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2002-2003 News
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Lady Yellowjackets Cruise to First Round Victory at West Region Tournament (March 14, 2003)

SEATTLE, WA - A dominating performance from the Lady Yellowjacket seniors led MSU Billings to a 91-69 win over Central Washington in the first round of the NCAA West Regional Tournament.  Senior guard Joan Langford scored a career-high 20 points as MSU Billings advanced to the West Region semifinals Saturday night to face the winner of tonight’s Seattle Pacific/Chico State nightcap.

The Yellowjackets blitzed the Wildcats early and put the game out of reach in the first ten minutes.  The Wildcats forged a tenuous 4-3 lead before the Jackets exploded for a 42-11 run to take a commanding 45-15 lead, their largest of the game.  Sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from Langford, the offensive outburst was fueled by white-hot shooting from the outside.  Langford and Co. buried 5-of-8 first half three-pointers and were 7-of-11 from behind the arc in the game.

“We got a great start from our five seniors,” said head coach Karyn Ridgeway.  “They showed great composure and great enthusiasm.  Central is a very good team and was playing very well at the end of the year.  Everything we shot in the first half was going in, and I’m just real pleased with our seniors.”

Four of the five Yellowjacket seniors scored in double figures led by Langford’s 20.  Forward Natalie Visger notched another double-double, her 12th of the season and 26th of her career, with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Center Jessie Henigman finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots, while guard Jessica Bachmann dropped in 14 points and handed out five assists.  Senior guard Amy Bantz added eight points and five rebounds.

The five Yellowjackets seniors, who all started the game, combined to outscore the Wildcats 70-69.  MSUB received 21 points from its bench in the game, led by sophomore center Robyn Milne’s 10.  Milne also grabbed seven rebounds.  Freshman point guard Jenny Langford came off the bench to score five points and hand out a game-high seven assists.

The key to the Yellowjackets’ most impressive offensive outing of the year was Joan Langford’s outside game.  After struggling at times with her shot this season because of chronic shoulder injuries, the guard from Reedpoint, Mont., connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range and 8-of-12 from the field.  With two of the region’s best frontcourt players in Visger and Henigman, the Yellowjackets have been just one shooting guard away from playing very good basketball this season.  Langford filled that role perfectly Friday night as MSUB atoned for last season’s disappointing first round exit from the tournament.

The Lady Yellowjackets, one of the top defensive teams in the country over the past several years, had only scored over 90 points once in the last two seasons.  They defeated Western New Mexico 96-47 at home last season.

While the offense was as good as it has been all year, the Yellowjacket defense didn’t disappoint either.  In a game billed as a defensive slugfest, the Jackets held up their end of the bargain by holding the Wildcats to just 34 percent shooting from the floor in the game.  Included in that was a 28.6 percent effort from the field in the first half.  Only two CWU players netted double figures as the Yellowjackets put on the clamps in the first half and never let go.  Lindsay Weiss led the Wildcats with 15 points and Meggen Kautzky added 10.

The Yellowjackets’ semifinal game will be broadcast live by the voice of the Yellowjackets, Pat Boland, on News Radio AM 970 KBUL at 8:00 p.m. MST Saturday night.  Yellowjacket fans can also hear the game via the internet at www.msubillings.edu/athletics.

Notes: Visger entered the game just 10 points shy of the 1,200 mark for her career….she now has 1,207….Henigman’s seven blocked shots give her 98 for the season and 269 for her career….she is now No. 15 all-time in NCAA II history.

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