BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Montana State University Billings men's and women's basketball teams found out who they will be facing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships after the tournament's first day of games concluded Thursday.
 
On Friday, March 3, the Yellowjacket men (20-8, 14-4 GNAC) will take on the six-seed Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks at 12 PM (1 PM MST), while the women (23-6, 14-4 GNAC) will face off against Central Washington at 5:15 PM (6:15 MST). Live video for both games can be found on the GNAC's YouTube page, with live stats for the men's game available here, and live stats for the women's game available here.
 
Men's Basketball: No. 2 MSUB vs No. 6 Northwest Nazarene
 
The Nighthawks come into the matchup with the 'Jackets after upsetting the three-seed Seattle Pacific University to open the GNAC Championships. After trailing by ten points at halftime, the Nighthawks (13-14, 9-9 GNAC) outscored Seattle Pacific 49-31 in the second half, sinking the Falcons and advancing to face MSUB.
 
The game projects to be a battle, with two of the top defensive teams in the GNAC facing off. Northwest Nazarene allowed just 66.4 points per game, the lowest in the GNAC, while the 'Jackets slotted in slightly behind them at third, giving up 67.5 points per game. Offensively, NNU ranks tenth in the conference for points per game, averaging 66.1, while the 'Jackets rank just a few points ahead of them with 68.5, good enough for eighth in the GNAC.
 
Which isn't to say the Nighthawks can't score: NNU has a number of capable scorers in their lineup. Guard Tru Allen averaged 12.4 points per game, the 12^th most in the GNAC this season. Forward Gabriel Murphy is a physical interior presence, who makes a difference of both ends of the court. Murphy averaged 11.8 points per game this season, along with 8.8 rebounds, the top number in the conference. And Ryzin "Biggie" Bergersen is capable of exploding on the offensive end, as he showed in the Seattle Pacific game where he led the Nighthawks with 19 points.
 
The Yellowjackets were victorious in both of their meetings with the Nighthawks this season, although those games have been close. On December 31, MSUB took down NNU 54-48 at home, holding the Nighthawks to just 25.4% shooting in the game. The teams faced off again less than a month later on January 26, where the 'Jackets emerged with a 60-58 victory on the road. The margin was razor thin all night between the two teams, with late free throws by Jalen Tot being the deciding factor. It was the first time since the 2012-2013 campaign that the 'Jackets had swept the regular season series against the Northwest Nazarene.
 
Women's Basketball: No. 2 MSUB vs No. 3 Central Washington
The Yellowjackets will face the Central Washington Wildcats, after they picked up a runaway __-__ victory over Simon Fraser University in the first round of the GNAC Championships. The game was never really in doubt, after the Wildcats (20-7, 12-6 GNAC) outscored the Red Leafs 31-12 in the first quarter, taking care of business from there.
 
It will be the ultimate battled between the GNAC's top offensive and defensive teams. Central Washington scored an average of 78.2 points per game this season, while the Yellowjackets held teams to just 58.1 points per game. Both teams are no slouches on the other end either, with MSUB scoring 68.4 points per game as a team, and CWU allowing just 64.9 points per game, both in the top half of the GNAC.
 
Central Washington is led by the GNAC Player of the Year, Samantha Bowman, who averages 21.6 points per game and 14.8 rebounds per game, both highest in the conference. In the game against Simon Fraser, Bowman scored __ points, setting a new GNAC Championships record. Behind her, guard Valerie "Sunshine" Huerta is third in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game. Both Bowman and Huerta were both selected to the all-GNAC first team. The Wildcat's attack also features all-GNAC second teamers in Tori Maeda, and Asher Cai. Maeda averages 5.0 points per game and 5.1 assists per game, while the GNAC Freshman of the Year Cai scores 14.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.
 
The two teams split the regular season series, with each winning on the road. The Wildcats came into Alterowitz to defeat the 'Jackets 44-70 for MSUB's first conference loss of the season. In the rematch in Ellensburg though, the 'Jackets would take their revenge, winning 75-66 with massive efforts from Dyauni Boyce, Taryn Shelley, and Aspen Giese. The team's last met in the GNAC Championship in the 2017-2018 season, where the Yellowjackets pulled out a narrow 75-73 win.