FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu April 7, 2016 Women’s basketball review: NCAA tournament appearance highlights 2015-16 season MSUB Women’s Basketball on Facebook | MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU MSUB Women’s Basketball Individual Records | MSUB Women’s Basketball Team Records
Janiel Olson recorded a double-double and reached 1,000 career rebounds in the NCAA west region game in California.
The MSU Billings women’s basketball team is entering the record books in several all-time categories as a program this year, including season totals in 3-pointers and free-throws. BILLINGS, Mont. – The 2015-16 season for MSUB women’s basketball was punctuated with the team’s second national tournament appearance in the last three years. It was also the fourth 20-plus win season for the 2015-16 GNAC Coach of the Year Kevin Woodin. Voted to finish in a tie for seventh in the preseason GNAC coaches’ poll, the Yellowjackets exceeded early expectations, finishing with a third-place result in the conference, played for the conference tournament championship game, and were selected for the NCAA Division II national tournament in Azusa, Calif.
The Yellowjackets opened their regular season hosting the GNAC PacWest Yellowjacket Challenge with Cal Baptist and Academy of Art. The ‘Jackets lost their first game and in a heart-breaker fell to the Urban Knights 69-67 on a buzzerbeating layup that was a reverse of fortune from two years ago when MSUB beat AAU by one at the west region tournament in Pomona, Calif. Keeping up its west region competition, MSUB travelled to California for games against Cal Poly Pomona in which the team did avenge a loss to the Broncos from two years ago at the west region title game. The Yellowjackets scored a season-high 12 3-pointers in the win at a 52.2 percent clip (12-23). MSUB lost its next game to Cal State San Bernardino, but returned home to Billings with a renewed sense of team-purpose. This season, the Yellowjackets benefited from the leadership of two fifth-year seniors in Janiel Olson and Monica Grimsrud. Olson suffered an ACL tear during the end of the 2013-14 campaign and was unable to fully compete in the NCAA tournament in Pomona, Calif. After having surgery following the season, Olson made the decision to redshirt the next season to allow her complete recovery. Grimsrud redshirted the 2013-14 season after coming off a volleyball season to fully heal several nagging injuries that had been plaguing her. The decision from both players to return for the 2015-16 season paid-off in large dividends for both players and was a huge benefit for the team and the MSUB women’s basketball program. Olson returned to the court for her last campaign as a Yellowjackets No. 8 all-time at MSUB in rebounds with 730. In 25 regular season game, she would need to average a little over nine rebounds per game to catch the all-time record holder Robyn Milne (2002-05) at 957. By the beginning of January, Olson was averaging 6.7, but three big games on the road pushed the senior up to an 8.5 average. At home against Saint Martin’s, Olson reached a career-high 18 rebounds. She followed that up with a 14 and 12 rebounding game performance.
Monica Grimsrud finishes her career at MSUB No. 6 all-time in blocked shots.
During the last game of the regular season at Central Washington, Olson surpassed Milne to become the all-time rebounder with 961 total rebounds. In Lacey, WA, during the first round of the tournament against Northwest Nazarene, Olson tied the GNAC tournament record with 17. After the three games in Lacey, Olson had accumulated 991, for nine shy of breaking into quadruple digits. Olson got it done in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Azusa Pacific with a 10 rebound performance to finish her career with 1,001 total rebounds. She also become the No. 4 leading rebounder in the conference joining an elite group who have collected more than 1,000 career rebounds. Olson ended the season second in the GNAC in rebounding average at 8.5 per game. She was also third on the team in points with 7.7 per game. She had five double-doubles, including a 14-point, 12-rebounding performance against
Tarleton State. Olson also finished up No. 8 all-time in career steals at MSUB with 178. Her 271 season rebounds ties her for eighth in a single season at MSUB with Alicia Cahill from 1996-97. The Billings West High School graduate leaves her mark on the team, including being honored as a two-time GNAC Honorable Mention team, GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, GNAC First Team, and three-time GNAC all-academic. Along with Olson, Grimsrud returned to the MSUB women’s basketball program as a graduate student. After exhausting her athletic eligibility in volleyball, Grimsrud finished her career as a Yellowjackets solely able to focus on basketball. The extra attention, and ability to rest during the fall, provided Grimsrud with the opportunity to invest herself in Yellowjacket basketball and it became evident early in the season what a difference that would make. The native of Montana City, Mont., recorded her best statistical season of basketball, earning her way on to the GNAC honorable mention team. She finished the year second on the team averaging 10.1 points per game. During Senior Night against Concordia (Ore.), the forward poured in a career-high 20 points. She was MSUB’s biggest 3-point threat from the outside with 1.8 per game. Grimsrud had three games of four 3-pointers and was clutch from the arc, including a big performance against Tarleton State and the basket against Western Washington at home that iced the game. Inside, Grimsrud became the player that was the solid lynch-pin for the MSUB defense. Her post presence was crucial for the ‘Jackets this year. She had 41 steals and 21 blocks during the season. For her career, Grimsrud finishes No. 6 all-time in blocked shots with 84, and is tied for 10th in steals with Kelli Kenyon (1984-87) at 116. The 6-foot-1 versatile player also entered the MSUB record books at No. 27 all-time in rebounds with 416. Coach Woodin on seniors Olson and Grimsrud: MSUB opened GNAC competition at home with two solid win over Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene to start conference competition at 2-0. The team next took their longest road trip of the GNAC to Alaska, dropping a game against the nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage, but rebounded with a win at Alaska that kicked-off an 8-game GNAC win streak that didn’t end until facing the Seawolves at home at the end of January. During that time the Yellowjackets won an important home stand with a win against Western Washington (53-47) and against Simon Fraser (67-62) that kept MSUB in a tie for first place in the conference with UAA. In front of an electric crowd at Alterowitz during the battle between the two-first place teams, the ‘Jackets were within three with 5:53 left in the game, but an end-of-the-game scoring surge kept the Seawolves ahead. In an historic first for the program, this year the Yellowjackets hosted a ROOT SPORTS GNAC Game of the Week at Alterowitz. Although both the men’s and women’s teams have been part of ROOT SPORTS games on the road, this season marked the first time the network made a trip to Billings to broadcast the game throughout the northwestern United States. The game was also this year’s 10th annual Think Pink Night in partnership with the St.
MSUB director of intercollegiate athletics Krista Montague on ROOT SPORTS during half-time.
Vincent Healthcare’s EVA Project in which proceeds are given to the local community outreach program that assists local women with free education and mammograms. MSU Billings led the game by 14 at half-time against the Wolves and finished off the night with a 65-48 victory. Two days later, MSUB hosted Senior Night against the GNAC’s newest member Concordia (Ore.). MSUB held out for a 20-point 6545 win over the Cavaliers in the team’s last night at home during the season. Coach Woodin on ROOT Sports and Think Pink game: The Yellowjackets finished the regular season with four conference road games. In a heart-breaker, MSUB fell on freethrows with under a second left at Simon Fraser, but in an important game, beat Western Washington on the road 48-46 to move back up a game in the league standings behind the Vikings. In the final two games on the road, MSUB needed to win both and have WWU drop one game to earn the second-place bye at the conference tournament. Although the ‘Jackets won the first game at Northwest Nazarene 74-55, Central Washington played lights-out during its Senior Night for a 69-55 victory. Coach Woodin on the regular season and finishing third: With the loss, MSUB finished the regular season third, and headed into the tournament to play the sixth-seeded Northwest Nazarene. In Lacey, Wash., the Crusaders led for the first 35 minutes of the game before a 3-pointer from Alisha Breen put MSUB up by one, 55-54. MSUB was able to hold on to the lead the rest of way for the 70-65 win. Next up, MSUB headed for a show-down with the second seed Western Washington. The Vikings jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes before a 3-pointer from Grimsrud clipped the run. Staying strong, the ‘Jackets responded with a 9-2 run to tie the game. The teams were tied at 16 at the end of the first quarter, but a freethrow from MSUB’s Vanessa Stavish in the second quarter gave the Yellowjackets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the game. A 3-pointer from Olson in the middle of the second quarter put MSUB up by 12, 28-16, as the Yellowjackets forged ahead, holding a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. With the win, MSU Billings earned a spot in the conference championship game against Alaska Anchorage and a chance to compete for the GNAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division II national tournament. The ‘Jackets were in striking distance at halftime at 35-30, but the Seawolves picked up the scoring pace in the Vanessa Stavish was second on the team in 3-pointers. second half, outscoring MSUB 42-37. Finishing the runner-up at the GNAC tournament, the Yellowjackets awaited their fate for a spot into the NCAA national tournament. On announcement night, the team gathered to watch. For the second time in three years, the Yellowjackets were selected for the NCAA Division II national tournament with an at-large bid. MSUB earned the No. 8 seed and were headed to California to play host and No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific. In their third season of postseason eligibility, the Cougars
were awarded hosting duties for the NCAA west region tournament. In the first round game, MSUB was down by 10 at half-time to APU, 39-29, but was able to close that down to three on an 8-0 run, 55-52, with 8:16 remaining in the game. The Cougars retaliated with back-to-back 3-pointers and a jump shot to quickly move back ahead. The Yellowjackets fought to the end, closing to within four points, 79-74, with under a minute left, but clutch free-throw shooting kept Azusa Pacific in front to the end. The loss ended the season for MSUB as the Yellowjackets finished with a 21-11 overall record. Coach Woodin on the postseason run and the NCAA tournament: Breen had 31 points in the game, her second-highest career total. She scored a career-high five 3-pointers, more than half of MSUB’s total. Breen finished the season leading the GNAC in points with 17.4 per game. The 5-foot-10 forward from Choteau, Mont., was a unanimous first team all-GNAC selection after beginning the year as a preseason all-GNAC pick. Breen had just six games under 10 points. She scored a career-high 37 against Academy of Art during the GNAC PacWest Yellowjacket Challenge and had 31 in the NCAA tournament game against Azusa Pacific. The junior played the 29th most minutes per game (36.4) in NCAA Division II and finished the year ranked No. 42 in field goals made. She pulled-in a career-high 17 rebounds in the win at Alaska and recorded three double-doubles during the season, including in Las Vegas against No. 23 Quincy. One of three team captains for the Yellowjackets, her leadership and experience on the court was invaluable down the stretch. In just her third year with the team, Breen eclipsed the 1,000 career-point mark at Alterowitz in the game against Alaska Anchorage. She has amassed 1,210 career points for No. 15 alltime at MSUB and 529 rebounds for No. 20. Breen’s consistent Junior Alisha Breen has amassed 1,210 points at MSUB. shooting at the free-throw line, combined with her ability to draw contact under the rim, has pushed her to accumulate 433 total free-throws – 144 behind No. 1 Sherry McQuinn at 577 (1991-93). She needs 26 additional career steals and 23 more 3-pointers to enter the MSUB top-10 in those categories. During the 2015-16 season, Breen entered the MSUB top-10 season records at No. 8 in points with 577, free-throws made at No. 10 with 121, and No. 8 in free-throws attempted with 169. In the GNAC, Breen is 116 points from securing a place in the top-20 all-time. This season, Breen moved to third in the conference all-time in free-throws made, and is 39 from catching the leader Erin Chamber at 472. This year, Breen had two games with 10 or more free-throws, including a 19-21 performance against Academy of Art and 11-12 from the line at Concordia (Ore.). The junior was also a two-time GNAC Player of the Week selection; first in the debut week against Cal Baptist and Academy of Art when she scored 52 points, and again in the week at home with wins against Western Washington and Simon Fraser.
Coach Woodin on Breen: Sophomore point guard Rylee Kane completed her second season as a Yellowjacket starting all 32 games for MSUB. In her two years, Kane has been the starting floor general in every single contest for the ‘Jackets. She improved her game in all categories, finishing this season averaging 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds. She averaged 1.4 steals per game and was fourth in the GNAC in assists per game with 4.5 and assist/turnover ratio at 1.4. The native of Red Lodge, Mont., scored 10 or more points in nine games this season. She scored a career-high 15 at Cal State San Bernardino and produced 14 points five times during the season, including at the NCAA tournament against Azusa Pacific. Kane’s careerbest mark in assists was eight against Alaska Anchorage at home. For the season, Kane amassed 144 assists which is the sixth-best season all-time at MSUB. Kane has logged 234 career assists and needs 30 more to crack the MSUB all-time top-10. She scored 238 points this season and across her two seasons is nearing the 400 career mark at 379. Coach Woodin on Kane: Sophomore guard Marissa Van Atta received the nod into the MSUB starting lineup during the first game of 2016 at Alaska. Since then, Van Atta kept the role becoming a vital part of the team in front and on defense. She had just two games all season without a steal and finished fourth on the team in points per game with 7.2. Van Atta scored a career-high 19 points at Saint Martin’s. She had two double-doubles this year, including her debut as a starter in Alaska with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She also scored team-highs in points with 17 and rebounds at 10 in the GNAC tournament championship game against Alaska Anchorage. Rylee Kane tallied 144 assists for the sixth-best season alltime at MSUB.
Van Atta led the team in steals this season with 52. With her athleticism and range of motion, the breakout player of the team has become a force on both sides of the court. Coach Woodin on Van Atta: Junior transfer Tiana Hanson led the team from the free-throw line this season. She finished second in the GNAC shooting 71-82 for 86.6 percent. She also completed the second-best season ever at the free-throw line by a MSUB women’s basketball player, trailing only Alira Carpenter’s 2008-09 season (88.3 percent). The product of Shepherd, Mont., and Sheridan College, also shot 41.0 percent from the field averaging 5.3 points per game for the ‘Jackets. She contributed a season-best 16 points, including a 12-13 performance from the free-throw line at Concordia (Ore.). Stavish was second on the team in 3-point field goal percentage shooting 34-93 for 36.6 percent which ranked her ninth in the GNAC overall. The sophomore played in all 32 games for MSUB. She scored a season-high 15 points, including a career-best 5-6 from the 3-point arc against Cal Poly Pomona, totaling almost half of the team season-high 12 3-pointers against the Broncos.
Marissa Van Atta lea the team in steals with 52.
Coach Woodin on Hanson and Stavish: Lexi Prevost made big strides as a sophomore on the team. The guard totaled almost as many points in her season-high than all of last year (13-14) combined. Prevost’s big game was the last regular season GNAC contest of the year at Central Washington. In 15 minutes on the court, Prevost scored 13 points and made two assists. The native of Sidney, Mont., connected for 15 assists on the season. Kasie Christensen played in 14 games this season for MSUB with a season-high in minutes at home against Cal Baptist scoring two points and recording a rebound. The team welcomed four true freshman to the team this season. Cierra Lamey, a 5-foot-10 guard played in 24 games this season. She scored a season-best eight points and had two rebounds in 11 minutes during the game at Central Washington. Taylor Edwards, a 5-foot-9 guard, found her way onto the court during 29 total games. She scored four points twice during her inaugural campaign and made three assists twice. She had 17 assists this year and 20 points. Brina Hull, a 5-foot-8 guard scored two points in the game at home against Alaska. She played in 18 games this season staying on the court for five minutes during two games this year. Tiana Hanson shot 86.6 percent from the free-throw line for the second-best season at MSUB all-time.
RECORD BOOK UPDATES
Coach Woodin on Prevost, Christensen, Lamey, Edwards, Hull
The 2015-16 MSUB team finished the season in two top-5 all-time records. The Yellowjackets totaled 212 3-pointers on the year which slides them into No. 5 all-time behind the 2005-06 team that scored 224. The 2013-14 team leads the category with 258 total 3-pointers. This season’s team also made No. 5 all-time in total free-throws with 436. They rank just behind No. 4, the 1991-92 team that logged 440 free-throws during the season. The 2006-07 team holds the all-time record with 485. With its defensive mind-set, this year’s team was just eight steals off from making the top-5 list. The Yellowjackets recorded 270 steals as a team. The 2011-12 team was the last team in this century to make the list at 291 for fourth-best all-time. The 1997-98 team secured the top spot with 359 total steals during their season. Keeping-up its tradition in the classroom, the MSUB secured seven spots on the GNAC all-academic team with members Olson, Grimsrud, Breen, Prevost, Stavish, Van Atta, and Christensen. Under Woodin’s leadership, the MSUB women's basketball program has earned seven WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) academic top-25 awards and through his twelve seasons, 100.00 percent of his seniors have graduated. This year, Coach Woodin became the winningest women’s basketball coach at MSU Billings. He holds 210 wins to date after taking over the program in 2004. Coach Woodin earned his 200th win this season and was honored at half-court with two of This is Coach Woodin's fourth Coach of the Year Honor in his twelve seasons at children, Garrett on the left and Toria on the right. the helm of the Yellowjacket program. During the 2004-05 season, he was named the NCAA Division II Independent Coach of the Year, he was the 2006-07 Heartland Coach of the Year, and Woodin was named the GNAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year for the 2013-14 season. Coach Woodin’s thoughts on the overall season and heading into next year:
The MSUB team getting ready for starting lineups at the NCAA tournament game against Azusa Pacific.
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