MSUB women's basketball win 72-46 at home over Alaska

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu January 28, 2016 First-place showdown set as ‘Jackets defeat Alaska 72-46 at home MSUB Women’s Basketball on Facebook MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU Post Game interviews with head coach Kevin Woodin, junior Tiana Hanson, and sophomore Rylee Kane GNAC Standings Interactive Box Score

MSUB women’s basketball sophomore Rylee Kane had six assists in the win over Alaska.

With a final score of 72-46, the MSUB women’s basketball team finishes with a season sweep of Alaska, setting up a firstplace conference showdown at home on Saturday against Alaska Anchorage.

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 points and holding the Nanooks to seven as the Yellowjackets defeated Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Alaska, 72-46, inside Alterowitz Thursday.

With the win, MSU Billings moves to 14-5 overall and 10-1 in the GNAC, setting up a first-place conference showdown against No. 2 Alaska Anchorage on Saturday at home.

Alaska (9-13, 4-8) kept it tight through three quarters, but the Yellowjackets pulled away in the final 10 minutes for the 26-point win.

Junior Alisha Breen scored a game-high 22 points. Senior Janiel Olson finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Tiana Hanson shot 3-5 from the field and added in seven free-throws for 13 points.

Sophomore point guard Rylee Kane had six assists and five rebounds in the first game of the back-half of conference action.

“We got off to a better start tonight which we talked about doing as we had struggled recently with our starts,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. “However, every time we made a run to go up by double-digits, Alaska would answer.

Give Fairbanks credit for playing tough as well in the first half. Jordan Wilson was very effective tonight for them, especially in the first half. Defensively, I really liked our second half effort. We worked hard on the glass and didn’t give up many easy baskets.”

“This was a total team victory for us tonight,” Woodin continued. “Everyone contributed in a positive manner both on and off the court. Rylee directed our offensive attack very well this evening. I thought our ball movement and player movement was much better than a week ago. We were able to score in a variety of ways.”

Alaska shot 54.2 percent in the first half and 40.0 percent (2-5) from the 3-point arc, but big defense from MSUB held the Nanooks to just four field goals and 13.8 percent shooting for the second half (4-29).

Wilson led the Nanooks with team-highs of 20 points and seven rebounds. Arinesha Smith contributed 10 points. Jaylee Mays was 2-6 from 3-point territory and had eight points for Alaska.

From the outside, Breen had four 3-pointers. Vanessa Stavish and Monica Grimsrud both had two apiece, each finishing with eight points for the Yellowjackets.

Brina Hull scored her first two collegiate points for the Yellowjackets as the MSUB bench had a big night contributing 24 total points.

The Yellowjackets finished the game on 41.8 percent shooting from the field (23-55), and 33.3 percent from the 3-point arc (8-24).

Both teams were even on rebounds with 37 each. From the free-throw line, MSUB shot 18-25 for 72.0 percent while Alaska shot 9-14 and 64.3 percent.

MSUB jumped out to a 10-point lead halfway through the first quarter on a layup from Hanson. Free-throws from Stavish kept the ‘Jacket ahead by 11, 20-9, with two minutes left. A 3-pointer from Breen and two buckets from Olson kicked the lead back up to double-digits.

Finishing strong, Alaska ended the half with an 8-3 run, but MSU Billings took a 36-29 lead into the locker room.

The Nanooks opened the second half with two points. Kane drove into the open lane for two points. At the top of the arc, Breen kept up the offensive pressure with her third 3-pointer of the game as MSUB kept earning hard-fought points.

To get their double-digit lead back, MSUB’s Cierra Lamey made two steals for the ‘Jackets which MSUB converted into baskets.

The Yellowjackets picked up steam in the final quarter. A combination of good defensive stops and rebounding led to more open shots for MSUB. A free-throw from Hanson gave MSUB its first 20-point lead with 6:23 remaining.

Two free-throws from Grimsrud and Breen’s fourth 3-pointer gave the Yellowjackets their largest lead of the game, 6629, with just under four minutes left. More solid defensive pressure held Alaska to single-digits down the stretch.

The Yellowjackets finished with 11 steals during the game and five blocks. Grimsrud had three of those blocks and Breen three steals.

THE BUZZ: This is Olson’s sixth double-double of the year…Breen is now No. 3 all-time in free-throws at MSUB with 311…Breen has amassed 988 career points, needing 12 to reach 1,000.

UP NEXT: With both MSU Billings and Alaska Anchorage holding a 10-1 record in the GNAC standings, Saturday’s game at Alterowitz will be a battle to take sole possession of first-place in the conference. Tip-off for Saturday, Jan. 30, is at 7:00 p.m. A live video stream and commentary will also be available on the MSUB Sports Stretch Internet Portal.

“We are looking forward to playing Anchorage on Saturday,” Woodin said. “They have an excellent team. It should be a fun atmosphere for a collegiate women’s basketball game.”

The Yellowjackets’ one conference loss this season was on New Year’s Eve in Anchorage.

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