.7 per game ranks her fifth in the GNAC.
 
BOYCE BUILDING AS SEASON PROGRESSES: Second-year freshman Dyauni Boyce had her top performance of the season against MSU Moorhead, scoring seven points while adding a season-high seven rebounds in 21 productive minutes off the bench.
 

---

Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks
Thursday, December 2 – 5:15 PM – Alterowitz Gym – Billings, Montana
2021-22 Record: 4-2, 0-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Steve Steele, 6th season
2020-21 Record: 7-7
 
After starting the season with back-to-back defeats, Northwest Nazarene enters Thursday's conference opener with the momentum of four straight victories. The Nighthawks took down Point Loma Nazarene 71-64 and Concordia University-Irvine 75-62 in a pair of games in San Diego last week. After facing the 'Jackets Thursday, NNU plays at Seattle Pacific University on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Veteran Erin Jenkins leads the team with 11.0 points per game, and is shooting 47.4 percent overall from the field this season. Nyalam Thabach is also in double figures with 10.5 points per game, while Teagan Thurman averages 10.2 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game. Lydia Nieto is the team's primary point guard, with an average of 4.0 assists per game while averaging 27.8 minutes.
 
The Nighthawks are out-scoring their competition 67.5-64.8 and they hold a rebounding advantage of 40.3-34.7. NNU is shooting 45.3 percent overall, 24.4 percent from 3-point range, and 66.4 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 20-19 overall in the well-balanced series, and holds an 11-6 advantage in games played in Billings. NNU has won six of the last eight and 10 of the last 13 games between the two dating back to the 2016-17 season.
 
Last Time Out: The teams split their four meetings last year, with three of the four contests being decided by four points or fewer.
 

---

Central Washington University Wildcats
Saturday, December 4 – 5:15 PM – Alterowitz Gym – Billings, Montana
2021-22 Record: 4-2, 0-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Randi Richardson-Thornley, 5th season
2020-21 Record: 0-2
 
The Wildcats split their home games last week, beating Westminster College 83-71 before falling 76-54 against Metro State University. CWU starts its conference schedule on Thursday at Seattle Pacific, before facing the Yellowjackets on Saturday.
 
Kizzah Maltezo has gotten off to a hot start in her senior season, leading the team and ranking second in the GNAC with 18.5 points through her first six games of the year. Samantha Bowman has had a dominant start to the season as well, averaging a GNAC-high 14.7 rebounds while chipping in 16.8 points per game. Bowman is shooting 55.7 percent from the field overall. Kassidy Malcolm is the other CWU player scoring in double figures, entering the week averaging 15.0 points per game while ranking second on the team with 7.2 rebounds.
 
CWU is narrowly out-scoring its opposition 70.3-68.2, while maintaining a rebounding advantage of 39.3-35.2. The Wildcats shoot 41.9 percent overall, 33.3 percent from 3-point range, and 72.8 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 26-14 all-time against CWU and is 12-5 in games played at Alterowitz Gym. The Wildcats have won three of the last four but MSUB has won seven of the last 12 covering the last six seasons.
 
Last Time Out: Each team won at home during the 2019-20 season, with the 'Jackets claiming a 63-45 win the last time CWU visited Alterowitz Gym on Jan. 2, 2020 and the Wildcats responding with a 71-62 triumph in Ellensburg, Wash., on Feb. 1, 2020.