BILLINGS, Mont. – Kicking off a four-game home stand at Alterowitz Gym this weekend, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team hosts Seattle Pacific University on Saturday afternoon.
 
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., with live video available online here and live statistics available online here. "We are looking forward to the upcoming four-game homestand," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "It is very rare to play four in-a-row at your place this time of the year. It is important to continue to improve and be fundamentally sound. Our depth continues to be a strength and it will be critical with four games over eight days. I am excited to see if we can continue our momentum from our last two games against a very good Seattle Pacific team."
 
The Yellowjackets (10-8, 4-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) have a rematch against No. 8 Alaska Anchorage next Thursday, before hosting University of Alaska Fairbanks for back-to-back games next weekend to conclude a stretch of four home games in eight days.
 
MSUB emerged from a grueling four-day road trip successfully over the weekend, winning 2 of 3 games packed into the tight schedule. After suffering a 66-57 loss to Western Oregon last Friday, MSUB bounced back with a 55-31 win over Saint Martin's before a landmark 72-48 upset of then-No. 9 Alaska Anchorage on Monday night. "We had a very good road trip, and I was proud of how our team responded after losing at WOU," said Woodin. "We played consistent basketball against both SMU and UAA and it was nice to get those two road wins. Road wins in the GNAC are hard to come by. Our team defense shined in the two wins and we protected and shared the ball well on offense. Despite being a young and inexperienced squad, I feel we are really starting to come together. Our leadership from Shannon, Taryn, and Addison has been outstanding. They are team-first players and that translates through our whole squad."
 
STANDINGS SNAPSHOT: Getting off to a 4-2 start in league play has elevated MSUB to a tie for third place in the early GNAC standings along with Northwest Nazarene. The two schools are just one game behind both Western Washington and this week's opponent – Seattle Pacific – which are both 3-1 in league play.
 
A MAKE-UP UPSET: Monday's game against the Seawolves was a late adjustment to the schedule, after the teams' initial meeting on New Year's Day was postponed due to COVID-19 protocol. The Yellowjackets made the most of the opportunity, showing no signs of heavy legs despite traveling across three different time zones and four different states before arriving in Anchorage for their third game in four days. Instead, MSUB shocked the No. 9 team in the nation with its first home loss since the Alaska Airlines Center opened, its largest margin of defeat since the 2017-18 season, and Woodin's first-ever road win at UAA. The team's last victory over UAA in Anchorage was a 62-54 triumph on Dec. 19, 2003, and it was MSUB's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since the 2018-19 season.
 
MSUB had won on the court in Anchorage before, with its three-game run to the 2018 GNAC Championship title occurring at the Alaska Airlines Center. MSUB beat Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, and Seattle Pacific from March 1-3, 2018 to claim its first-ever conference tournament title. The team's last win over Alaska Anchorage before Monday came a week later, with a 71-70 triumph in Azusa, Calif., to give MSUB its second NCAA D2 west region crown in program history.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW?: MSUB got to play its only guaranteed game at Marcus Pavilion last Saturday, but if the 'Jackets can maintain a top-six spot in the GNAC standings the rest of the season and earn a conference tournament berth, they'll make a return trip to Saint Martin's University where they made another piece of history in Saturday's win. The 31 points allowed in the game against the Saints was the lowest total by an MSUB opponent since a 79-31 win over Green Mountain on Jan. 17, 2004, and was the lowest a Woodin-coached team has ever allowed. It was the fourth time since 1977 that an MSUB team has allowed exactly 31 points in a game, but no Yellowjacket squad has allowed fewer points since MSUB's NCAA Division II era began in 1980.
 
Fewest Points Allowed – MSUB Women's Basketball History (1973-74 inaugural season)

Rank	Opponent	Points Allowed	Date	Score
1	MSU Northern	10	2/21/1974	W, 56-10
2	MSU Northern	17	1/12/1974	W, 63-17
	Montana Tech	17	1/8/1977	W, 84-17
4	Carroll	19	1/18/1975	W, 71-19
5	MSU Northern	21	1/20/1977	W, 80-21
6	Northwest CC	24	1/30/1975	W, 77-24
7	Montana Tech	25	2/15/1977	W, 69-25
	Northwest CC	25	2/3/1976	W, 79-25
9	MSU Northern	26	2/4/1977	W, 69-26
10	Rocky	28	1/4/1974	W, 37-28
	Montana Western	28	2/22/1974	W, 49-28
12	Montana Western	30	2/19/1976	W, 77-30
13	Rocky	31	2/20/1974	W, 37-31
	Metro State	31	2/6/1988	W, 79-31
	Seattle	31	1/11/2001	W, 75-31
	Green Mountain	31	1/17/2004	W, 79-31
	Saint Martin's	31	1/15/2022	W, 55-31

 *Bold italics indicate NCAA Division II Era (1980-Current)
 
KUNKEL CAPS WEEKEND WITH HIGHLIGHT PERFORMANCE: Cariann Kunkel saved her biggest game of the season for MSUB's top conference opponent to this point, scoring 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting while hauling in seven rebounds in the win over UAA. Kunkel knocked down a pair of threes, marking just the second time she has hit multiple treys in a game this year. She was one point off her collegiate career best of 25, which she set on Nov. 17, 2019 during her career at Wenatchee Valley College.
 
After adding 13 points against Western Oregon and seven against the Saints, Kunkel upped her season scoring average to 12.3 points per game which ranks second on the team. She also carries a field-goal percentage of 51.3, which ranks her sixth in the conference.
 
SHELLEY NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE, CLIMBS BLOCKS, REBOUNDS CHARTS: Senior Taryn Shelley completed her fourth double-double of the year against Western Oregon, scoring 14 points and adding 13 rebounds for her highest board total of the season thus far. Shelley continues to lead the team in both scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg), figures that rank her ninth and seventh in the conference, respectively.
 
Shelley also blocked four shots last week, upping her career total to 120 which moved her to No. 3 in program history. Shelley's block total also ranks her tied for 17th in GNAC history, alongside Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe of Simon Fraser (2010-13). Shelley also moved into the top-10 in school history in rebounding, upping her career total to 660 which ranks her 10th.
 
MSUB Women's Basketball Career Blocked Shot Leaders (as of 1/21/2022)

Rank	Player	Blocks	Career
1	Robyn Milne	278	2002-05
2	Jessica Henigman	272	2000-03
3	Taryn Shelley	120	2018-22
4	Tanya Petersen	117	2003-06
5	Kayla Ryan	109	2007-11
6	Alisha Breen	88	2013-18
7	Shantell Marquis	85	2006-11
8	Monica Grimsrud	84	2012-16
9	Alicia Cahill	71	1996-99
10	Shelley Altrogge	64	1990-91
	Michelle Lieber	64	2005-07

MSUB Women's Basketball Career Rebounding Leaders (as of 1/21/2022)

Rank	Player	Rebounds	Career
1	Janiel Olson	1001	2012-16
2	Robyn Milne	957	2002-05
3	Alisha Breen	878	2013-18
4	Alicia Cahill	814	1996-99
5	Natalie Visger	796	2000-03
6	Theresa O'Donnell	761	1982-84
7	Michelle Lieber	740	2005-07
8	Shelley Altrogge	734	1990-91
9	Lori Fries	684	1981-84
10	Taryn Shelley	660	2018-22

NELSON WITH ANOTHER BIG GAME: Second-year freshman Kortney Nelson was one off her career high in scoring in the win over Anchorage, as she finished with 15 points including a career-best 6-for-6 performance from the free-throw line. She added nine rebounds – one off her season high – and upped her season average to 5.2 rebounds per game which ranks her third on the team. Nelson is also shooting 46.3 percent from the field this season.
 
PATTON REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS AGAIN: Junior guard Skylar Patton reached double figures in scoring for the third time this year, hitting 3 of 4 field goals and all three of her free throws en route to 10 points against Alaska Anchorage. Patton also had seven rebounds and seven assists last week.
 

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Seattle Pacific University Falcons
Saturday, January 22 – 3 PM – Alterowitz Gym – Billings, Montana
2021-22 Record: 7-7, 3-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Mike Simonson, 4th season
2020-21 Record: 7-7, 0-0 GNAC
 
Dealing with COVID-19 postponements for the last two weeks, Seattle Pacific hasn't played since a buzzer-beating 66-64 overtime win against Simon Fraser on Jan. 6 at home. The dramatic victory was the third in-a-row for the Falcons, who sit atop the GNAC standings at 3-1. SPU had games against No. 11 Western Washington, Saint Martin's, and Western Oregon postponed, and after Saturday's game against MSUB the Falcons will host Alaska Fairbanks and No. 8 Alaska Anchorage next week at Brougham Pavilion.
 
Ashley Alter is SPU's leading scorer at 12.1 points per game, and is 1 of 3 Falcons to have started all 14 games this season. Natalie Hoff also averages in double figures at 11.8 points, but SPU's next leading scorer drops off to 6.9 points per game. Hoff is also SPU's leading rebounder at 7.2 boards per game, while Abril Rexach Roure has started all 14 games as point guard and leads the team with 45 assists.
 
The Falcons don't pose a major threat from 3-point range, hitting at just 30.4 percent as a team and Alter being the only player to average more than one made trey per game. Overall SPU shoots 40.3 percent, and hits at 67.4 percent from the free-throw line. The Falcons have out-scored their opposition 60.4-58.7, and have out-rebounded their foes 39.0-36.1.
 
"SPU was playing very well before their recent pause," said Woodin. "They had impressive wins against Central and Simon and I am impressed with their depth, balance, and overall team speed. They play fast so our transition defense will be tested. They move well with and without the basketball and defensively they put a lot of pressure on you. We must take good shots and keep good spacing on offense, and getting the ball into the paint consistently will be crucial."
 
The Series: MSUB is 23-33 all-time against SPU but holds a 15-9 record in games played at Alterowitz Gym. SPU has won seven of the last 10 games but MSUB has won three of the last five in the series.
 
Last Time Out: The teams split the 2019-20 season series, with SPU winning 69-63 at Alterowitz Gym and MSUB claiming a 91-66 win in Seattle.