BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team would return to the win column in emphatic fashion on Friday night at Alterowitz Gym, taking down University of Jamestown 72-56 on day one of the Yellowjacket Classic.
 
Finishing off the first day of round robin action hosted by the Yellowjackets (3-4), MSUB would put together a dominant win in one of the team's most complete games of the season, dominating the Jimmies (2-1) on both ends of the court for most of the night. An electric 'Jacket offense would shoot a season-high 48.2% (27-56) from the field overall, while finally finding their stroke from deep and shooting 42.1% (8-19) from three-point range. Add in a tenacious defensive effort where MSUB would force 24 turnovers and hold the Jimmies below 27% shooting across the first three quarters of the game, and the Yellowjackets would run away with the win to move to 3-1 when playing at home this season.
 
"I'm really pleased with how hard we played tonight," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We're coming off a tough road trip, and this young team is still figuring out how to win on the road, it's a tough lesson to learn, but hopefully we're able to build off of this performance and build some momentum from this win."
 
Topping the scoring charts for MSUB would be Cassie Chesnut, who would score 12 points on an efficient 5-7 shooting night, going 2-4 from three and adding in seven rebounds and three steals. Narrowly behind her, the duo of Kyla Momberg and Katelyn Hamilton would each score 11 points. Momberg would add in a trio of assists and two steals, while Hamilton would score her career-high total in just ten minutes of action, going 3-5 from beyond the arch and coming down with a pair of rebounds. Tailey Harris would score nine with three assists, and Kaitlin Grossman would finish the game with nine points, eight rebounds, and a pair of steals.
 
Meanwhile, Allison Kunze would score six points; with the junior transfer from Williston State College surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her collegiate career in the contest.
 
"I'm happy for Allison," said Woodin. "Obviously she's scored most of those points somewhere else, but she has been a great addition for us this season. She had a huge game on Tuesday night against Minot State, and she's been making a big difference on and off the court for us."
 
Brooklynn Brennan would also score six points with a pair of rebounds and an assist, while both Rae Smart and Alli Ligocki would score four points and total three assists in a complete team win.
 
The Yellowjackets would waste no time in grabbing the lead, with a layup by Grossman just 11 seconds into the game's proceedings putting MSUB in the driver's seat early. The Yellowjackets would score the game's first six points, and hardly slow down from there, going into the media timeout on a 10-3 run. The Yellowjackets would shoot 53.3% (8-15) from the field across the first quarter, while limiting the Jimmies to just three made shots, jumping out to an early 11-point lead heading into the second quarter. MSUB would then expand their lead further with a 9-1 run to open the first five minutes of the period, where the Yellowjackets' defense would prove even more difficult to break down. The 'Jackets would hold Jamestown to just two made field goals in the second, forcing the Jimmies to go 15.4% (2-13) from the field, and would continue to find ways to score at all levels, taking a 37-18 lead into halftime.
 
"I was really happy with the way we started the game," praised Woodin. "We went with a big lineup tonight, and we did a great job of working the ball inside and dominating hard on the boards."
 
In the third quarter, the Yellowjackets would pick right back up where they left off, outscoring the Jimmies 27-15 to expand their lead to as large as 33. MSUB would shoot an impressive 69.2% (9-13) across the quarter, and would be even more dominant from three, where the 'Jackets would hit 5-6 (83.3%) long-range attempts as they continued their domination of Jamestown. The fourth quarter would see the Jimmies chip away at the Yellowjacket's advantage, but by then the game would be well out of hand, as MSUB would return to the win column in style while handing Jamestown it's first loss of the campaign.
 
"We're still trying to learn and get better," said Woodin. "We're still working on finding the right rotation, and injuries have hurt us a bit. We've got so many new players, but also a lot of talent here, and players that are working hard and getting better. We're still trying to find the right system for us, but I'm very please with how we played tonight."
 
THE BUZZ: Hamilton was named the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… in addition to her 11 points, the Columbus, MT native also set career highs in three-pointers for the game… Kunze is now up to 1,005 career points, having totaled 930 at Williston State College, and 75 so far this season with the 'Jackets… MSUB now sits at 3-0 all-time in matchups against Jamestown.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB will wrap up the Yellowjacket Classic this Saturday, November 22 as the 'Jackets face off against Adams State University at Alterowitz Gym. Tipoff is set for 2 PM, with live video available on the GNAC Network, live statistics available here, and tickets available for purchase online here.