PORTLAND, Ore. – After helping the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team to its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory of the season, senior forward Taryn Shelley was named the GNAC Player of the Week announced by the conference office on Monday.
 
It is the second player of the week award this season for Shelley and the third of her career. "I was pleased to hear Taryn earn GNAC Player of the Week honors," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "Taryn is an improved player at both ends of the court and she provides important leadership to our team on a daily basis. I am confident Taryn will have her best season yet as a Yellowjacket."
 
Shelley scored 43 points in MSUB's two games last week, including a team-high 22 in the 71-67 win over Northwest Nazarene University last Thursday. Shelley made 9 of 17 field goals and matched her career high with three 3-pointers in the win, while adding six rebounds, two blocks, an assist, a steal, and zero turnovers in 25 minutes. Shelley followed with a 21-point performance in MSUB's 79-68 loss to Central Washington, again matching her career high with three more 3-pointers.
 
Overall on the week Shelley shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) while making 6 of 8 threes and adding 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Shelley ranks ninth in the GNAC in scoring with a team-high 13.5 points per game, and is seventh in the conference in rebounding with a team-high 7.2 boards per game. Shelley also ranks fourth in the league with 1.5 blocked shots per game, and she is shooting 51.2 percent overall from the floor.
 
A two-time honorable mention all-conference selection, Shelley earned her first GNAC Player of the Week honor on Dec. 24, 2018 and her second on Nov. 8, 2021.
 
The Yellowjackets (6-5, 1-1 GNAC) are in action this week with an exhibition game at NCAA DI Montana State University on Thursday in Bozeman before hosting Rocky Mountain College on Saturday at Alterowitz Gym. Live coverage for this week's games will be available online here.