'Jackets headed to Las Vegas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu December 15, 2015 Headed to Las Vegas, Holiday Hoops Tournament at South Point Women’s Basketball on Facebook MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU Preview Interview with Junior Tiana Hanson, senior Janiel Olson, and head coach Kevin Woodin

Senior Monica Grimsrud has been an all-court force for MSUB this season.

MSU Billings is heading for Las Vegas and the program’s second trip to the South Point Holiday Hoops Tournament.

BILLINGS, Mont. – After a five game home stand concluding with a win against Montana Western last week, the Yellowjackets are headed to Nevada and the Las Vegas South Point Holiday Hoops Classic for two non-conference games before the NCAA mandated winter break.

Montana State University Billings (5-3) won all five of its games at home, including a 2-0 start to Great Northwest Athletic Conference action with wins against Central Washington (61-51) and Northwest Nazarene (78-68). The ‘Jackets fought off a solid effort from Montana Western, escaping with a 62-60 win over the in-state Bulldogs last Saturday.

HOT HANDS: Sophomore Marissa Van Atta shot 5-6 from the field against Montana Western, including 3-3 from the 3-point arc finishing with a career-high 13 points. The 5-foot-11 guard from Billings, Mont., also contributed four rebounds and a steal.

POST PLAY: Senior Monica Grimsrud was 6-11 against the Bulldogs finishing with a team-high 15 points. In 30 minutes on the floor, Grimsrud played a significant role inside on defense going up against some tough competition. On offense, the native of Montana City, Mont., showed her versatility, tying Van Atta with a game-high three treys and was second on the team in rebounds with six.

FROM THE LINE: MSUB dipped to second in the league in free-throw percentage and now sits at 74.7 (133-178) percent. Against Western Montana, the ‘Jackets were 12-16 from the charity stripe.

Junior Tiana Hanson is seventh in the conference, shooting 90.6 (29-32) percent.

RECORD WATCH: Last week junior Alisha Breen cleared the 800 career point mark. The forward has scored 148 points this season and is second in the GNAC in points per game at 18.5. Senior Janiel Olson is closing in on 800 career rebounds. The West High School graduate sits at 781 and needs another 15 to catch No. 3 all-time at MSUB Natalie Visger (2000Junior Alisha Breen just passed 800 career points.

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This season, MSU Billings is shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from the 3-point arc. The ‘Jackets are pulling in 32.1 rebounds per game with 12.4 assists and committing 14.6 turnovers per contest.

Friday, Dec. 18 – 5:45 p.m. Pacific time Quincy University Hawks. Quincy, Ill. South Point Arena, Las Vegas, Nev. Live Video | Live Statistics Head Coach: Jeni Garber, fifth season 2015-16 Record: 8-1, L1 After starting off the season 8-0, Quincy dropped its first game on Monday to Truman State 65-62. The Hawks are ranked No. 23 in NCAA Division II. Quincy was selected to finish second in the 2015-16 Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason coaches’ poll. Head coach Jeni Garber enters her fifth season at the helm for QU. The Hawks graduated two letter-winners last season and return a lineup packed with 11 upperclassmen and the reigning GLVC Co-Freshman of the Year in Anika Webster.

Last season, QU finished in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals with a four-point loss to UW-Parkside. The Hawks finished last year second in the GLVC west and fifth in the GLVC tournament seedings.

Seniors Maggie Cunningham (12.1) and Kara Gerbus (10.0) are leading the offense this season. Cunningham, a 5-foot-9 guard, is shooting 41.8 percent (33-79). She is a team-leading 97.5 percent (39-40) from the free-throw line, adding in an average 5.4 assists per game. Gerbus, a 5-foot-10 forward, is shooting 49.3 percent (37-75) from the field. Webster leads the team in rebounds with an average 5.9 per game with Cunningham second at 5.4 per game.

In the team’s loss to Truman State, Webster and Cunningham finished at 13 points apiece with Gerbus adding in 12. The Hawks had a big lull in the second quarter only scoring 12 points, but made a resurgence in the third quarter pouring in 20 points to tie the game at 49. The Hawks led the game by one point, 62-61, in the final minute, but Truman State won the game with a layup and free-throws in the final seconds.

The Hawks shot 40.0 percent from the field in the game, but struggled from the 3-point arc, finishing 7-26 for 26.9 percent. The team was a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line.

On the season, QU is averaging 70.7 points on 44.2 percent shooting. From 3-point territory, the Hawks are shooting 40.8 percent and at the free-throw line QU is 75.1 percent. The team is collecting 36.3 rebounds, averaging 14.2 assists with 7.1 steals per game.

Quincy is 7-0 at home this year, 1-1 away, and has yet to play a neutral-site game this season.

Saturday, Dec. 19 – 3:30 p.m. Pacific time Tarleton State University TexAnns, Stephenville, Texas South Point Arena, Las Vegas, Nev. Live Video | Live Statistics Head Coach: Misty Wilson, second season 2015-16 Record: 5-3, W1 Tarleton State is 5-3 to open its 2015-16 season.

The TexAnns were selected to finish fifth in the preseason Lone State Conference coaches’ poll. Tarleton State returns 10 players and added five to a team that finished with a 17-10 record last year.

Bailey Wipff and Ikpeaku Iwobi are both averaging a team-leading 12.3 points per game. A 5-foot-seven junior guard, Wipff leads the team in points, 3-pointers made (2.1 per game) and steals (1.6 per game). Iwobi, a 5-foot-11 forward, was an Honorable Mention selection last year for the LSC, and this season leads the team in points and rebounds with 6.5 per game.

Senior Raven McGrath is averaging 3.3 assists per game.

After opening their season with two wins, the TexAnns have split their last six games. Tarleton State won its last contest against Oklahoma Baptist 64-59. Senior guard Morgan Ashmore had a break-out game, shooting an outstanding 7-7 from the field, including 3-3 from the 3-point arc, and 2-2 from the free-throw line for a team-high 19 points.

Wipff had 16 points in the game finishing 4-10 from the field and 6-6 from the free-throw line. The TexAnns completed the game 15-19 from the charity stripe for 78.9 percent. Tarleton State ended the game shooting 36.8 percent behind Oklahoma Baptist’s 41.2 percent. What the TexAnns did was rebound. Tarleton State outrebounded the Lady Bison 4328, including a 16-6 advantage on the offensive glass. Every player on the team finished with at least one rebound in the contest, with Iwobi contributing a team-high nine.

On the season, the TexAnns are shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from 3-point territory. Tarleton State is averaging 70.0 points per game with 41.1 rebounds and 9.1 steals per game.

The TexAnns are 5-3 overall, 5-2 at home, and 0-1 in away contests.

This will be the first meeting for MSU Billings with both Quincy and Tarleton State. Joining MSUB, Quincy, and Tarleton State at the tournament are MSUB conference-opponent Western Washington, from the LSC - Midwestern State, and from the Northeast-10 Conference - Stonehill.

2015 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic Game Schedule Friday, December 18 3:30pm: Stonehill vs. Tarleton State 5:45pm: MSU Billings vs. Quincy 8:00pm: Western Washington vs. Midwestern State Saturday, December 19 3:30pm: Tarleton State vs. MSU Billings 5:45pm: Quincy vs. Western Washington 8:00pm: Midwestern State vs. Stonehill * All games are played at the South Point Arena, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, Nev. * Game times are local, Las Vegas time/Pacific Standard Time (PST) All tournament games will have live statistics and a live video feed. This is the second time MSUB has attended the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic. Two years ago in Las Vegas, the Yellowjackets won their game against Texas Woman’s University 78-58, before falling on a buzzer-beater to No. 6 Drury 76-75.

UP NEXT: Next week, MSU Billings takes the mandatory NCAA break off from practice and competition. The Yellowjackets return to the court Dec. 31 at Alaska Anchorage.

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