FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu November 14, 2015 Heart-breaker: Breen with career high, but ‘Jackets fall 69-67 Women’s Basketball on Facebook MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU Interactive Box Score Tournament Statistics
Alisha Breen scored a career-high 40 points in the game against Academy of Art.
Alisha Breen scores a career-high 40 points, but AAU’s Zoie Cheng made a layup at the last second for the 69-67 win over MSUB. BILLINGS, Mont. - It came down to the wire, but Academy of Art's Zoie Sheng finished a drive with a layup at the buzzer for a 69-67 win over MSU Billings in the last game of the GNAC/PacWest Yellowjackets Challenge sponsored by the Billings Hotel and Convention Center and ExxonMobil. This time it went Academy of Art’s (2-3) way. Two years ago during the first round of the NCAA Division II west region tournament in California, MSU Billings (0-2) defeated AAU 60-59 in the first round of play. With 30 seconds left, Academy of Art had possession and both Sheng and Jasmin Guinn made shot attempts in the final 10 seconds of the
game, but neither went in as the Yellowjackets went onto the next round and finally to the west region championship game. This time Sheng made good. Not pulling up, the senior drove to the basket around the defense to make the gamewinning layup, delivering a heart-breaking loss to the Yellowjackets on the final night of the team’s opening weekend of play. Playing in all 40 minutes of the game, MSUB’s Alisha Breen finished with a career-high 37 points and set a new record for free-throws at MSUB with 19 in the game. Guinn had another big game at the tournament. The senior guard had 27 points against MSUB, finishing with 56 for both days. Including Guinn, four players scored points in the double digits. Sheng finished with 14, Sha’Nice Storey had 13 and Regina Camera 11. D’Andree Galipeau had six rebounds and Sheng led the team in assists with four. MSUB freshman Rylee Kane was 4-6 from the field, ending the game with 10 points and four assists. Monica Grimsrud had seven points, seven rebounds, and five assists. MSU Billings shot 36.4 percent from the field (20-55), but were 2-16 from the 3-point arc. Academy of Art was 39.7 percent (25-63) for the game and 4-17 from long-range. AAU finished 4-17 from 3-point territory and 23.5 percent for the game. From the foul-line AAU was 15-19 while MSUB was 25-29. Breen missed just two free-throws in 21 attempts setting the all-time record in free throws at MSUB overtaking the 1990 record set by Shelley Altrogge of 16. Breen also led the team in rebounds finishing with nine, and had a game-high five steals. “Alisha played a great game tonight,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. “Her skills and leadership are so important to our team. It was a great college women’s basketball game. Both teams played their hearts out; they just made one more big play at the end to win it.” Academy of Art (2-3) opened the game with a 13-8 drive. Grimsrud made a 3-ponter to set the ‘Jackets two back. A nice move from Sheng on an inbounds pass opened another scoring run for the Urban Knights. AAU started to pull away. Guinn had five, including a 3-pointer for a 6-point 17-11 run. MSUB’s Janiel Olson closed the point-spread to four with her first two points of the game on free throws. Grimsrud connected with Breen under the basket on a sideways pass for a layup. On the next possession, Breen made a huge basket to close the gap to two. Under pressure, the junior went up for a shot falling to the floor on her way down, but managed to go back up for the rebound after the ball came slowly off the rim. Grimsrud tied the game when she dribbled to the outside of the key, pulling up for a shot for 21-all. The ‘Jackets were giving themselves good second chances, but AAU made back-to-back 3-pointers. Grimsrud made an athletic grab on a high pass from Kane for a basket, but Guinn closed out the first half with two free throws to give the Urban Knights a 34-29 lead at the break.
Sheng made the first basket of the third quarter, but MSUB countered with all seven of Tiana Hanson’s game points to tie the game at 38. Breen made a great bucket on a strong feed from Kane and was fouled. She made the point after to give MSUB its first lead of the half at 41-38. Guinn pumped in her first 3-pointer of the game to knot the score back up. The teams traded points and possessions through the rest of the quarter ending with the Urban Knights ahead by two, 52-50. The final quarter was an absolute battle as neither team led on the scoreboard by more than two points. Breen and Kane scored all of MSUB’s 17 points during the last act. With 26 seconds left in the game, Breen was fouled and she made both of her buckets to tie the game at 67. After a timeout, AAU ran the floor, and with a last look, Sheng drove to the basket, bouncing the ball in off the backboard for the layup and the lead. With just a second left on the clock, MSUB inbounded the ball to Breen who turned around for the shot, but the ball went hard off the backboard. “We competed hard in the first half, but turnovers really cost us,” Coach Woodin said. “Most of our 12 first half turnovers were unforced and several were in transition when I thought we had good opportunities to score. We also need to shoot the ball much better. We played three games in our gym this week and our overall percentages from the field was way too low. “ The Yellowjackets finished with 19 turnover while the Urban Knights had 17, but AAU was able to score 29 points from the turnovers with just 12 from the ‘Jackets. While last night’s MSUB bench picked up 12 points, tonight they had two. Academy of Art was tougher in the key, finishing with 38-30 in the paint over MSU Billings. The Yellowjackets outrebounded AAU 34-27, but 22 of those were in the first half. “Quinn, Sheng, and Camera are all very difficult to defend,” Woodin said on AAU’s performance. “They penetrate and finish very well. And if you foul them, they make their free throws.” It was a tough loss to swallow but I hope it will make us better down the road,” Woodin continued. “I do believe it is good for our team to play tough opponents early.” THE BUZZ: Breen named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Breen’s previous career high was 30 points, which she did twice last season…the loss evens the record between MSUB and AAU as the teams are now 1-1 in overall meetings. UP NEXT: MSUB travels to California next week for two games. The Yellowjackets face Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time followed by Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time. “We have two very difficult games next week at Pomona and at San Bernardino,” Woodin said on the team’s schedule. “We need to continue to practice hard and find a way to get a win on the road.” 2015 GNAC/PacWest Yellowjackets Challenge, sponsored by the Billings Hotel and Convention Center and ExxonMobil
Darsha Burnside – CBU – MVP, All-Tournament Team::Cassidy Mihalko – CBU, Jasmin Guinn – AAU, Zoie Sheng – AAU, Alisha Breen – MSUB, Rachel Fradgley – SFU.
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