FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, February 6, 2016 ‘Jacket women push past Saint Martin’s 56-52 Saturday
MSUB completes a season sweep of Saint Martin’s, defeating the Saints 56-52 on Saturday on the road in Lacey, Wash. LACEY, Wash. – Alisha Breen had a game-high 21 points and Marissa Van Atta added 19 as the Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team rolled to a 56-52 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over host Saint Martin’s University Saturday night at Marcus Pavilion. The Yellowjackets had to withstand a furious comeback effort from the Saints, as SMU outscored MSUB 22-10 in the fourth quarter. The Saints got to within one point, down 53-52 with 12 seconds left on the clock. Van Atta converted a layup on the other end however, and completed a three-point play with a free throw to seal the victory. “It was a hard-fought win tonight, and I was proud of how our team came back after Thursday’s defeat,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “We started off slowly, and we have to give Saint Martin’s credit for coming out strong.” Megan Wiedeman had a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double for the home team, but MSUB outscored SMU 30-12 in the second and third quarters to help build a cushion.
“We got behind early but we played excellent second and third quarters,” Woodin said. “We tightened up a bit in the fourth, and it got close, but we hung in there and registered the win.” MSUB is now 15-7 overall and 11-3 in GNAC play to remain in third place. The Saints fell to 5-16 with the loss, and are 311 in conference games. Though the Saints took command directly after the tipoff, their lead peaked at six points late in the first quarter. Backto-back layups by Breen gave MSUB its first lead of the game at 22-20 midway through the second, and the ‘Jackets didn’t trail the rest of the game. “Offensively we were carried by Alisha and Marissa,” said Woodin. “Marissa got some points through her defense, and had a very good game for us on both ends of the floor.” Before finishing off the game in the fourth, Van Atta closed out the third quarter with a jumper at the buzzer that extended the Yellowjackets’ advantage to 16 points at 46-30. Van Atta had three steals and three rebounds, while making 8 of 15 shots on the big offensive night. Senior Janiel Olson led the ‘Jackets with eight rebounds, and MSUB won the battle of the boards 37-31. The Yellowjackets made 22 of 54 shots from the field (40.7 percent), but just 1 of 11 from 3-point range (9.1 percent). MSUB made 11 of 16 foul shots (68.8 percent). Monica Grimsrud had a team-best four assists, to go with five rebounds and four points – all on free throws. Freshman guard Taylor Edwards had two points and a rebound in eight minutes, and Tiana Hanson grabbed two boards in a dozen minutes. Krista Stabler, SMU’s leading scorer, had 11 points and six rebounds in 38 minutes. Elin Johansson led her team with four assists, and she and Wiedeman each had a pair of steals. Rebekah Baugh knocked down three of SMU’s five 3-pointers, and finished with nine points, a rebound, and a steal in 19 minutes. Overall SMU shot 5-for-20 from long range (25 percent), and 17-for-48 from the field overall (35.4 percent). The Saints made 13 of 18 free throws (72.2 percent). “We are looking forward to coming home for two great events, with the ROOT SPORTS Think Pink game Thursday and Senior Night Saturday,” Woodin commented on next week’s games. THE BUZZ: Van Atta was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the ‘Jackets completed the season sweep of SMU after a 64-49 win over the Saints at home on Jan. 7…Breen ranks in the top-3 in the GNAC in scoring (17.2 ppg) and notched her ninth 20-point game of the year and fourth in her last six games. AHEAD: The Yellowjackets head back to Billings to host the GNAC ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week for the first time ever on Thursday against Western Oregon. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and it will double as Think Pink night with Alterowitz Gym decked out in pink to support the fight against cancer. The ‘Jackets will also host Concordia University on Saturday night at 7 p.m., with seniors Olson and Grimsrud being honored in their final career games at home. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--