Lady Jackets Win Opener with Balanced Effort (11/18/05)
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BILLINGS, MT – All five starters scored in double figures Friday night to carry the Montana State-Billings women’s basketball team to a 75-56 season-opening win over Fort Lewis.  The game was the second of the Holiday Inn/Chinook Wireless Yellowjacket Classic.  Hillsdale College defeated Western Oregon in Friday’s early game, 75-35.

MSU Billings 75, Fort Lewis 56 (Box Score)
The Yellowjackets opened the game with a 7-0 run and jumped to a quick 15-6 lead in the first four minutes.  Fort Lewis withstood the quick Yellowjacket start to keep within striking distance most of the night, but the Yellowjackets never trailed in the game.  MSU Billings starters accounted for all but 11 of the team’s points, led by 16 from senior guard Jenny Langford (Reedpoint, MT).

“I was very pleased with our defensive effort tonight,” said Yellowjacket coach Kevin Woodin.  “I thought we had several good defensive possessions where we played excellent team defense.  When you play a lot of players, it is difficult to keep continuity and communication, and I thought our players did a nice job of battling on the defensive end.”

The Yellowjacket defense held the Skyhawks to just 32 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent from 3-point range.  MSU Billings put the clamps on the Hawks in the second half, allowing them to shoot just 24 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

Despite the cold shooting night, Fort Lewis hung around until midway through the second half.  The Skyhawks cut the lead to five with a pair of Amie Moulton free throws at the 10:50 mark, but a flurry of 3-pointers from the Yellowjackets broke the game open.  In less than three minutes, Langford and Shannon Harvey (Jr., Billings, MT) each knocked down a pair of triples to open a double digit lead at 63-47.

“Offensively, Jenny Langford and Michelle Lieber got us off to a great start in the first half,” added Woodin.  “We still need to get better consistency on the offensive end, but I was pleased with how we protected the ball tonight.  In the second half, Shannon Harvey’s threes and Lisa Jellum’s penetration were key factors.”

Langford was 4-of-5 from behind the arc in the game to account for half of the Yellowjackets’ eight 3-pointers.  She also handed out a game-high five assists.

Lieber (Jr., Gillette, WY) and Tanya Petersen (Sr., Billings, MT) each netted 13 points and controlled the glass.  Petersen pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds while Lieber added nine.  Lieber also had a career-high three blocked shots.

Jellum (Sr., Gillette, WY) and Harvey each added 11 points.  Jellum had four assists and was 4-of-6 from the free throw line on a night when the Jackets struggled as a team at the charity stripe, shooting just 53 percent.  Harvey was 3-of-6 from 3-point range and grabbed a career-high six rebounds. 

Moulton finished with a dozen points and eight rebounds to lead the Skyhawks.  Stephanie Kosters scored 11 points, and Jamie Pratt added 10.  Fort Lewis was just 5-of-26 from behind the arc.  The Skyhawks out-rebounded the Yellowjackets 44-41, including 16-12 on the offensive end.

“This was an important win for us tonight,” Woodin said.  “Fort Lewis is a quality opponent and tomorrow we get an opportunity to play a great team in Hillsdale College.  It should be a great game and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Hillsdale College 75, Western Oregon 35 (Box Score)

The Chargers dominated from the start in Friday’s early game for a 40-point win over the Wolves.  Hillsdale improved to 2-0 on the season while Western Oregon dropped its season opener.  The two Charger wins this season have come by a combined total of 95 points.  They routed Concordia University, 101-46, on Tuesday.

Ten different players scored for the Chargers, led by Jessie Biller’s 13 points.  Lauren Fewins and Katie Cezat each scored 11 points.  Fewins also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.  The Chargers had a 39-28 rebounding edge.

Western Oregon was paced by 11 points from Leada Berkey and 10 from Ali Crumb.  Berkey also had seven rebounds and three assists.  The Wolves had trouble protecting the ball all game, committing 35 turnovers to match their 35 points. 

Saturday’s Holiday Inn/Chinook Wireless Classic will again feature games at 6:00 and 8:00 at Alterowitz Gym.  Western Oregon will take on Fort Lewis in the early contest with MSU Billings hosting Hillsdale in the late game.  The Yellowjackets’ game can be heard on AM 970 KBUL and on the internet.