Lady Jackets Deny Aggies, 89-68 (1/7/06)
Box Score              Game Photos

BILLINGS, MT – The Lady Jackets claimed their seventh straight win Saturday downing Heartland Conference opponent Oklahoma Panhandle 89-68.  The non-conference match up improves the Jackets to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the Heartland Conference.  The Aggies drop to 6-9, 1-1.

In looking at the box score, the Lady Jackets and Aggies were evenly matched teams.  The difference in the game came from three-pointers and free throws.  The Jackets combined for 13 three-pointers to the seven put up by the Aggies.  The Jackets had a 15 to 24 advantage on fouls over the Aggies and shot 26-of-33 from the line.

The two teams traded the lead seven times over the course of 40 minutes.  The Jackets led 13-10 before the Aggies’ Amanda Kisner knocked down a three to tie the game at the 15:18 mark of the first half.  Oklahoma Panhandle led by as many as seven but a three-pointer by Lisa Jellum (Sr., Gillette, WY) and two points at the free throw line by Alira Carpenter (Fr., Lewistown, MT) brought the Jackets back within four.  The two teams tied for the fourth time of the game on a lay-up by Jellum with 8:26 to go in the half.  After leading for much of the first, the Aggies had the tide turned on a fast break by Tanya Petersen (Sr., Billings, MT).  Two three-pointers back-to-back by the Jackets gave them the seven point lead with two minutes remaining in first half play.  At the buzzer, Jenny Langford (Sr., Reed Point, MT) padded the Jackets’ lead on a made field goal to head into the locker room with a 42-32 lead.

By 9:22 in the second half the Jackets had worked themselves to a 36 point lead over the Aggies allowing the bench to combine for 30 points.  The Aggies’ Sarah Ferguson made two three-pointers in a 25 second span to bring the team within 22 making that as close as the team would get before time expired.

The Aggies had five players score in double digits.  Sarah Ferguson and Brandi Lewis each netted 14 with teammates April Gahagan, Nina Kuleff and Taneisha Rogers each contributing 10 points apiece.  Both Lewis and Rogers went 100 percent from the line combining for 13 points at the charity stripe.

Michelle Lieber (Jr., Gillette, WY) notched herself a double-double with 13 rebounds and 12 points.  Carpenter shot 3-of-4 from three-point range and led all scorers with 17 points.  Teammate Shannon Harvey (Jr., Billings, MT) and Jellum each netted 15 points.  Harvey went 4-of-4 from behind the arc.  Jennifer Skrifvars (Jr., Brea, CA), Kayla McPherson (Fr., Glendive, MT), Angie Lessard (Sr., Elizabeth, CO), Jen Smith (Fr., Belgrade, MT) Lieber, and Langford all shot 100 percent from the line combining for 18 of the team’s 33 free throw points.

The Jackets travel to San Antonio, Texas and Jefferson City, Missouri for a four game road trip.  They will face Heartland Conference opponents Incarnate Word, St. Mary’s (TX), and Lincoln University.  The Lady Jackets return to Alterowitz Gymnasium January 28 to host St. Edward’s.  Tip off is set for 6:00 p.m.