BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team picked up another impressive win on Saturday night, taking down Westmont College 68-47 to put the finishing touches on an undefeated weekend of action at the GNAC/PacWest Crossover, hosted at Alterowitz Gym.
After an evenly contested first quarter where the team's held level, the Yellowjackets (3-2) finished the second quarter on a 14-0 run to pull ahead heading into halftime, setting the table for MSUB as they continued to pull away throughout the second half, overwhelming the Warriors (2-1) to finish a standout home opening weekend, and move it's winning streak to three straight games.
"Tonight was a great game," said MSUB head coach
Kevin Woodin. "I was really proud of our defense. It started a little sluggish, but we really bought in in the second quarter and built on it throughout the game. We didn't give up many easy buckets and made them earn everything they got. Offense started to make the extra pass more, and we got a great balance attacking inside-outside, and played really well in the second half especially."
The Yellowjackets shot 27-67 (40.3%) in the game, hitting 7-19 (36.8%) from three-point range. Defense would help fuel offense for MSUB, with the team forcing Westmont to commit 27 turnovers, with 15 steals on the night. The 'Jackets would also limit the Warriors from the field, holding them to just 5-21 (23.8%) from beyond the arc while allowing the visitors to attempt just three free throws.
Molly Hays would break out for a career-high 23 in the game, shooting an efficient 10-14 overall and 2-5 from three. The sophomore transfer from Idaho State added six rebounds, three steals, and a pair of blocks.
"Molly is a workaholic," praised Woodin. "She had a great game today. She hit threes, she was driving. She does a great job attacking the glass and rebounding, and is a great hustle player, but it was great to see her shot come alive tonight."
Behind her,
Cassie Chesnut totaled 17 points to go with nine rebounds, six assists, four steals, and one block.
"A lot of teams gameplan for Cassie," said Woodin. "She's starting to see the court so much better than she did a year ago. She's able to drive to the basket, she's developing into a true complete player. I'm really proud of what she's been able to do on the court, and she's working harder than ever."
Layla Baumann and
Rae Smart each finished with eight points, with Baumann adding three boards and two assists, while Smart stuffed the box score further with four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
Tailey Harris scored seven points while dishing out five assists to go with three rebounds, a steal, and a block, while
Lauren Kuhbacher scored three, and
Brooklynn Brennan scored two points and had three assists.
"It was great team basketball tonight," said Woodin. "Our entire team did a lot of great things on the court today. I'm proud of them for being able to get this double-digit win."
An end-to-end opening to the first quarter saw eight lead changes in the opening ten minutes as the two sides got things going. Each of the Yellowjacket's starters would get in on the scoring, shooting 8-17 (47.1%) in the first quarter as they battled with the Warriors. Neither team would be able to find separation by more than a basket until an 8-0 run in the middle of the second quarter by Westmont would put them ahead by five. But MSUB responded emphatically, finishing the second quarter on a 14-0 run of their own, making 6-7 from the field and capitalizing on nine forced turnovers to pull ahead 38-29 heading into halftime.
The third quarter saw the 'Jackets begin to pull away further as the team dominated the middle stretch with another big run, outscoring the Warriors 10-2 in a 4:14 stretch of action to pull ahead by double digits. They would never let Westmont come within single digits the rest of the way, running away in the second half where the 'Jackets outscored their opponents 30-18, with Hays and Chesnut combining for 19 of MSUB's second half points. The 'Jackets fourth quarter effort would be defined by their defense, which held Westmont to just five points while forcing nine more turnovers, sailing comfortably to victory and moving above .500 for the first time this season.
THE BUZZ: Hays was named the Player of the Game… three Yellowjackets would be named to the All-Tournament Team at the GNAC/PacWest Crossover, with
Cassie Chesnut being selected as the tournament MVP, with
Molly Hays and
Layla Baumann joining her on the all-tournament team… Chesnut averaged 18.0 points, 11 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks across the two games… Hays averaged 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks, while Baumann averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists… through their first five games, MSUB is holding teams to 58.6 points per game defensively, the second best mark in the GNAC.
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets remain at home for a single game next week, facing off against Minot State University on Saturday, November 21 at 2 PM. Tickets can be purchased online here or at the gate, with live video available on the GNAC Network, and live statistics available here.
The team will also receive it's 2026 GNAC Tournament Championship rings at halftime of the men's basketball game versus Rocky Mountain College on Tuesday, November 17, which is set to tip off at 7 PM.
