BILLINGS, Mont. – Closing the 2021-22 regular season with three straight road games over the next two weeks, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team begins the stretch on Saturday at Seattle Pacific University.
 
Tipoff at Brougham Pavilion Saturday is set for 2 p.m. Pacific/3 p.m. Mountain, with live video available online here and live statistics available online here. "It is always tough to play at SPU," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "They are a program rich in tradition and I expect them to play much better than they did in Billings. We have had a great week of preparation and we are much healthier so I am really looking forward to seeing how we play."
 
After the team's lone game of the week, the Yellowjackets will hit the road again next week to play at Central Washington University on Feb. 24 and at Northwest Nazarene University on Feb. 26 in the regular-season finale.
 
MSUB has won three straight games and seven of its last eight, embarking on a mid-season surge that has elevated its record to 15-9 overall and 9-3 in conference play. The Yellowjackets closed their home schedule in strong fashion, knocking off Saint Martin's 52-50 last Thursday before running away from Western Oregon 72-52 last Saturday. "Last week's wins were very important," Woodin said. "We grinded and found a way to win a low scoring game against Saint Martin's and then played better and more consistently against Western Oregon. Our defense was solid last week and we got balanced scoring. One area I would like to see us improve upon is our starts. Last weekend we got behind early in the first quarter of both games and playing better early will be important for us in Seattle."
 
GNAC STANDINGS UPDATE: The Yellowjackets enter the week in fourth place in the latest GNAC points rating system standings, which have been implemented this season to determine the 2021-22 regular-season champion and the seeding for the conference tournament. All 10 teams will advance to this year's conference tournament, which runs March 2-5 in Washington. The 7-10 seeds will square off in two play-in games, before an eight-team tournament unfolds with the remaining teams. The winner of the conference tournament will earn the GNAC's automatic berth into the NCAA D2 West Region Championships. A detailed explanation of the PRS system, which is based on opponents' winning percentages, can be found online here.
 
"This is a fun time of the year," said Woodin. "The games mean more, and teams need to execute at a high rate and especially late in close games. I believe our team has improved and we are excited for the final two weeks of the regular season."
 
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Despite being ranked seventh in the latest D2SIDA west region top-10, the Yellowjacket women were not included in the initial NCAA D2 west region rankings, which were released on Wednesday and will eventually determine the eight-team field for the regional championship tournament. The NCAA rankings will be released again each of the next two Wednesdays, before the regional tournament field is selected on March 6 upon the completion of conference tournaments. The NCAA west region rankings can be found online here.
 
SHELLEY HAS ANOTHER BIG WEEK: Senior forward Taryn Shelley recorded double-doubles in each of MSUB's wins last week, scoring 38 points and adding 24 rebounds to propel the offense. Shelley now has seven double-doubles this season and 25 in her career over the last four years.
 
Shelley moved up one spot on the MSUB all-time scoring list, to No. 18 in program history with 1,179 career points. She remained at No. 9 in program history in rebounding, surpassing the 700-mark last week to enter this week with 716. Shelley is also No. 8 in MSUB history with a career field-goal percentage of .491. Shelley enters this week eighth in the GNAC in scoring at 14.3 points per game and third in rebounding at 7.9 boards per game.
 
MSUB Women's Basketball Career Scoring Leaders (as of Feb. 18, 2022)

Rank	Player	Points	Career
1	Alisha Breen	2,001	2013-18
10	Shelley Altrogge	1,382	1990-91
11	Kelli Kenyon	1,362	1984-87
12	Amy Winslow	1,358	1996-99
13	Codi Schmitz	1,324	1997-00
14	Tanya Petersen	1,264	2003-06
15	Natalie Visger	1,219	2000-03
16	Rylee Kane	1,214	2014-18
17	Alicia Cahill	1,195	1996-99
18	Taryn Shelley	1,179	2018-22
19	Tami Fleek	1,147	1995-98
20	Lori Fries	1,139	1981-84

 
MSUB Women's Basketball Career Rebounding Leaders (as of Feb. 18, 2022)

Rank	Player	Rebounds	Career
1	Janiel Olson	1,001	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	Taryn Shelley	716	2018-22
10	Lori Fries	684	1981-84

KUNKEL REACHES DOUBLE FIGURES FOR 5TH STRAIGHT GAME: Junior Cariann Kunkel was pivotal in both games last week, extending her string of games scoring in double figures to five while adding 11 rebounds. Kunkel made 9 of 17 shots (.529) and added three assists and three steals in the two wins. Kunkel is shooting 52.6 percent from the floor this season, which ranks her third in the GNAC. It is also the 10th-best single-season field-goal percentage in Yellowjacket history.
 
GARDNER SCORES CAREER HIGH IN RETURN: Playing for the first time since Dec. 18 due to an injury, Addison Gardner provided the Yellowjackets with a major boost in her return to the court. The senior scored a career-high 15 points in the win over the Wolves, while adding seven rebounds and five assists in the two games last week.
 
NELSON REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS: Second-year freshman Kortney Nelson reached double figures in scoring for the third time in her last five games, finishing with 11 points including 6-for-7 from the free-throw line against Western Oregon. Nelson chipped in eight rebounds and seven assists, while turning the ball over just twice in 52 minutes on the floor last week. Nelson is third on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game and fifth on the team with 6.5 points per game.
 
GIESE HAS SEASON-HIGH 5 TAKEAWAYS: True freshman Aspen Giese reached a season high with five steals in the win over Western Oregon, marking the sixth time this year she has had multiple takeaways in a game. Giese added six rebounds and two assists, while turning the ball over just twice in her 38 minutes played last week.
 

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Seattle Pacific University Falcons
Saturday, February 19 – 2 PM (PST) – Brougham Pavilion – Seattle, Washington
2021-22 Record: 10-14, 6-8 GNAC
Head Coach: Mike Simonson, 4th season
2020-21 Record: 7-7, 0-0 GNAC
First Meeting: MSUB 81, SPU 55 (Jan. 22 at Billings, MT)
 
The Falcons have dropped two games in-a-row, including a 75-54 defeat at home against Western Washington earlier this week on Tuesday. Saturday will close out a four-game home stand for the Falcons, before they close the regular season on the road next week against Western Oregon, Northwest Nazarene, and Central Washington.
 
Ashley Alter, who was absent in the Falcons' 81-55 loss to MSUB on Jan. 22 in Billings, is the team's leading scorer at 11.3 points per game. Alter played her first game since Jan. 6 on Tuesday, and was held scoreless against the Vikings. Natalie Hoff also averages in double figures with 11.1 points per game, and she is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor. Hoff is also the top rebounder for SPU, hauling in 6.8 boards per game. Kaprice Boston and Abril Rexach Roure are the two SPU players to have started all 24 games this season, with Boston ranking third on the team at 7.9 points and Rexach Roure leading the squad with 79 assists.
 
SPU is being narrowly out-scored 59.8-59.1, but holds a positive rebounding margin at 38.2-36.4. SPU shoots 38.8 percent overall, 29.0 percent from 3-point range, and 70.5 percent from the free-throw line.
 
The Series: MSUB is 24-33 all-time against SPU and is 6-22 in games played in the Emerald City. The Yellowjackets will look to make it two straight wins in Seattle, after claiming a 91-66 triumph on Feb. 22, 2020 when the teams last met in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Last Time Out: The Yellowjackets started hot with a 19-point first quarter and never looked back, with Kunkel and Danielle Zahn leading the way with 15 points apiece in the lopsided win a month ago.