Lady Jackets Pull Away from Rocky for Fourth Straight (Feb. 25, 2005)
Box Score
BILLINGS, MT – Montana State-Billings
overcame a slow start Friday night to pull away for an easy 66-44
win at cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College. The win was the
fourth in a row for the Yellowjackets, who improved to 19-6.
Rocky dropped to 11-17. MSU Billings now holds a 54-14 series
edge against the Bears.
It took the Yellowjackets nearly 10 minutes
to get any sort of offense going. The Bears built a 10-9 lead
almost eight minutes into the game. MSU Billings used a strong
inside game in the middle of the first half, taking a 20-10 lead.
A pair of Jenny Langford (Jr., Reedpoint, MT) 3-pointers on back-to-back
possessions late in the first half broke the game open. Shannon Harvey (So., Billings, MT) beat the halftime buzzer
with her only 3-pointer of the game to give the Jackets a 34-20
lead at the break.
“It was a good win for us,” said Yellowjacket
coach Kevin Woodin. “I felt Rocky gave a tremendous effort. We
had to work very hard. Throughout the first half it was hard to
get any easy shots. It was important that Jenny Langford hit
those two threes to give us a cushion.”
MSU Billings went exclusively to the inside
game in the second half. Robyn Milne (Sr., Richey, MT) and Michelle Lieber (So., Gillette, WY) combined for 23 of the
Jackets’ 32 second half points, most of them coming in the paint.
The Bears had no answer for the Jackets’ post play, and
MSU Billings shot 41 percent from the field in the second half.
Milne and Lieber were a combined 10-of-17 from the field in the
half, with Lieber hitting 5-of-5.
“Offensively we struggled with our rhythm a
little,” added Woodin. “Robyn became a force inside, and Michelle
did a nice job, especially on the weak side glass. The two of
them worked well together tonight.”
Milne finished the night with her 29th career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
She also blocked five shots, giving her 266 for her career and
leaving her just six short of the school record held by Jessie
Henigman. Her next blocked shot will tie her for 16th place all time in NCAA Division II history.
Lieber finished the night with 13 points and
10 rebounds. She scored 11 of her 13 in the second half. Tanya Petersen (Jr., Billings, MT) scored all 12 of her points
in the first half, hitting 4-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from
the free throw line to give the Jackets an offensive spark.
Langford finished with six points on her two
3-pointers. Langford and Angie Lessard (Jr., Elizabeth, CO) led the Yellowjackets with
three assists each. Lisa Jellum (Jr., Gillette, WY) added five points and three
rebounds. Harvey and Kayla Frize (Jr., Miles City, MT) each had one 3-pointer in
the game for three points apiece. Jennifer Skrifvars (So., Brea, CA) and Jessica Bratton (So., Casper, WY) added two points apiece off
the bench.
Rocky was paced by Jenny Balgua’s 13 points,
nine of which came in the second half. Balgua also led the team
with seven rebounds. Gretchen Wall added 10 points and six
rebounds. Amy Schillinger scored seven points off the bench in
the second half. The Bears shot just 26 percent from the field
and hit only 1-of-18 3-point attempts in the game.
“Rocky didn’t shoot very well from the
3-point line, and I think part of that was our defense,” said
Woodin. “Our players did a nice job on Balgua. She’s a
tremendous player and we were able to at least make her work for
her points.”
MSU Billings has two regular season games
remaining, both at Western New Mexico next week. The Jackets will
face the Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and 4:00 p.m. on
Saturday. Both games can be heard live on AM 970 KBUL. The
Yellowjackets are currently ranked eighth in the NCAA West
Region. A pair of wins at Western New Mexico would likely assure
them of an NCAA Tournament berth.
“It’s nice to have a weekend off,” added
Woodin. “I think we’re tired from this week. We look forward to
our trip to Western New Mexico. We understand the significance of
those games, and we look forward to that challenge. |
