BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team won its fourth game in a row Friday night, besting Chadron State College 77-60 on day one of the Yellowjacket Classic.
 
Capping off the day's action of a four-team crossover hosted at Alterowitz Gym, the Yellowjackets (5-1) got the better of the Eagles (0-2) in a physical game which saw the 'Jackets fouled 27 times. Chadron would keep it close in the opening two quarters, before a 26-point third quarter would help the 'Jackets build up a sizeable cushion, and see out the rest of the game to move to 3-1 at home this season.
 
"Tonight was a really physical game," said head coach Kevin Woodin. "Give Chadron State a lot of credit, they played really hard tonight and played us tough. But I thought we stepped up and hit some big shots to stay ahead, and our free throw shooting in the second half was crucial."
 
As a team, the 'Jackets shot 44.6% from the field, and 35.7% from three, while making 22 free throws. Aspen Giese had a team-high 19 points, shooting 7-14 from the field and 3-7 from three, while chipping in six rebounds, four assists, and three steals for MSUB. Kaitlin Grossman and Dyauni Boyce each scored 13 points, with Grossman adding nine boards to her stat line, and Boyce chipping in further with three rebounds, a pair of steals and assists, and one block. Behind them was Chloe Williams and Kortney Nelson with nine, both of whom found success from the free throw line with Williams going 5-8 from the stripe, and Nelson going 7-9. The two seniors also finished with three steals, with Williams adding two rebounds and an assist, while Nelson had seven boards and two assists. Layla Baumann scored four points, while forwards Chenoa Louie and Avery Burkhart scored three. Finally, the freshman duo of Indie Browning and Alli Ligocki each scored two points, with Browning adding three assists and a steal.
 
The first half opened in back-and-forth fashion, with both teams finding early success shooting the basketball. Kaitlin Grossman would open the game by scoring the 'Jackets first six points, before the Yellowjackets would find more balance as the first quarter wound to a close, heading into the first media timeout on a 6-0 run to take control of the lead. The Eagles would stick close behind though, shooting 80% despite nine first quarter turnovers to only trail the Yellowjackets by two heading into the second quarter. The Eagles would continue to overcome their turnover issues with more hot shooting though, shooting over 50% and taking back the lead at spots, but MSUB would never let Chadron State pull away, hitting back each time before a late layup by Giese pushed the Yellowjackets back ahead heading into halftime.
 
"We fouled a bit too much in the first half I think," said Woodin. "We definitely had our moments, but we had a hard time really getting into a rhythm on offense, but we played really hard and were fortunate to be ahead at halftime."
 
The game remained a tightly contested affair in the third quarter, but the Yellowjackets were able to finally pull away with some separation, following an 11-2 run in the middle of the quarter. MSUB would shoot 53.3% from the floor over the first ten minutes of the second half, and would go 3-5 from beyond the arch while knocking down 7-8 free throw attempts, growing a 58-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter. That advantage would give the 'Jackets a comfortable cushion to help see out the fourth quarter, where despite some physical defense from the Eagles, who pushed hard to get back into the game, MSUB was able to pull even further ahead behind clutch shooting from the free throw line and strong defense, allowing their least amount of points in a quarter, holding Chadron State to 33.3% shooting down the stretch down the stretch to seal the victory, and make it four wins in a row.
 
"I think we just dug a bit deeper and did a lot of things well in the second half," said Woodin. "We played good ball on both offense and defense. Chadron State came to play, and kept fighting all night, but we did a great job of executing down the stretch."
 
Ashayla Powers led the Eagles with 24 points and six rebounds, the only Chadron State player MSUB let touch double digits in scoring. Kylie Krise had nine points, while Camren Morris and McKenzi Petersen each scored six.
 
THE BUZZ: Giese was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… the senior is leading the 'Jackets in scoring to open the 2024-25 season, scoring 13.8 points per game, making 44.1% of her shot attempts, and 40% of her looks from beyond the arch… Giese is also adding a team high 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game… Boyce scored her 1,139^th career point at MSUB, moving into a tie for 20^th-most in program history.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets conclude their second home tournament of the regular season on Saturday, November 16, when MSUB squares off against Colorado School of Mines. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 PM at Alterowitz Gym, with live video available here, and live statistics available here. Tickets for all MSUB home games can be purchased online here.