BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team finished on the wrong end of their contest against Central Washington University Saturday, falling 91-57 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
The #14 Wildcats jumped out to an impressive start to the game, making their first 13 shots of the game, leading the Yellowjackets by as much as 26 in the first quarter of action. The 'Jackets would recover to play a closer second quarter, but the Wildcat's offense would prove difficult to stop over four quarters, with Central Washington shooting 33-56 (58.9%) from the field, hitting nine threes and going 16-17 from the free throw line to claim victory on the road.
 
"Central Washington played really good today," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "I was impressed with their team and the way they started. We were flat today after coming out strong on Thursday, so we need to figure out how to become more consistent, both in how we start and throughout the game. I was proud of our team for fighting back in the second quarter, but the early deficit was just too much to overcome. Central Washington is a well-coached team with great players, and we will use this defeat as we move forward in this season and learn from it."
 
Cassie Chesnut would lead the 'Jackets with 17 points, going 3-5 from three-point range and tacking on six rebounds and a steal. Meanwhile, Tailey Harris would score 13 points with four assists and a pair of boards. Kyla Momberg and Brooklynn Brennan each scored eight points, with Momberg adding three steal, three rebounds and an assist, while Brennan had three steals, and a pair of rebounds and assists. Rae Smart added six points with two assists and a rebound, while Allison Kunze scored three, and Alli Ligocki posted two points.
 
The Wildcats simply couldn't miss no matter what the Yellowjackets through at them as the game began, hitting the first 13 shots they took on their way to a 16-6 (93.9%) shooting mark in the first quarter. That stretch included a 15-0 run to open the game, and would see the Wildcats lead by as much as 26 with 3:17 remaining in the opening period. But MSUB would begin to generate some offensive momentum as the quarter wound to a close, with Brennan scoring six points late in the period as MSUB trailed 34-11 heading into the second quarter. The 'Jackets would win the second quarter though, outscoring the Wildcats 11-8 in a defense-heavy period to cut the Wildcat lead down to 42-22 going into halftime.
 
But despite an improved offensive performance in the second half from the Yellowjackets, the Wildcats would regain some of their first quarter form in the second half, scoring 29 more points in the third quarter and shooting 9-15 (60%) from the field and 3-6 (50%) from three. MSUB would attempt to keep pace, putting together it's best scoring quarter in the third and finishing the second half 4-8 (50%) from three-point range, but Central Washington would prove unstoppable in the game, continuing to find scoring from up and down the lineup until the final buzzer, sealing a 91-57 victory.
 
THE BUZZ: Brennan was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… MSUB moved to 32-19 all-time in matchups against the Wildcats.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets will continue on in GNAC play next week with a roundtrip to Alaska, opening their stretch in The Last Frontier with a matchup against University of Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, January 22 at 7:15 PM MT (5:15 AKT). with live video available on the GNAC Network, and live statistics available here.