Lady Jackets Stop Nanooks, 73-65
   Box Score
   MSUB Season Stats

BILLINGS, Mont. – After trailing in the opening minutes of the game, the Montana State Billings women’s basketball team came back to douse visiting University of Alaska Fairbanks 73-65 Thursday night at Alterowitz Gym.  The Lady Jackets, enjoying back-to-back wins, are 11-15 overall and 8-9 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, while the Nanooks are 11-14 and 4-13.

MSUB took the permanent lead following a layup by Jen Smith (Belgrade) with 9:17 left in the opening stanza.  The Jackets took a slim three-point advantage into the locker room.  Entering the second half, MSUB went on an early 6-0 run to distance themselves from the Nanooks.  The Yellowjackets led by as many as 16 late in the half, but a spirited UAF went on a 8-0 run in the final 3:16, but ran out of time on the clock as the Jackets iced the win.

 “I was very pleased with our defense in the second half,” said Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin.  “I thought we communicated better and Natalie did a great job with our defensive game plan.”

The Jackets’ Alira Carpenter (Lewistown) led all scorers with 23 points.  The junior guard shot 10-of-19 from the floor including a game-high three 3-pointers.  Dani Henderson (Reed Point) netted 14 points while Smith and Shantell Marquis (Cascade) chipped in 12 and 11 points respectively.  Marquis notched a double-double with 11 rebounds and grabbed a game-high five steals and eight assists.

“Jen (Smith) and Dani (Henderson) really battled tonight, especially in the second half,” added Woodin.  “Alira (Carpenter) hit some big shots down the stretch and her teammates did a good job of finding her, particularly in transition.  Shantell (Marquis) had a strong second half on both ends of the floor.  Her presence was crucial to our victory.”

UAF’s Sheena Brown scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the floor, while her teammate Joscelyn Shumate netted 14 points.

“This was a very important win for us,” said Woodin.  “We are looking forward to playing Anchorage on Saturday.  They are a tremendous team but we are looking forward to the challenge of playing them.”

The Lady Jackets host No. 7 University of Alaska Anchorage (25-3, 14-2) on Saturday, March 8 in the season finale.  Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. at Alterowitz Gym.  Live stats, video streaming, and internet broadcast can be found on the Yellowjackets web site.