Southeast Montana News

Yellowjacket Women Face Cal State LA in West Region Championships

The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team officially punched their ticket to the NCAA D2 West Region Championships Sunday night, where they will play against Cal State University Los Angeles in the tournament's opening round.

 

Gaining entry to the dance for the first time since the 2017-2018 season, the Yellowjackets (24-7, 14-4 GNAC) were selected with an at-large bid, receiving the four-seed in the West region. They will face off against the Golden Eagles (20-9, 16-6 CCAA) who are making their third NCAA appearance in program history.

 

MSUB is playing in the tournament 15th time in program history, and the fourth in the past ten years. The 'Jackets enter regionals after a stellar season, where they have finished with the team's most wins since the 2017-2018 campaign, the season the 'Jackets advanced out of the West Regional all the way to the NCAA D2 Elite Eight.

 

This years iteration of the Yellowjackets is a deep, balanced unit: The team's top six scorers average between 11.2 and 8 points per game. Senior Taryn Shelley leads the group, returning from a preseason injury to become a key scorer off the bench. Starters Cariann Kunkel and Kortney Nelson were each selected to the all-GNAC second team, with Kunkel averaging 9.8 points per game and 4.3 rebounds, while Nelson averages 8.0 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Dyauni Boyce averages 10.6 as the 'Jackets second leading scorer, and Shayla Montague offers a three point threat, going 41.1% from beyond the arc this season. Aspen Giese has been a late season tear for the 'Jackets, averaging 15.7 points over the 'Jackets past six games while shooting 50.1% from the field. As a group, MSUB has averaged 68.7 points a game, and held their opponents to just 58.8.

 

Their opponents in Cal State LA average 72.2 points, while allowing 64.1 points per game. The Golden Eagles feature a pair of standout scorers in Nicole Flennaugh and Lily Buggs. Flennaugh averages 15.7 points per game, while Buggs is just slightly behind her at 15.2. Buggs in particular is entering the tournament with a hot hand, with outings of 29 points and 30 points in two of her previous three games. Behind them is a group of players who have competed consistently all season, with nine of the Golden Eagles averaging over 15 minutes a game.

Original source can be found here.