No. 3 Lady Yellowjackets Host Carroll College Friday (January 9, 2003)

BILLINGS, MT – Basketball fans in Billings better look quickly if they want to catch the MSU Billings women’s basketball team in action again this season.  After building an 11-3 record and the No. 3 ranking in the NCAA Division II West Region, the Lady Jackets will have just four of their remaining twelve games at Alterowitz Gymnasium.  The first of those four will be Friday night when the Jackets host Carroll College.

By virtue of a 10-2 record against West Region competition, MSU Billings climbed from No. 7 to No. 3 in this week’s regional poll.  The top eight teams advance to the NCAA Tournament with the No. 1-ranked team hosting the regional tournament.  Five of the Jackets’ ten regional wins have come on the road, where the Yellowjackets will spend much of the second half of the season.

Friday’s game against Carroll (7-8) is a must win for the Yellowjackets because losses to NAIA teams are worth zero points in the Division II regional power rankings.  In the past, a single NAIA loss has kept teams with good records out of the NCAA Tournament.  Despite the Saints’ 7-8 record, two of those losses have come to top ten NAIA teams and they have faced four Division II teams.

The Saints will be looking to rebound after a poor shooting performance at a tournament in Las Vegas over the holiday break.  It won’t be easy against the Yellowjackets, who are ranked No. 25 in the nation for field goal percentage defense.  MSUB is holding opponents to a paltry 35.2% field goal percentage through the first 14 games of the season.

Offensively, the Lady Jackets are relying heavily upon their seniors.  Natalie Visger is leading the team with 16.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.  Jessica Bachmann is averaging 12 points per game.  Both Visger and Bachmann are tied for the team lead with 34 assists.

Senior center Jessie Henigman is ranked No. 6 in the nation for blocked shots per game at 3.30.  She now has a school-record 217 blocked shots and is just 20 blocks shy of breaking her own season blocked shot record of 66. 

After Visger and Bachmann, four players are averaging at least six points per game.  Senior Joan Langford is netting 8.8 points per game and has made a team-high 29 three-pointers.  Sophomore Kayla Frize is averaging 7.4 points per game, followed closely by sophomore Robyn Milne’s 7.3.  Henigman is adding 6.7 points per game.

After Friday’s game with Carroll, the Yellowjackets’ only remaining home games are January 20 against Montana Tech, and February 22 and 23 against Western New Mexico.  Tip-off for Friday’s game is schedule for 7:00 p.m. and can be heard on News Radio AM 970 KBUL, or on the internet at www.msubillings.edu/athletics.