Career-highs for Hanson and Weeks in 87-65 loss to No. 25 Simon Fraser

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu February 18, 2017 Career-highs for Hanson and Weeks in 87-65 loss to No. 25 Simon Fraser MSUB Women’s Basketball on Facebook | MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU | Interactive Box Score

Grace Weeks scored a career-high 17 points in the game against Simon Fraser.

Tiana Hanson and Grace Weeks combine for 46 points, but Simon Fraser had five players in double-figures shooting 10 of 19 from outside to deliver a conference home loss to the Yellowjackets.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Career-highs of 29 points from Tiana Hanson and 17 from Grace Weeks weren’t quite enough firepower against No. 25 Simon Fraser as the Yellowjackets fell 87-65 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at Alterowitz Saturday.

Simon Fraser used a balanced offensive attack, weaving the ball around the floor and finding open shots down low, as well as finishing with 10 3-pointers in the win. MSU Billings and SFU were even after the first quarter with 12 points, but Simon Fraser more than doubled its offensive output in the second quarter, keeping it steady for the remainder of the game.

“Simon Fraser is a very good team,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. “We hung around for most of the game but just couldn’t get over the hump. We got another great performance tonight from Tiana. I am so proud of how well she is

competing. I also thought Grace shot the ball great and was much more aggressive on the offensive end and that was nice to see.”

“We didn’t get off to a good start but then we really battled the last half of the first quarter,” Woodin said. “In the second quarter, Simon’s 3-point shooting began to hurt us. They went 5-6 in the second quarter and we just couldn’t muster enough offense to stay close enough. They are very hard to beat when they are hitting perimeter shots. Ellen Kett directs their attack so well and their overall size wears you down.”

The win improves Simon Fraser to 23-5 overall and 14-4 in the GNAC. MSUB falls to 8-18 and 5-13 in the GNAC. Hanson shot 9 for 15 from the field and 10 for 11 from the free-throw line with a game-high 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Weeks was 8 for 15 from the field with three rebounds and two assists. The St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game had one 3-pointer in 34 minutes on the court for MSUB. The Clan shot 61.8 percent on the night and had five players in double-figures. Senior point guard Ellen Kett set the single-game GNAC assist record with 20 which ties the fourth-highest in NCAA Division II women’s basketball history.

Kett posted her own double-double by finishing with 14 points, including 3 of 5 from the 3-point arc.

Meg Wilson (19 pts, 5 rbs), Rachel Fradgley (12 pts), Elisa Homer (11 pts), and Tayla Jackson (10 pts) also posted doublefigures. Simon Fraser’s post players shot 19 for 23 from the field. Fradgely was 9 for 9 and Wilson 8 for 9 as the Clan used a high-low offense to rack up 41 points from under the rim and 48 points from inside the paint.

The Clan also capitalized on 19 MSUB turnovers, converting those to 31 points. SFU was 10 for 19 from 3-point territory.

Kett and Homer both had three 3-pointers and Sophie Swant finished with two.

MSU Billings shot 42.6 percent from the field and were 16 of 18 from the free-throw line. The ‘Jackets were 2 of 14 from outside. Rylee Kane had nine points and four assists. Marissa Van Atta recorded a game-high three steals and had six points, including a perfect 4 for 4 from the free-throw line.

MSUB outrebounded SFU 28-25, including an 11-6 margin on the offensive glass.

The Clan jumped out to a 10-2 opening game lead. The Yellowjackets responded with a 10-2 scoring drive to end the quarter tied after a driving layup from Jeanann Lemelin. The teams traded baskets at the start of the second period. The Clan scored a trio of consecutive 3-pointers to push their lead to 11. Back-to-back buckets from Fradgley opened-up a 13 point lead. Hanson made a 3-point play and Van Atta a layup to cut the deficit down to eight at half-time, 38-30.

Kett opened the second half with a 3-pointer. A jumper from Weeks and a 3-pointer from Hanson closed the gap to seven. Brina Hull intercepted a pass for MSUB and Weeks ended the play on a jump shot to make it a 5-point game, 4237. The Clan used a 15-5 run to push their lead up to 15 on a layup from Jackson.

MSU Billings kept the game within reach, slashing the deficit to seven by scoring seven straight points at the start of the fourth quarter that ended on a pair of Hanson free-throws for 62-55. Simon Fraser responded with a quick offensive burst, including a Kett layup for a 13-point, 70-57, lead. In the final minutes, the MSUB offense began to stagnate. Taylor Cunningham’s layup at the start of the fourth quarter was the sole basket from the field as 11 of the 13 Yellowjackets points in the last quarter came from the free-throw line.

“I think fatigue became a factor in the fourth quarter as a lot of our shots were just a bit short,” Woodin commented on the final minutes. “For the game, we only made 2 of 14 from the 3-point line and I felt their 24 more points from beyond the arc was the critical factor in their win.”

“We are looking forward to next week’s games at home. We want to play well both nights and on Saturday we will honor our only playing senior (Tiana) and also our student assistant Alyssa Yaeger. They are both very special people. I know our team will be extra focused and play hard for them.”

THE BUZZ: Hanson’s previous career-high was 24 points…Weeks’ previous career-high was 12 points…Hanson and Van Atta both recorded a block in the game…MSUB made all 11 of its free-throws in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT: The MSUB women’s basketball team has two more games in the 2016-17 season. Next week at home, the Yellowjackets conclude their season by hosting Central Washington on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. followed by Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. against Northwest Nazarene.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--