Lady Jackets Bounce Back at OPSU (1/13/07)
Box Score
Coach Kevin Woodin Post-Game Audio 

GOODWELL, OK – After suffering their first loss in nine games on Friday, the Lady Jacket basketball team held off the Oklahoma Panhandle State Lady Aggies 73-66 in dramatic fashion on Saturday.  The win improves MSUB to 12-4 and drops OPSU to 3-13.   

“It was a tough game. We got off to a great start in the first half and I thought our legs were pretty good,” said Lady Jacket head coach Kevin Woodin. “It’s nice to get a win after last night.  We played pretty good in our last game, it just got away from us in the last 3 minutes.” 

For the second night in a row the Lady Jackets gave up a double-digit lead to the Lady Aggies in the second half, but were able to avoid the same disappointment the second time around. After dominating much of the game and building up a lead as big as 14, MSUB began to falter after senior Michelle Lieber (Gillette, WY) went down early in the second half with an injury. 

“We need Michelle out there for that mental stability and leadership,” said Woodin about losing his senior post after playing just 16 minutes. “Even when she’s not scoring, she demands attention from her teammates. She patrols the boards for us and we play much more aggressive when she’s out there.” 

OPSU battled back to cut the lead down to four with just over six minutes to play, but Jacket sophomore Kayla McPherson (Glendive, MT) quickly put out the fire after dropping two three pointers on consecutive possessions to get the Jacket lead back to 10. A second Aggie run with three minutes to go actually tied the game, but the MSUB defense tightened and they were able to secure the seven point victory.  

Another balanced attack offensively resulted in four Yellowjackets reaching double-digits in points. Alira Carpenter’s (Lewistown, MT) 5-of-8 shooting for 12 points led the way for MSUB.  Dani Henderson (Reed Point, MT) and Kayla McPherson each added 11 from the bench. Freshman Shantell Marquis (Cascade, MT) notched her first double-double of the season, scoring 11 and grabbing a career high 11 rebounds.   

“Shantell is really coming along and she’s a great athlete as everyone knows. She gave us so many more dimensions and in these two games, they dared her to shoot.  It was nice of her to hit a couple 3’s and get her started.  She’s coming on and she’s going to be a great player for us for years to come.”  

Despite the slow start in the first half in which OPSU shot just 8-of-30 from the floor, the Lady Aggies ended the contest with solid performances from juniors Sara Polson and Megan Hamilton. Polson finished with 17 points and Hamilton poured it on in the second half, scoring 12 of her points down the stretch.

The Lady Jackets continue their road swing with Monday’s match-up against University of Texas-Permian Basin at 5:30 p.m.  The game can be heard on the Yellowjacket athletic website or on AM 970 KBUL.