Lady Jackets to Play Two Games in California (December 5, 2002)

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State University-Billings women’s basketball team will face its first multiple-game road trip of the year this weekend when the Lady Yellowjackets travel to California to take on Cal State-Stanislaus and Sonoma State of the CCAA.  MSU Billings will be looking to improve on its 4-1 record as well as pick up two important West Region victories.

Senior forward Natalie Visger and senior guard Jessica Bachmann are the leading scorers for the Yellowjackets.  Visger is averaging 15.2 points per game while Bachmann is netting 14.2 a game.  The Lady Jackets are also getting solid offensive production from Jessie Henigman (8.8 ppg), Joan Langford (7.4 ppg) and Kayla Frize (7.4 ppg).

Henigman is off to another fast start defensively, blocking 22 shots in the season’s first five games.  She tied her own school record a year ago with 66 blocked shots and is well on her way to breaking that mark.  Henigman will have to hold down the middle by herself for about the next month because fellow shot blocker Robyn Milne is out with a broken hand.  Milne was averaging five points and three blocked shots per game before the injury.

CSU-Stanislaus is off to a 3-1 start, including a 2-0 record at home.  The Warriors are led by one of the region’s top post players in Shannon Donnelly.  She is averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds per game.  The Warriors and Yellowjackets will tip-off in Turlock, CA at 7:00 p.m. Friday night.

MSU Billings will take Saturday off before traveling to Rohnert Part, CA to face Sonoma State.  The game will be a rematch of last year’s West Region first round match-up in which the Yellowjackets lost 67-55.  The Seawolves are 2-0 after two easy wins to open the season and return all of their key players from last year’s team.  Jessica Jones, who scored 11 points against the Yellowjackets last year at the NCAA Tournament, is averaging 16 points per game this season. 

MSU Billings will return home to host MSU-Northern on December 14.  The game will tip-off at 6:00 p.m.