‘Jackets Look to Sink Marauders for Second Time

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BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State Billings was able to shake off the rust from an 11 day layoff to defeat NAIA Dickinson State College, 71-61, this past Saturday at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings. The ‘Jackets now embark on a two game road swing before the Christmas break. First up will be the Marauders of the University of Mary.

The Yellowjackets enter Thursday’s contest with a 5-2 record overall after defeating Dickinson State to snap a two game losing skid that saw a loss to Montana Tech, a team MSUB hadn’t lost to in 15 meetings prior. The Yellowjackets are seeking their first back-to-back victories over Mary in school history. Prior to this season’s first victory over the Marauders, MSUB had dropped three consecutive contests to UM.

Montana State Billings needed a victory against the Blue Hawks last Saturday to help keep things from going from bad to worse. With sub-par shooting performances in the past three games, the Yellowjackets needed to get off to a quick start. That proved to be a challenge as MSUB was unable generate any type of offense in the first half, shooting just 25.9 percent from the floor (7-of-27).

Leading 23-20 at the half, the Yellowjackets fared much better in the second half, shooting 51.6 percent from the field, including a 6-of-13 performance from beyond the arc.  The Yellowjackets led for much of the second half until Dickinson forced a tie midway through.

Then, Mandy Jacobs and Sarah McNamee both hit three-pointers to help give the Yellowjackets the lead for good. Free throws down the stretch proved key in the victory for the ‘Jackets, converting 15 of their 18 chances from the charity stripe.

Leading the way for the Yellowjackets was junior Kayla Ryan. Ryan recorded her fourth double-double of the season and second consecutive, scoring 17 points and pulling down 11 boards. Fellow junior, Sarah McNamee, also scored 17 points, scoring 12 of those from deep.

The Maruaders enter the contest with a 1-7 record on the season and are 0-4 in NSIC play. Mary is currently on a four game losing skid since winning their Nov. 21, match-up with Minnesota-Morris in Morris, MN, 73-40. The Marauders will be playing in their first home game of the season, playing the first six contests on the road to start the season.

Rachel Zillmer currently leads Mary in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. On the boards, UM is being led by Liz Sipma, grabbing 6.3 per game.

The Yellowjackets are seeking their first season sweep of the Maruaders in the series history. In the first meeting this season, the Yellowjackets controlled the game as Kautzmann led all scorers with 26 points. MSUB trails in the series 3-5, snapping a three game losing streak with the victory earlier in the season. The Yellowjackets have yet to win a game in Bismarck in three previous attempts.

Seeing Double
Junior center, Kayla Ryan, has turned up her production since the beginning of the season.  Ryan has recorded four double-doubles in the first seven games of the season and  is close to averaging a double-double on the year with 13.7 points per game and 9.1 boards. Ryan has also scored in double figures in five of the seven contests this season.

On the National Scene
As a team, the Yellowjackets are in the top-25 of four statistical categories in the nation out of 300 Division II teams. MSUB ranks sixth in assist/turnover ratio with 1.29 and is 12th in turnovers per game, with 14.4 turnovers. The ‘Jackets also rank 16th in 3-point field goals per game (8.4) and 20th in assists per game. 

It’s All About the Start
When the Yellowjackets get off to a good start in the first half, things have gone their way. Through the first seven games, MSUB is outscoring their opponents in the first half 229-176, while only outscoring the opponent 257-245 in the second. The Yellowjackets are 5-0 this season when leading at halftime and are 0-2 when trailing.

December Dominance
The month of December has been very generous to the Yellowjackets over the years. In the past five seasons, MSUB has a 22-5 record in the month of December. During that stretch, 2007-08 was the only year the ‘Jackets suffered a losing record, 2-3.

Make it Take it
This season the Yellowjackets have proved that if you out shoot your opponents, odds are you’ll win. In games when the ‘Jackets shoot a higher percentage than the opposition, they are 5-0. MSUB is 0-2 when shooting a lower percentage than the opponent.

Milestone Watch
With the victory over Dickinson State last Saturday, MSUB head coach, Kevin Woodin, recorded his 93rd career victory. With seven more wins, coach Woodin will become the third coach in MSUB women’s basketball history to record 100 wins at the school. With nine more victories, Woodin would tie Ted Anderson (1982-87) for second on the school’s all-time wins list with 102.