SEATTLE, Wash. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team resumed conference play Saturday by collecting the team's first win in GNAC play on the season, taking down Seattle Pacific University 58-45 on the road in Seattle.
 
Looking to collect their first conference win of the season to open 2026, the Yellowjackets (9-7, 1-2 GNAC) would do just that, outpacing the Falcons (3-9, 0-3 GNAC) to extend the program's winning streak to five games. With both team's shooting under 30% from the field in a game where offensive efficiency was hard to come by, a rebounding advantage of 46-39 would be pivotal for MSUB, who also led 19-11 on the offensive glass, converting those chances into 14 second chance looks. The Yellowjackets would also dominate in the paint, where they outscored the Falcons 28-12, while MSUB would force 22 turnovers in the game in an impressive defensive effort.
 
"This was a great road victory for our team today," praised Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin. "I loved the energy and fire that we started the game with. Our players were locked in and played great defense. We held them to just 14-55 (25.5%) shooting in the game today, and that showed how well we did at both nailing the scout and executing our gameplan. Any GNAC win is a good one to get, and especially with getting our first of the year on the road today, this was special. I think we worked really hard for this one, and I'm very proud of our group."
 
Leading the way for MSUB would be the forward duo of Kaitlin Grossman and Cassie Chesnut, who would each score 20 points and collect double-doubles. The senior Grossman would grab ten rebounds, two steals, and one block, nailing a pair of threes in the game. It would mark a new career-high in scoring for the Billings local. Meanwhile, the freshman Chesnut would boost her scoring total with four made triples, while grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds and adding in three steals and a block.
 
"Our post tandem of Cassie and Kaitlin was very effective tonight," said Woodin. "It's impressive that they were both able to get double-doubles in the game. They each have the ability to score from both inside and outside, which makes them so difficult to guard."
 
Behind that duo, Kyla Momberg would score eight points, adding on three boards and an assist. Brooklynn Brennan would score four points, collecting a trio of steals to tie her career best. Rae Smart and Allison Kunze would each score three points, with Smart snagging nine rebounds to go with a career-high three blocks, and one assist and steal each, while Kunze would grab a pair of rebounds and block one shot. Tailey Harris would go scoreless, but still contribute three assists to lead MSUB for the game.
 
A slow start to the first quarter saw just three made shots in the opening five minutes of play, with MSUB jumping out to a 4-2 lead. But as the first quarter continued, the Yellowjackets would begin to find their scoring touch on the offensive side of the ball, using a 9-2 run over a four minute stretch to jump out to a strong lead, with seven first quarter points from Chesnut helping the 'Jackets lead 15-9 at the end of the period. MSUB would then expand on that lead in the second quarter, opening the period on a 16-5 run that would span over seven minutes, expanding their lead to as high as 19 in the period. The offensive boost this time would come from Grossman, who would score ten points in the second, including a pair of three-pointers. The Falcons would manage to scrap a few points back late in the half, but MSUB would make scoring difficult, holding SPU to just 6-22 (27.3%) shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes, taking a 33-21 lead into halftime.
 
The second half would open in a back-and-forth fashion, but the Falcons would begin to chip away at the Yellowjackets advantage as the third quarter wore on. An 8-2 run to end the quarter would see SPU take advantage of MSUB's offensive struggles, with the 'Jackets scoring just a pair of free throws in the final 5:25 of the third. Seattle Pacific would close the lead to six by the end of the third, setting up a tense fourth quarter where both teams would struggle to make shots in the early stages. But with the game in question, and the Falcons cutting the lead to four with the first basket of the half, a 15-0 run, sparked by six made free throws, would help the Yellowjackets restore their cushion, and see out the contest to clinch their first conference win of the campaign.
 
THE BUZZ: Chesnut and Grossman were both named Intermountain Health Player of the Game for their efforts… Chesnut's 16 rebounds marked a game-high for any Yellowjacket this season, while her four made threes were also tied for a game high by a Yellowjacket in 2025-26… Meanwhile, Smart tied for the most blocks in a game by a MSUB player this season… Chesnut's double-double was her fourth this season, and third game in a row totaling a double-double and scoring 20+ points… Grossman has now totaled double-doubles in four games this season as well, including two of her past three games.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB will continue it's road trip with a pair of games next week, opening the week's action on Thursday, January 8 in Monmouth, Oregon in a matchup versus Western Oregon University. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 PM MT (7 PM PT), with live video available on the GNAC Network, and live statistics will be available here.