Lady Jackets Win Big Regional Match Up at St. Martin’s
(Feb. 3, 2005)
Box Score
LACEY, WA – The Montana State-Billings
women’s basketball team made a strong case for its NCAA Tournament
hopes Thursday evening, defeating St. Martin’s 53-42. The game
was a meeting of two regionally ranked teams with the Saints
entering the game ranked fifth in the NCAA West Region and the
Yellowjackets ranked ninth. With the win MSU Billings improved to
15-5, dropping St. Martin’s to 13-5.
St. Martin’s handed the Yellowjackets a tough
59-50 loss at home in January, propelling the Saints into the
regional poll. Since that time St. Martin’s has climbed from
eighth to fifth in the West Region while the Yellowjackets have
held tight at No. 9. Thursday’s win should bump the Lady Jackets
into the important top eight. The top eight ranked teams at the
end of the season are invited to the NCAA Tournament.
Much like the game in Billings a month ago,
Thursday’s was a defensive battle. Neither team led by more than
five points in the first half, and there were four ties. Martina
Kartikova’s basket with nine seconds remaining in the half gave
St. Martin’s a 22-21 halftime advantage.
“It was a close game in the first half, but
we were able to get up four or five points in the second half,”
said Yellowjacket coach Kevin Woodin. “We played with an extended
zone defense, and that was effective. They didn’t shoot as well
as they did in the first game.”
The Yellowjackets took a 22-21 lead on their
second possession of the second half when Robyn Milne (Sr., Richey, MT) scored from inside.
MSU Billings never trailed again, leading by as many as eight
midway through the half and pulling away down the stretch. After
the Saints had drawn to within six, Jenny Langford (Jr., Reedpoint, MT) knocked down a 3-pointer
with 1:28 to play to give the Jackets a 38-47 lead. Lisa Jellum
(Jr., Gillette, WY) and Angela Lessard (Jr., Elizabeth, CO) combined for four straight
free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Tanya Petersen (Jr., Billings, MT) led all players with 17
points. She added eight rebounds, three assists and four
steals. Langford finished with 11 points, hitting 3-of-6
from 3-point range.
Milne and Michelle Lieber (Jr., Gillette, WY) cleaned up on the glass,
grabbing 10 and 13 rebounds respectively. Lieber's 13 boards
were a career high. Milne added five
points and three blocked shots. She is now ranked 21st in NCAA II history for career blocked shots.
Guards Shannon Harvey (So., Billings, MT) and Lessard combined for 13
points. Harvey finished with six and Lessard netted a
career-high seven points.
MSU Billings was 6-of-25 from 3-point range with Harvey making
two.
St. Martin's was led by 15
points and 11 rebounds from Kartikova. The Saints were just
3-of-25 from behind the arc. Julia Eisentrout added nine
points and Lindsay Ford scored eight.
“We continued to struggle from the 3-point
line, but we got a couple timely baskets,” added Woodin. “We did
a good job on the offensive rebounds in the last few minutes, and
we made some crucial free throws. Jenny Langford hit some big
shots late in the game. I was very pleased with our effort. We
came in knowing it was going to be a difficult game. We executed
well and played with a lot of heart. This was an important win in
our season, and now we look forward to our game next Saturday
against Division I North Dakota State.”
The Yellowjackets next play on February 12
when they host unbeaten NDSU. The Division I Bison defeated
MSU Billings last week in Fargo. |
