BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team would conclude the 2025-26 regular season on Saturday, falling 78-55 to Western Washington University in the conclusion of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
In their final contest before marching straight into postseason play next week at the GNAC Championships, the Yellowjackets (17-14, 9-9 GNAC) would get a taste of action in Bellingham, WA, in the same gym they'll return to for the conference tournament next week. The 'Jackets would start the game strong, leading for much of the first two quarters over the Vikings (23-6, 15-3 GNAC), but a late second quarter rally would give way to a second half explosion from the Vikings, who would outscore MSUB 44-22 across the final 20 minutes of action to seal the game away, and clinch the regular season GNAC crown.
 
"I thought we came ready to play tonight and played well in the first half," said Yellowjacket head coach Kevin Woodin. "Especially in the first 16 or so minutes we were excellent, but then we got into foul trouble and they hit us with a run to end the first half. I felt fortunate to be in a one-point game. In the third quarter they were able to get some separation, they were dominating the paint, and we had a hard time overcoming the rebounding deficit. But I thought our players fought hard."
 
Despite the result, MSUB would see positives in the box score, turning the ball over just eight times in the game while finding positive momentum on the offensive and defensive side of the ball early in the game. The loss would lock MSUB into the No. 6 seed at the GNAC Championships next week, kicking things off on Thursday against No. 3 seed Saint Martin's University.
 
"It was nice to get to play in a hostile environment tonight that we'll be back in next week for the tournament," Woodin said. "I thought that gave us some very valuable experience. Overall, we may have fallen short, but we lost to a very good team and I'm proud of the effort we put forth tonight. We're looking forward to our opening round game on Thursday. Everyone is 0-0 when it's tournament time, so we're excited for the opportunity to compete."
 
Kaitlin Grossman would pace the Yellowjackets in scoring, totaling 14 points on 5-11 shooting, while adding five rebounds and a trio of assists and steals. Cassie Chesnut would finish just a rebound short of a double-double, finishing with ten points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals, while Alli Ligocki posted a career-high in scoring with nine points, going 4-7 from the field. Tailey Harris and Brooklynn Brennan would each score eight points and knock down a pair of three-pointers, with Harris totaling a pair of rebounds, assists, steals, and one block, and Brennan collecting a pair of steals. Rae Smart added four points with six boards and two assists, while Kyla Momberg scored two points with two rebounds and an assist.
 
After swapping baskets to open the first quarter, an 8-0 run in the middle of the first quarter would turn a narrow 4-2 lead for the Vikings into a 10-4 lead going into the first media timeout. But Western Washington would swipe back momentum with a 6-0 run to even things back up at ten all. Despite looking like they would return the game to a back-and-forth affair to finish the first quarter however, MSUB would respond with another run of it's own, this time outscoring the Vikings 7-0 across the final 1:33 of the first to take a 21-14 advantage into the quarter break, with the 'Jackets finishing the first quarter shooting 8-16 (50%) from the field.
 
In the second quarter, both squads would continue to battle, with both teams continuing to play high-intensity basketball. The Vikings would surge at the start to cut the lead to two once more, but the 'Jackets would find a response from it's reserves on offense, with Brennan and Ligocki counting for nine points to spark a 12-5 run and push the lead back out to nine points. But in a half full of runs, the hosts would put together the final one, with the Vikings posting a 10-0 run across the final 2:08 minutes of action to flip the game, and take a one-point lead into halftime.
 
Coming into the third quarter, the Vikings would find another level as they continued to build off the run from the end of the second. Western Washington would outscore the 'Jackets 27-13 over the third quarter, shooting an impressive 12-16 (75%) as they pushed the lead over 20. The Yellowjackets would stop that run in the fourth quarter as the scoring between the two teams evened out across the final period of play, but would be unable to build up to a full comeback as the 'Jackets shots fell cold late, falling to Western Washington to round out regular season action.
 
THE BUZZ: Grossman was named the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… Grossman now sits at 487 career rebounds, 13 away from passing the 500 mark in her career… MSUB guarantees it's sixth consecutive season with an overall record above .500, and fifth season with a conference record of .500 or higher.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets will continue their season next week at the GNAC Championships, where they will return to Bellingham to compete. The 'Jackets will enter postseason play as the No. 6 seed, and will square off in the opening round of action against No. 3 seeded Saint Martin's University The game is scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at 1 PM MT (12 PM PT) in Sam Carver Gym. Information for the GNAC Championships can be found online on the GNAC Championships Homepage.