2007-2008 Women's Basketball Weekly Release #7 (January 15)

This Week's Schedule

Click HERE for live stats of Saturday's game. 
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Week in Review

The Lady Yellowjackets have been an up and down team throughout the early season.  Losing the first three games of the season, MSUB responded by chalking up the next three contests in the win column.  Facing four very strong teams between No. 12-ranked Chico State and No. 9-ranked Alaska Anchorage, the Jackets lost the following four games.  Hitting their stride when it matters most, the Lady Jackets have gone on a three-game winning streak to stand at 3-1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and 6-7 overall.

The team picked up a pair of wins at home last week against previously unbeaten Central Washington and Western Washington University.  In Thursday's 58-49 win over the Wildcats, Central Washington led the Jackets by six early in the half.  MSUB responded by handing CWU a 10-0 run capped off by a layup by Dani Henderson (Reed Point) and a traditional three-point play by Marquis (Cascade).  Trailing most of the half, the Wildcats pulled within one possession on a jumper by Katie Trew.  The Jackets’ Jen Smith (Belgrade) drained the trey with four seconds on the clock to preserve the 29-24 lead heading into the locker room.

"I felt very fortunate to be ahead at halftime," said Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin.  "Central Washington's defense was very good plus we missed several shots that we would normally make. Shantell played an excellent first half for us.  She was very aggressive and we needed her to score."

Kristina Klapperich of CWU netted a two-point shot and immediately hit what everyone thought was a three-pointer to tie the game.  After review of the shot using instant replay, the basket was called a two putting the Wildcats down by one.  At the 12:53 mark Klapperich scored giving Central Washington their first lead of the game since the opening minutes.  Leading by seven after a perimeter bucket by Elyse Maras, the Jackets surged in the final 5:38 of the contest going on an 18-2 run to close out the game.

"At halftime I talked to the team about loosening up as they tightened near the end of the half," added Woodin.  "I felt that we would start making our shots, but the slump continued.  A lot of was Central's defense.  I was very proud of our players for not panicking when they were down by seven.  We finally started to make some open shots and we created offense through our defense.  Kayla (Ryan) played well off the bench and had a couple of big baskets for us.  Despite not shooting well for most of the game, I though Alira played well down the stretch.  Between Alira, Dani, and Shantell we made several critical free throws in sealing the win."

The Jackets’ Marquis led all scorers netting 20 points off 7-of-13 shooting from the floor.  Shooting a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point land, Marquis also handed out game highs with eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals.  Alira Carpenter (Lewistown) chipped in 16 points, while Henderson added 11 points and seven boards.

In Saturday's 69-67 win against Western Washington University the Lady Jackets took the 2-point lead at the 15-minute mark on a layup by Kayla Ryan (Big Timber) and widened the gap to eight before the Vikings’ stingy defense put a stop to the Jackets’ momentum.  Western Washington took advantage going on an 11-2 run holding the Jackets scoreless for seven minutes.  Following three lead changes, the Jackets battled to lead by one.  The Vikings’ India Soo drained a perimeter bucket with 10 seconds left in the half to take WWU to the locker room holding a one-point advantage.

 “Western hurt us with their penetration from the perimeter in the first half,” said head coach Kevin Woodin.  “They were able to get deep into our defense and/or to the free throw line effectively.  Kayla (McPherson) really stepped up for us tonight.  We needed her offense and I thought she played great on both ends. Alira  (Carpenter) got us some big baskets.  She has really improved as an offensive player and now has the ability to score in many different ways.”

The Vikings carried a brief lead into the second half before the Jackets Alira Carpenter (Lewistown) tied the ball game on fourth 3-pointer of the contest.  A 14-0 run by MSUB put the Lady Jackets in command of the game with 14 minutes on the clock.  Not leaving Billings without a fight, the Vikings whittled at the Jackets’ lead narrowing the gap to five after a pair of made free throws by WWU’s Amanda Dunbar. 

A timely layup by MSUB’s Shantell Marquis (Cascade) preserved the Jackets’ seven-point lead, but a 3-pointer by Amanda Dunbar and a pair of free throws brought the lead within one possession.  The Yellowjackets missed a long range shot giving the Vikings the chance to tie or win the game.  Western Washington spent the final six seconds on the clock dribbling up the court, never getting a shot off before time expired.

Carpenter netted 29 points, just one shy of her career-high, off 10-of-25 shooting from the floor.  Carpenter drained four 3-pointers and was 5-of-6 from the line.  Kayla McPherson (Glendive) chipped in 17 points going 6-of-11 from the field.  McPherson drilled a game-high five 3-pointers, picked up six rebounds and grabbed a career-high three steals.  Marquis handed out a game-high seven assists and added nine points.

The Jackets’ bench combined for 23 of the team’s total points.  Shooting 25-of-73, the Jackets were 34 percent from the floor, while the team was a sizzling 9-of-20 from long range for 45 percent.  MSUB outrebounded the Vikings 47-42.

Yellowjacket Tidbits:
Several Lady Yellowjackets are making a name for themselves in the Yellowjacket record books as well as in the conference and the NCAA statistical rankings...Alira Carpenter ranks 22nd in the nation for points per game (19.2), 28th for three-point percentage (43.8), 63rd for free throw percentage (83.3) and 11th for three-pointers per game (3.2)...Shantell Marquis ranks 40th in the nation for steals per game (2.8)...As a team, the Yellowjackets rank 99th in the nation for three-point percentage (33.2), 62nd for free throw percentage (72.0), and are 30th for three-pointers per game (7.0)...All NCAA rankings are through games as of 1/6/08...In the GNAC Carpenter continues to lead all scorers averaging 19.7 points per game and those from the perimeter with 3.15 three-pointers per game...Carpenter also ranks fourth in free throw percentage with 0.841...Marquis ranks fourth in the conference for assists per game (4.10) and second in steals with 2.85 per game...Dani Henderson ranks 13th in the GNAC for rebounds pulling down 5.7 boards per game...Kayla McPherson also holds her mark in the conference ranking 11th for three-pointers averaging 1.58 per game...The squad is heating up the Yellowjacket record books and are led by Carpenter's 1,114 points that currently ranks her 18th in school history...Carpenter needs just one point to overtake former teammate Michelle Lieber who scored 1,115 points in three seasons, 16 points to surpass Tami Fleek in 16th place with 1,129 and 21 points to overtake the 15th spot held by Theresa O'Donnell with 1,135 points ...Carpenter moved into the third sport for career three-pointers with 174...she is just 11 three's shy of overtaking second held by Jenny Lanford and just 21 shy of owning firsts place in the record books...McPherson, who drilled five three's in the game against WWU is tied for 9th with Teri Silvius for career 3-pointers with 103...Silvius, who played from 1991-1995 still holds the record for career points scored (1,630)...Six more long range buckets for McPherson will catapult her into the eighth spot currently held by Jessica Bachmann...Marquis has tallied 110 career steals, ranking her 10th....Ten more steals for Marquis will move her into the ninth spot currently held by Kelli Kenyon.

From the GNAC:

Division II Games: Seattle Pacific 12-0,  Seattle 9-1, Alaska Anchorage 10-2, Central Washington 8-2, Saint Martin’s 6-3, Northwest Nazarene 6-4, Alaska Fairbanks 7-5, MSU Billings 5-7, Western Oregon 2-7, Western Washington 3-12. 

West Region Games: Seattle Pacific 10-0, Seattle 9-1, Alaska Anchorage 7-1, Central Washington 6-2, Saint Martin’s 6-2, Northwest Nazarene 6-4, *MSU Billings 5-5, Alaska Fairbanks 4-5, Western Oregon 2-7, Western Washington 2-10.   (*MSUB region record includes games against schools in states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Western New Mexico and Colorado).

LAST WEEK: Thursday – Alaska Anchorage 52 at Northwest Nazarene 50; Alaska Fairbanks 60 at Seattle Pacific 68; Central Washington 49 at MSU Billings 58; Western Washington 52 at Seattle 64. Saturday – Alaska Anchorage 55 at Seattle Pacific 58; Alaska Fairbanks 89 at Northwest Nazarene 93; Central Washington 51 at Seattle 54; Western Washington 67 at MSU Billings 69; Western Oregon 63 at Saint Martin's 82.

THIS WEEK: Thursday – Saint Martin's at Alaska Anchorage, 5:30 p.m.; Western Oregon at Alaska Fairbanks, 5:15 p.m.; Northwest Nazarene at Central Washington; Seattle Pacific at Western Washington.  Saturday – Western Oregon at Alaska Anchorage, 5 p.m.; Saint Martin's at Alaska Fairbanks, 4:15 p.m.; Seattle Pacific at Central Washington; Northwest Nazarene at Western Washington; MSU Billings at Seattle.

POLLS: WBCA (Jan. 8) – 6. Seattle Pacific, 7. Alaska Anchorage; 30. Central Washington.  NCAA West Region – The first NCAA West Region weekly poll will be released Thursday, Jan. 24.  GNAC Coaches Pre-Season: 1. Seattle Pacific (5) 99; 2. Alaska Anchorage  (4) 95; 3. Western Washington (1) 80; 4. Seattle 71; 5. Northwest Nazarene 57; 6. Montana State Billings 56; 7. Central Washington 43; 8. Saint Martin's 24; 9. Western Oregon and Alaska Fairbanks 19. (Note: First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.).

ALL-TOURNAMENT:  Notre Dame (Nov. 16-17) – Shayla Corder, WOU. UAA Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 20-21) – Rebecca Kielpinski, UAA (MVP); Maria Nilsson, UAA; Kalhie Quinones, UAA.  Western Washington  (Nov. 23-24) – India Soo, WWU; Tara Holgate, WWU; Jamey Gelhar, SMU.  Northwest Nazarene (Nov. 23-24) – Jennifer Williams, NNU; Kristin Hein, NNU; Leada Berkey, WOU. UAA Glacier Classic (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) – Maria Nilsson, UAA (MVP); Dasha Basova, UAA; Rebecca Kielpinski, UAA; Cristina Bruketta, UAF; Sarah Herrin, UAA.  Seattle Pacific (Dec. 7-8) – Beth Christensen, SPU (MVP); Libby Magnuson, SPU; Kelsey Hill, SPU; Amanda Dunbar, WWU.   Western Oregon (Dec. 21-22) -  Kassie Ludeman, SMU (MVP); Amber Harmon, SMU; Leada Berkey, WOU; Katie Torland, WOU.  UC San Diego (Dec. 28-29) – Jackie Hollands, SPU (MVP); Kelsey Hill, SPU; Beth Christensen, SPU; India Soo, WWU.  Sonoma State (Dec. 28-29) – Alira Carpenter, MSUB.

DOUBLE DOUBLES: 7 – Kristin Hein, NNU.  4 – Kelsey Hill, SPU. 3 – Claire Pallansch, WWU; Rebecca Kielpinski, UAA; Jennifer Williams, NNU.  2 – Katie Torland, WOU; Kari Reabold, UAF; Shantell Marquis, MSUB; Shaina Afoa, CWU.  1 – Eleven with.

GNAC PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: Sheena Brown, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 5-8, Jr., Fairbanks, AK - Lathrop) and Jackie Thomas, Seattle University (G, 5-7, Sr., Tacoma, WA - Curtis). . .Brown had 57 points in a pair of narrow road losses, including 34 against Northwest Nazarene  equaling the 11^th highest single-game total in GNAC history.  She also had eight rebounds, six assists and six steals. . .Thomas scored 27 points and also had nine steals, five assists and five rebounds leading the Redhawks to wins over Western Washington and Central Washington.  She made 10 of 18 shots in the two contests.  Her nine steals increased her career total to 189, moving her into a tie for second place on Seattle’s all-time steal list.  She ranks 10^th on the GNAC career steal list.

HONORABLE MENTION:  Shantell Marquis, Montana State Billings (G, 5-10, So., Cascade, MT – C.M. Russell)) scored 29 points and also had 16 rebounds, 11 assists and six steals to lead the Yellowjackets to home wins over Central Washington and Western Washington. . .Kelsey Hill, Seattle Pacific (C, 6-2, Jr., Portland, OR – Portland Christian) had 25 points and 18 rebounds, increasing her career rebound total to 500, as the Falcons improved to 13-0  with wins over UAF and UAA.  She also had six assists and two steals.

AGAINST THE WEST REGION: GNAC (16) vs. CCAA (17)  - SPU 5-0, CWU 2-0, Seattle 1-0, SMU 2-1, NNU 3-2, WOU 2-4, WWU 1-7, UAF 0-1, MSU Billings 0-2.   GNAC (21) vs. PacWest  (0) -  Seattle 5-0, UAA 4-0, UAF 4-0, CWU 3-0, SMU 2-0, SPU 1-0, NNU 1-0, WWU 1-0.  CCAA (17) vs. GNAC (16) -  CSU Dominguez Hills 1-0, Chico State 4-1, Sonoma State 2-1, CSU San Bernardino 2-1, UC San Diego 3-2, Cal Poly Pomona 2-2, San Francisco State 1-2, CSU Stanislaus 1-2, Humboldt State 1-3, CSU Monterey Bay 0-2.  PacWest (0) vs. GNAC (21)  -  Dixie State 0-2, Hawaii Hilo 0-2, Notre Dame de Namur 0-3 Hawaii Pacific 0-4, Chaminade 0-5, BYU-Hawaii 0-5.

TEAM NOTES
Alaska Anchorage: Rebecca Kielpinski had 24 points and 17 rebounds as the Seawolves split two games, winning by two at NNU before losing by three at SPU.  Kielpinski now has 704 career rebounds.  She ranks ninth on the GNAC career rebounding chart.

Alaska Fairbanks: Brown’s 57 points accounted for 38 percent of the Nanooks’ total in single-digit road losses at Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene.  Kari Reabold had 30 points and 13 rebounds.  Reabold moved to within 26 points of the career 1000-point total.

Central Washington:  The Wildcats shot just 31.1 percent (33-106) in suffering their first two losses of the season, well below their season percentage of .463.   Kristina Klapperich and Hanna Hull led the Wildcats with 23 and 22 points.  Klapperich also had 19 rebounds.

Montana State Billings: Alira Carpentered scored 45 points, including 29 in a 69-67 victory over Western Washington.

Northwest Nazarene:  Kristin Hein recorded her league-leading seventh double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in a four-point win over Alaska Fairbanks.  Jennifer Williams led NNU with 29 points and 17 rebounds as it split two games.

Saint Martin’s:  Sade Smith led four players in double figures with 19 points as the Saints  beat Western Oregon.  SMU used a 13-0 run, including the final five points by Jamey Gelhar, to pull away early in the second half.

Seattle:  Kamrica Ary-Turner had 20 points, 16 rebounds and five steals in the Redhawks’ two victories over Western Washington and Central Washington.   Seattle outshot the Vikings and Wildcats by a .404 to .309 margin.

Seattle Pacific:  The Falcons rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to keep their perfect record intact with Saturday’s win over Alaska Anchorage.  SPU won twice despite being outshot .381 to .359 as it outscored UAA and UAF 32-15 from the foul line.

Western Oregon:  Katie Torland had 16 points and seven rebounds as the Wolves fell to 0-3 in the GNAC with a 19-point road loss at Saint Martin’s.  Alison Crumb had 14 points and Leada Berkey had 13.

Western Washington:  Amanda Dunbar had 33 points and Claire Pallansch added 25 as the Vikings lost their fifth and sixth games in a row.  Pallansch and Gabby Wade led WWU with 14 rebounds.

Upcoming Opponents

Laina Sobczak leads the offensive charge netting 11.3 points per game.  Sobczak is shooting 71 percent from the field and has connected on a team-leading 23-of-32 attempts at the charity stripe for 72 percent.  Sobczak is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game and is just one of three players to start in and play all 13 games of the season.  Chelsie Morrison is the only other player averaging double figures for scoring with 10.7 points per game.  Morrison is the team's 3-point shooter knocking down 24-of-44 for 55 percent.  Dishing out a team-leading 3.46 assists per game is Cassidy Murillo.  Murillo has drilled 22 three-pointers for 46 percent efficiency while averaging 4.1 boards and 9.7 points per game.

The Redhawks have outscored their opponents 76-50 through the season on 48 percent shooting from the filed.  Seattle is 92-of-228 from long range for 40 percent.  Shooting 67 percent from the free throw line, the team has made it up outrebounding their opponents 42-31.  Fielding a team of 16 players, the Redhawks will have plenty of weapons to turn to against the Yellowjackets.

All-time Series:  MSUB leads the series 8-2
Last Meeting: MSUB def. SU 57-36 on Dec. 1, 2005 in Seattle
Streaks:  The Lady Jackets lost the first game against the Redhawks back in 1978 before winning the next eight games straight.  In the final series between these two teams, the Lady Jackets lost on Nov. 31, 2005 and won the next night 57-36.

The Standings

2007 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Standings
(Through games of Jan. 13, 2008)

The Polls

NCAA West Region (first poll released January 30)

The GNAC Leaders

Click HERE for 2007 GNAC stats leaders

The Players

The Last Time in Yellowjacket Volleyball

A player scored at least 30 points — Feb. 24, 2007 (Michelle Lieber, 32 vs. St. Edward's)

A player made at least 15 field goals — Feb. 19, 2000 (Codi Schmitz vs. SEattle)

A player made seven 3-pointers — Dec. 30, 2006 (Alira Carpenter vs. Oklahoma Panhandle)

A player made six 3-pointers— Feb. 17, 2007 (Kayla McPherson vs. Texas - Permian Basin)

A player made five 3-pointers — Feb. 17, 2007 (Alira Carpenter vs. Texas - Permian Basin)

A player made at least 15 free throws — Nov. 30, 2002 (Natalie Visger vs. St. Martin's)

A player made at least 10 free throws— Feb. 24, 2007 (Michelle Lieber, 12/15 vs. St. Edward's)

A player had at least 20 rebounds — Dec. 20, 2003 (Robyn Milne, 22 vs. Alaska-Fairbanks)

A player had at least 15 rebounds— SNov. 17, 2006 (Michelle Lieber, 16 vs. Western Oregon)

A player had at least 10 assists— Feb. 19, 2000 (Deena Bartu, 13 vs. Seattle)

A player had at least 5 assists — Mar. 2, 2007 (Jennifer Skrifvars, 5 vs. St. Mary's)

A player had a least 5 blocked shots - Feb. 18, 2006 (Tanya Petersen, 6 vs. St. Mary's)

A player had at least 5 steals— Feb. 22, 2007 (Shantell Marquis, 8 vs. TX A&M - Int'l)

A player had a double-double — Mar. 3, 2007 (Michell Lieber, 16pts./10rbs vs. Incarnate Word)

The team scored at least 100 points — Sept. 2, 2006 (77 vs. Fort Lewis)

The team scored at least 90 points— Sept. 8, 2006 (116 vs. Central Okla.)

The team allowed at least 100 points — Sept. 29, 2007 (16.0 vs. Cent. Washington)

The team made at least 40 field goals — Oct. 20, 2007 (12.0 vs. Alaska Fairbanks)

The team shot over 60% from the field— Sept. 8, 2006 (116 vs. Central Okla.)

The team shot over 50% from the field — Sept. 29, 2007 (16.0 vs. Cent. Washington)

The team made at least 15 3-pointers - Oct. 20, 2007 (12.0 vs. Alaska Fairbanks)

The team made at least 10 3-pointers— Oct. 20, 2006 (.400 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State)

The team made 30 free throws — Oct. 11, 2007 (70 vs. Western Oregon)

The team made 25 free throws — Sept. 2, 2006 (77 vs. Fort Lewis)

The team had at least 60 rebounds— Sept. 8, 2006 (116 vs. Central Okla.)

The team had at least 60 rebounds— Sept. 29, 2007 (16.0 vs. Cent. Washington)

The team had at least 30 assists — Oct. 20, 2007 (12.0 vs. Alaska Fairbanks)

The team had at least 25 assists - Oct. 20, 2007 (12.0 vs. Alaska Fairbanks)

The team had at least 20 assists— Oct. 20, 2006 (.400 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State)

The team had at least 10 blocked shots — Oct. 11, 2007 (70 vs. Western Oregon)

The team had at least 5 blocked shots — Sept. 2, 2006 (77 vs. Fort Lewis)

The team had at least 20 steals— Sept. 8, 2006 (116 vs. Central Okla.)

The team had at least 15 steals— Sept. 29, 2007 (16.0 vs. Cent. Washington)

The School Records (records that include 2007-2008 in bold)

Points
Game - 1. Shelley Altrogge (43)
Season – 1. Shelley Altrogge (691); 5. Alira Carpenter (542)
Career – 1. Tera Silivius (1,630); 18. Alira Carpenter (1,114)

Field Goals
Game - 1. Evonne Goroski (16/26)
Season – 1. Shelley Altrogge (282); 10. Alira Carpenter (196)
Career – 1. Evonne Goroski (680)

Field Goal Percentage
Game - 1. Alicia Cahill, 100% (10/10)
Season – 1. Michelle Lieber (68.1)
Career – 1. Michelle Lieber (66.45)

3-Pointers
Game - 1. Alira Capenter, 7/11
Season – 1. Alira Carpenter (88); 4. Kayla McPherson (64)
Career – 1. Amy Winslow (194); 3. Alira Carpenter (174); T9. Kayla McPherson (103)

3-Point Percentage
Game - 1. Alira Carpenter, 100% (5/5)
Season – 1. Becky Jacobs (50.00); 9. Alira Carpenter (42.51)
Career – 1. Amy Winslow (43.30); 2. Alira Carpenter (40.30); 5. Kayla McPherson (39.81); 10. Jetton Meadors (36.27)

Free Throws
Game - 1. Shelley Altrogge (16/21)
Season – 1. Sherry McQuinn (184)
Career – 1. Sherry McQuinn (392)

Free Throw Percentage
Game - 1. Sherry McQuinn, 100% (13/13)
Season – 1. Alira Carpenter (88.57)
Career – 1. Lisa Jellum (84.50)

Rebounds
Game - 1. Grace Grabofsky (26)
Season – 1. Shelley Altrogge (376)
Career – 1. Robyn Milne (957)

Assists
Game - 1. Deena Bartu (13)
Season – 1. Amy Winslow (183)
Career – 1. Amy Winslow (585)

Blocked Shots
Game - 1. Jessie Henigman (9); 36. Shantell Marquis (4)
Season – 1. Robyn Milne (104); 20. Shantell Marquis (20)
Career – 1. Robyn Milne (278) No. 13 in NCAA DII History

Steals
Game - 1. Colleen Day Wiechman (9); 2. Shantell Marquis (8)
Season – 1. Amy Winslow (112); 4. Shantell Marquis (73)
Career – 1. Amy Winslow (343); 10. Shantell Marquis (110)

Schedule & Results

The Coaches

Kevin Woodin, Head Coach
Kevin Woodin enters his fourth season as the head women's basketball coach at MSU Billings in 2007-2008.  He has posted a 61-26 overall record in his first three seasons, capturing two Heartland Conference regular season titles and once conference tournament championship.  Two of Woodin's three teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament.  His first win of the 2007-2008 season will move him to No. 3 in school history for career wins.

Woodin became the Lady Yellowjackets' eleventh head women's basketball coach when he took over on July 23, 2004.  He had been the head girl’s basketball coach at Billings West High School for the past ten seasons.  In that time, he led the Lady Bears to a 138-81 record (.630), including back-to-back Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004.  Woodin’s Bears were a perfect 23-0 in 2004's title run and won the final 36 games Woodin coached at the school.  He earned Montana AA Coach of the Year honors in 2003 and 2004, and was a finalist for the award in 1999 and 2002.

A native of Libby, Mont., Woodin graduated with a degree in mathematics from Carroll College in 1987.  While teaching and coaching at O’Dea High School in Seattle, he earned his masters degree in Athletic Administration from Seattle Pacific University in 1992.  Woodin taught mathematics at O’Dea High School from 1987 to 1994 while also coaching boy’s basketball, golf and tennis.  He was named O’Dea’s Outstanding Teacher of the year in 1990-1991 and the Metro League Golf Coach of the Year three times.

Woodin moved to Billings in 1994 to take over the girl’s program at West High School where he has also taught mathematics.   Along with leading the Lady Bears to State AA tournament hardware in four of his last six seasons, Woodin was also an assistant coach on the Montana All-Star Team and an Executive Committee member and coach for the Treasure State Classic.  At West High, Woodin coached 19 players who went on to play collegiate basketball.

Before the Montana High School Association moved the girl’s basketball season to the winter, Woodin was a part time assistant coach at MSU Billings from 2000-2003.  Responsible for practice and game planning, recruiting, scouting, individual skill development, travel and coordinating the Billings Bees camps, Woodin helped the Lady Yellowjackets to two NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons.

Woodin has been married to his wife Paula for 20 years, and they have three children (Kayleen, 14; Toria, 11; Garrett, 9).  His parents, Pete and Loretta Erickson, formerly of Roundup, Montana, reside in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Natalie Visger, Assistant Coach
The 2007-2008 season will be Visger's second as a full-time assistant for the Lady Jacket basketball team.  She is a 2003 graduate of Montana State University-Billings.  She earned a bachelor of science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a 3.91 GPA.  As a senior in 2003 Visger was named the Outstanding Biology Senior.

“I am very excited to have Natalie join our staff at MSUB,” said Woodin.  “She brings a tremendous amount of experience to the program, both as a player and as a coach.  We are very fortunate to have her, and I am confident she will have a positive impact upon our program.  Natalie’s duties will include directing and assisting with the pre- and postseason weight training and conditioning program, game and practice preparation, recruiting, film exchange, scouting, academic monitoring, travel arrangements, basketball camps and tournaments, and individual skill development.”

Visger was a four-year standout on the basketball court for the Lady Yellowjackets.  As a two-time team captain she helped the Yellowjackets reach three NCAA Tournaments in four years.  As a freshman and sophomore Visger was an All-Pacific West Conference selection.  As a senior she was named the Montana State University-Billings Outstanding Female Student-Athlete.

Known as a tenacious competitor, Visger made several impressions in the Yellowjacket record books.  She still ranks twelfth in school history for scoring with 1,219 career points.  She is also in the career top 10 for free throws made, free throw percentage, rebounds, and rebounding average.

After graduating in 2003, Visger played professionally in Europe for three seasons.  In 2003-2004 she played for TV-Langen in Langen, Germany.  She finished the season ranked second in the league for scoring average at 20.7 ppg. 

In 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Visger played for ASG Theresianum Mainz in Mainz, Germany.  In the ‘04-‘05 season she was again second in the league for scoring at 18.5 ppg and led her team to a second place finish in the league.  Last year along with playing for the Women's first team, which again finished second in the league, she was the head coach for the Women's third team.  In addition to playing professional basketball, Visger, who speaks fluent German, worked as a document translator for STI Security Training International GmbH in Wiesbaden, Germany.

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