BILLINGS, Mont. – The reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference Team of the Week will complete its four-game home stand this weekend at Alterowitz Gym, as the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team prepares for three home games in four days.
 
Winners of three straight contests, the Yellowjackets will be put to the test on Thursday with a rematch against No. 19 University of Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves plummeted 11 spots down the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association top-25 rankings, after being blown out by MSUB 72-48 last Monday and losing to Western Washington over the weekend. "It's awesome to be at home this week," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin, who earned his first-ever road win versus UAA two nights after his team surrendered the fewest points of his career in a 55-31 win over Saint Martin's. "It is nice to have a little momentum working for us. We are starting to play more consistently and that has been an emphasis lately. We want to limit our opponents' easy baskets and continue to get quality shots on offense. Our team is young but they are improving and they are a lot of fun to coach and be around."
 
After going for the season sweep against the Seawolves, MSUB will host University of Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday evening before turning around and playing the Nanooks again on Sunday afternoon. Sunday's game is a makeup contest, with the originally scheduled game on Dec. 30 in Fairbanks being postponed due to weather. "It's different playing someone only 10 days later – it reminds me of playing a GNAC opponent late in season and then playing them again in postseason," Woodin commented on starting the weekend with UAA. "Anchorage's record over the past decade speaks for itself. They have talent, tradition, and are very well coached. We played well in Anchorage but I expect a totally different game this time around. We need to be focused and execute both offensively and defensively. Back-to-back games versus a single opponent is very rare. Fairbanks plays fast and has been in a lot of their GNAC games. They are a much better team than their record indicates. Turnaround time won't be a factor as both them and us are used to playing multiple games in a short time. Like I said earlier this year, we are going to celebrate any game day we get to have by giving our best effort that day."
 
Thursday's game and Saturday's game will both tip off at 5:15 p.m. and will be on the early end of a doubleheader with the MSUB men's basketball team. Sunday's weekend finale is set for a 1 p.m. tipoff. Live coverage for the games this weekend can be found online here, and Saturday's doubleheader will also be broadcast live regionally on SWX Sports.
 
The Yellowjackets (11-8, 5-2 GNAC) have won five of their last six games and are riding the momentum of a pair of big wins last week. After their first win over UAA in Anchorage since 2004, the Yellowjackets ran away from then-second place Seattle Pacific University last Saturday with an 81-55 triumph in the team's most recent outing.
 
The stellar play as of late has propelled the Yellowjackets into a three-way tie for second place in the league standings alongside Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene, who are each also 5-2 in conference play. Western Washington remains narrowly ahead in first place at 4-1 in conference action. After the home games this week, MSUB travels west to face Simon Fraser University next Thursday and No. 9 Western Washington next Saturday on the road.
 
HALL OF FAME SET FOR FRIDAY; FORMER ALL-AMERICAN GOGGINS TO BE INDUCTED: In between doubleheaders on Friday night will be MSUB's 32nd annual Hall of Fame & Distinction induction ceremony, which will take place at the Northern Hotel in Billings. The event begins at 5:30 p.m., and more information is available online here.
 
Among this year's six inductees is former Yellowjacket women's basketball All-American Kayleen (Goggins) Schultz, who competed in an MSUB uniform from 2011-2015 for four seasons. Schultz helped the Yellowjackets to the 2013-14 GNAC regular-season title and NCAA D2 Sweet 16, and finished her career eighth in school history with 1,456 points scored.
 
 
'JACKETS CRACK D2CCA REGIONAL RANKINGS: After the upset win over UAA, MSUB cracked into the latest D2CCA west region top-10 rankings released on Monday. MSUB appeared in the poll, which is voted on by media members in the west region, tied for ninth place. The first official NCAA D2 west region rankings, which are used to determine the eight-team field for the 2022 D2 West Region Championships, will be released in February.
 
D2CCA Women's Basketball West Region Rankings (1-25-2022)

Rank	Team	Record	Conference	Prev. Rank
1	Western Washington (4)	12-1, 4-1 GNAC	Great Northwest Athletic Conference	T2
2	Azusa Pacific (1)	12-1, 9-0 PWC	PacWest Conference	T2
3	Cal State East Bay	13-1, 8-0 CCAA	California Collegiate Athletic Association	4
4	Cal State San Marcos	11-2, 9-1 CCAA	California Collegiate Athletic Association	5
T5	Alaska Anchorage	10-3, 3-2 GNAC	Great Northwest Athletic Conference	1
T5	Central Washington (1)	11-4, 5-2 GNAC	Great Northwest Athletic Conference	T6
7	Northwest Nazarene	11-4, 5-2 GNAC	Great Northwest Athletic Conference	9
8	Hawaii Hilo	7-3, 4-3 PWC	PacWest Conference	T6
T9	MSU Billings	11-8, 5-2 GNAC	Great Northwest Athletic Conference	RV
T9	Stanislaus State	11-3, 6-2 CCAA	California Collegiate Athletic Association	8

 *First-place votes in parenthesis | Prev. Rank was last week's ranking | The NCAA D2 West Region is comprised of the GNAC, PacWest, and CCAA
 
KUNKEL NEARS CAREER HIGH: Cariann Kunkel was a force in the Yellowjackets' win over Alaska Anchorage, missing her collegiate career high by a single point with a 24-point output on 8-for-13 shooting. Kunkel also made all six of her free throws and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way. She followed that with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting against Seattle Pacific, giving her 39 points on the week.
 
Kunkel is shooting 52.1 percent this season, which ranks her fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage. Her 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds are each second on the team.
 
POINT GUARDS PRODUCING: MSUB's three point guards on the roster all came through at different times last week, playing in different combinations on the floor together or singularly. Skylar Patton had 19 points in the two games last week to go along with five rebounds and five assists, and she made 6 of 8 field goals. Danielle Zahn was one point off her career high in the win over SPU, as she made 5 of 8 shots for 15 points while adding a career-high seven assists. True freshman Aspen Giese matched her season high with nine points, as she connected on all three of her 3-point attempts in the win over the Falcons.
 
NELSON KEEPS IMPROVING: Second-year freshman Kortney Nelson had her highest scoring weekend to date, pouring in 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting in MSUB's two games during the calendar week. Nelson made 4 of 5 threes, while also grabbing 14 rebounds and adding four steals. Nelson is third on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game, and fifth on the team with 6.3 points per game this year.
 
SHELLEY'S PRESENCE CONSTANTLY FELT: Senior forward Taryn Shelley has continued to be a key presence under the basket this year, as she leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference with 7.4 rebounds per game. Shelley has hauled in at least six boards in each of the team's last seven games, and is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game during that span.
 
Shelley also moved up one spot to No. 24 in MSUB history in career points, pushing her total to 1,081 throughout her four years in a Yellowjacket uniform.
 
MSUB Women's Basketball Career Scoring Leaders (as of Jan. 26, 2022)

Rank	Player	Points	Career
1	Alisha Breen	2,001	2013-18
15	Natalie Visger	1,219	2000-03
16	Rylee Kane	1,214	2014-18
17	Alicia Cahill	1,195	1996-99
18	Tami Fleek	1,147	1995-98
19	Lori Fries	1,139	1981-84
20	Theresa O'Donnell	1,135	1982-84
21	Kayla Ryan	1,134	2007-11
22	Michelle Lieber	1,115	2005-07
23	Quinn Peoples	1,101	2011-15
24	Taryn Shelley	1,081	2018-22

 

---

No. 19 University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
Thursday, January 27, 2022 – 5:15 PM – Alterowitz Gym – Billings, Montana
2021-22 Record: 10-3, 3-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Ryan McCarthy, 10th season
2020-21 Record: 3-0, 0-0 GNAC
First Meeting: MSUB 72, #9 UAA 48 (Jan. 17 at Anchorage, AK)
 
All three of the Seawolves' losses this season have come in their last five games, as the team endured a 53-45 loss to Western Washington after falling to the Yellowjackets. UAA's game against Simon Fraser on Jan. 22 was postponed, and the Seawolves are set for three straight road games this week as they'll play at Seattle Pacific in back-to-back days Saturday and Sunday.
 
Nicole Pinckney is UAA's top scorer at 9.9 points per game, while Tennae Voliva averages 9.6 to go along with a team-high 5.9 rebounds. In addition to those two, Jahnna Hajdukovich is the other UAA player to have started all 13 games this season for the six-time defending GNAC champions.
 
The Seawolves are shooting 39.3 percent overall, 30.1 percent from long range, and 67.1 percent from the free-throw line. UAA out-scores its opponents 69.2-56.4, and holds a 36.9-34.7 edge in rebounding.
 
The Series: MSUB is 28-39 all-time against UAA and is 15-16 in home games against the Seawolves. Last week's win snapped a four-game losing skid in the head-to-head series, but UAA has won six in-a-row in Billings dating back to the 2013-14 season.
 
Last Time Out: Kunkel led the way with 24 points and four different 'Jackets reached double figures, while the defense limited UAA to just 32.1 percent shooting (17-for-53).
 

---

University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks
Saturday, January 29, 2022 – 5:15 PM – Alterowitz Gym – Billings, Montana
Sunday, January 30, 2022 – 1 PM – Alterowitz Gym – Billings, Montana
2021-22 Record: 1-10, 0-4 GNAC
Head Coach: Jessie Craig, 1st season
2020-21 Record: 0-0
 
The Nanooks' losing streak is at 10 games, after falling 79-67 last week in their lone home game against No. 11 Western Washington. Alaska will take on Seattle Pacific Thursday night, before preparing to face the Yellowjackets in back-to-back games over the weekend.
 
Pearle Green is UAF's top scorer, with her 15.7 points per game ranking her sixth in the conference. Green is Alaska's top perimeter threat, as she averages nearly 4.0 threes per game and is shooting 34.3 percent from the arc. Destiney Reimers averages 11.8 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game, and Claudia Diez Marti is also in double figures at 10.5 points per game.
 
The Nanooks are shooting 35.4 percent overall, 24.5 percent from 3-point range, and 67.9 percent from the free-throw line. UAF is being out-scored 74.9-61.8 and out-rebounded 44.8-36.7 this season.
 
The Series: MSUB is 58-14 all-time against Alaska and has won six games in-a-row dating back to the 2017-18 season. MSUB is 29-3 all-time in home games and has lost to UAF at Alterowitz Gym just once since 1992.
 
Last Time Out: The Yellowjackets won both games between the teams during the 2019-20 season, claiming a narrow 70-68 win in Fairbanks before a runaway 103-59 triumph in Billings.