February 2, 2008

Lady Jackets Fall Short; Saints Earn Win
   Box Score
   MSUB Season Stats

BILLINGS, Mont. – Despite four players scoring in double figures, the Montana State Billings women’s basketball team could not overcome Saint Martin’s University Saturday night falling 68-67.  The Lady Jackets fall to 8-10 overall and 5-4 in the GNAC with the loss, while the Saints improved to 13-5 and 6-3 in league play.

In a thrilling game wire to wire the Saints opened the contest leading the Jackets until the seven-minute mark when a three-pointer by Kayla McPherson (Glendive) knotted the teams at 24 apiece.  An 11-0 run by MSUB that was capped off by a steal and bucket by Shantell Marquis (Cascade) put the Lady Jackets ahead by eight.  Returning the favor was the Saints who went on a 6-0 run of their own to close out the half, trailing by three.

The Lady Jackets held the lead through the first 11 minutes of the second half until the Saints’ Jamey Gelhar drilled a three-pointer to put SMU up by two, starting what would become a dogfight until the buzzer.  McPherson hit two three-pointers back-to-back, but the Saints’ Amber Harmon dropped in one of her own to tie the game for the fourth time at 61 all.  Saint Martin’s took the permanent lead following a pair of free throws by Kassie Ludeman with 1:36 to play.  In a frantic shuffle as time expired, the Lady Jackets got off two shots, neither granting the win.

“It was a great game to be a part of,” said Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin.  “We definitely had our chances and it could have gone either way.  We got the shot we wanted at the end and even a couple extra but we just couldn’t finish the deal.  Saint Martin’s is a very good team and Tim does a great job with them.  They execute very well.  Our thorn in our side continues to be our rebounding.  We must make a commitment to get better in this area.  We got beat badly on the boards in the second half.”

The Lady Jackets were led by Marquis’s 15 points.  Marquis was 6-of-10 from the field and handed out a game-high five assists and grabbed four steals.  McPherosn added 14 points off 4-of-11 shooting from the field.  McPherson drained a game-high four 3-pointers.  Kayla Ryan (Big Timber) and Alira Carpenter (Lewistown) chipped in 13 and 12 points respectively.

The Yellowjackets’ bench combined for 27 points as the team shot 23-of-60 from the field and 8-of-24 from long range.  MSUB was 13-of-17 from the charity stripe and were outrebounded 48-33.  The Jackets forced 19 Saints’ turnovers and made 10 steals.

Ludeman led all scorers with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds.  Ludeman was 6-of-10 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line and posted a game-high three blocks.  Dara Zack also posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds for Saint Martin’s. 

The Saints were 25-of-63 from the field for 40 percent and a chilly 4-of-18 from behind the arc for 22 percent.  SMU was 14-of-19 from the free throw line and had seven steals in the contest.

The Lady Yellowjackets head to the Evergreen State for a pair of games against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents Western Washington University and Central Washington University.  The Jackets clipped both the Vikings and the Wildcats at home earlier in the season.  The Jackets game against WWU is set for Thursday, February 7th at 7 p.m., while the Jackets and Wildcats will face off on Saturday, February 9th at 7 p.m.