Yellowjackets Start First of Four Road Games Against Seawolves

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One week after winning their conference opener against Saint Martin’s, the Montana State Billings women’s basketball team will travel over 2500 miles to take on the nationally 12th-ranked Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage. The game takes place at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex on Thursday evening with a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game can be seen via web stream from the Alaska Anchorage website.

The Yellowjackets (8-4, 1-0) are looking for their first victory against the Seawolves during the Kevin Woodin era and are trying to match their longest winning streak of the season at four games. With a win, MSUB would equal the 4-0 start at the beginning of the season and have taken five of the last seven.

The Jackets are coming off a 72-67 nailbiter against the Saints to open the conference season. In that game, the Yellowjackets trailed much of the first half until Sarah McNamee drained two triples and Kalli Stanhope hit a third to help MSUB close out the half on a 12-1 run to take a 37-35 lead into the break.

As the second half opened, MSUB went on a 9-2 run to extend a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Saint Martin’s would cut the lead down to two, 67-65, with 1:45 remaining, but Callie Kautzmann hit a huge jumper in the paint to finish off the visitors from Lacey, WA.

McNamee and Stanhope both led the team with 17 points and combined for nine boards and nine assists. Callie Kautzmann was the other player in double figures for the Jackets, scoring 16 points and seven boards. The Jackets shot 41.7 percent from the floor, while nearly half their shots came from deep (11-27). 

Alaska Anchorage (11-2, 1-1) is coming off a split to start the conference season. They defeated Central Washington last Thursday, 77-42, and were dominated by Western Washingotn in Bellingham on Saturday, 78-58.

The Seawolves have won the last two west region titles and were picked to defend their co-GNAC Championship in the preseason poll. Alaska Anchorage brings in the number scoring defense in the country (50.3 ppg) and the number two rebounding margin (+14.3). They are led by Lakeshia Levi, scoring 16.5 points and 7.9 boards per game.

MSUB leads the overall series against UAA, 24-17. Much of the success has come at home, going 13-7 since the first meeting in 1985. On the road, the Jackets are one game above .500, 11-10, but have dropped the last two in Anchorage. The last win against the Seawolves came on Dec. 19, 2003, a 62-54 victory in Anchorage.

After Thursday’s contest, MSUB remains in Alaska, taking on Alaska Fairbanks, Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

Road Warriors
The Yellowjackets are entering their longest stretch of road games this season with this week’s trip north. For the next two weeks, MSUB will be traveling to Alaska (Jan. 14 and 16) and then on to Washington where they will take on the current 22nd nationally ranked Falcons of Seattle Pacific (Jan. 21) and the Crusaders of Northwest Nazarene (Jan. 23). The Yellowjackets will return home Jan. 28 against Western Washington for the first of three home games.

Top Stats
MSUB currently leads the GNAC in three statistical categories and is in the top-25 in four categories nationally. MSUB leads the conference in least amount of turnovers, 16.8 per game, assist turnover ratio (1.05) and three-point fg defense (26.1). On the national scene, MSUB is 22nd in assists per game (17.7), 23rd in both assist turnover ratio and three-point fg defense and are 21st in free throw percentage (38.3).

Ryan’s Reign
Yellowjacket senior forward, Kayla Ryan, ranks in the top of the GNAC in rebounds per game with 9.3 and free throw percentage with an 88.1 average. Her FT average also ranks 18th in the nation and is 6.5 percent better than the next closest player in the conference (Dara Zack, Saint Martin’s, 81.6)

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