Lady Yellowjackets Bury Diggers (Jan. 12,
2004)
Box
Score
BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings
women’s basketball team steamrolled an overmatched Montana Tech
Wednesday night, 85-39, at Alterowitz Gym. The Yellowjackets
improved to 11-3, dropping the Orediggers to 4-13. The Lady
Jackets return to NCAA West Region play on January 18 and 19 when
they host Western New Mexico.
The Diggers were able to keep the game close
for about the first ten minutes. Marcie Alzeheimer’s layup with
10:40 remaining in the half pulled Tech to within 15-10. Sparked
by a Kayla Frize (Jr., Miles City, MT) 3-pointer on the next
possession, the Yellowjackets finished the half with a 29-6 run
that put the game out of reach by intermission.
The Yellowjackets shot 60 percent from the
field in the first half, hitting 6-of-16 from beyond the arc.
Four of those 3-pointers came in a four minute span that blew the
game open. The Yellowjacket trio of post players (Michelle Lieber,
Robyn Milne, Tanya Petersen) scored 25 of the Jackets’ 44 first
half points. Lieber (So., Gillette, WY) had 13 of her 15 points in the
opening half and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field in the game.
“I was very pleased with our overall
performance tonight,” said Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin.
“It was nice to hit some perimeter shots which ultimately opened
up our inside game. We knew we had a size advantage and a key to
the game would be to get the ball inside. I thought we had a
consistent effort tonight on both ends of the court. All 12 of
our players contributed to this victory. We are looking forward
to next week when we play host to Western New Mexico for important
west region contests.”
The Yellowjackets put the defensive clamps on
to start the second half, holding the Diggers scoreless until the
10:51 mark. Including the final 2:16 of the first half, Tech
didn’t score for a span of 11:25. By the time the Diggers’ Jessie
O’Neil scored on a layup, the Yellowjackets led 66-18.
Along with Lieber, Petersen (Jr., Billings, MT) netted 15 points on 7-of-10
shooting. Milne (Sr., Richey, MT) finished with 13 points and nine
rebounds. Milne and Petersen blocked four shots apiece to anchor
the Jackets’ interior defense.
Eleven different players scored for the
Jackets. Off the bench, Angie Lessard (Jr., Elizabeth, CO) had five points and four
assists, both career highs. Shannon Harvey (So., Billings, MT) scored eight points—all in
the first half—with a pair of 3-pointers. Jessica Bratton (So., Casper, WY) and Lisa Jellum (Jr., Gillette, WY) each added six points.
The Yellowjackets finished 10-of-24 from
3-point range, rebounding from their 4-of-25 performance in last
week’s loss to St. Martin’s. Jenny Langford (Jr., Reedpoint, MT) was 3-of-8 from long range
for nine points. She also dished out a game-high five assists. Jennifer Skrifvars (So., Brea, CA) matched Langford with a
career-high five assists and netted three points.
As a team, the
Yellowjackets handed out 30 assists in the game, good for the
second most in school history. The school record for assists
in a game was set in 1983 when the Jackets had 40 against Rocky
Mountain College.
The Diggers were led by Letty Powell’s 14
points. Nine of her points came in the final 3:06 of the game.
Powell also had four assists. Alzeheimer finished with 10 points
and six rebounds. O’Neil added five points, and five Tech players
scored two points apiece.
Click HERE for photos of
the Lady Jackets vs. Montana Tech |
