BELLINGHAM, Wash. – New year. New team. Same destination.
 
The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team may have entered the season with a young roster, graduating the majority of it's production from the previous season, and faced injuries to key contributors and battled adversity the entire season, but upon the conclusion of the regular season, the team finds itself in a familiar spot: heading to the GNAC Championships.
 
"I'm really proud of our team," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "We started conference play slow, going 0-2 at home the opening weekend in December, and to battle back to make the conference tournament is a tribute to them. I'm very proud of our staff and the players for hanging in there and just continuing to improve."
 
The Yellowjackets (17-14, 9-9 GNAC) are hardly strangers to the conference tournament, having qualified for the past five GNAC Championships leading into this season, and making now their 15^th conference championships appearance overall (12^th GNAC Championships appearance) led by Woodin. But the team finds itself in a different position than recent seasons where the team reached as a higher seed, coming into the tournament ranked as the No. 6 seed.
 
The 'Jackets will be looking to pull the upset over No. 3 seed Saint Martin's University, a team who they are both familiar with and have recent tournament history against. The upstart Saints of last season would enter the GNAC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, but last year's tournament hosts would upset the No. 2 seed 'Jackets en route to a surprise appearance in the GNAC Championship Game, spelling an early end to the tournament for MSUB.
 
This season however, the Saints enter as the favorite, having swept the regular season series against the Yellowjackets. But MSUB enters hungry, and looking to pull a reverse of last season and pull the upset over Saint Martin's in this year's version of the GNAC Championships.
 
2026 GNAC Women's Basketball Championships – Quarterfinals
No. 6 Seed Montana State University Billings vs. No. 3 Seed Saint Martin's University
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Time: 1 PM MT | 12 PM PT
Location: Sam Carver Gymnasium – Bellingham, WA
Tickets
Live Video
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Billings Watch Party
 
The winner of that game will move on to the semifinals, where they will take on No. 2 seed Central Washington University. A full look at the GNAC Championships can be found on the tournament homepage.
 
FREQUENT FLYERS: The Yellowjackets are certainly not strangers to the conference tournament. The 2026 edition of the GNAC Championships will mark the sixth consecutive trip to the postseason for MSUB, with the program having qualified for 12 of the last 15 GNAC Championships since the tournament started.
 
While a young core sees a majority of the Yellowjackets roster playing big postseason minutes for the first time in their careers, an experienced coaching staff is in position to help guide this group on their postseason journey. Coach Woodin has qualified for postseason basketball in 15 seasons during his tenure at MSUB, taking his program to five conference championship games and winning two conference tournament titles, including the Heartland Championship in 2007 and a GNAC crown in 2018.
 
On that championship-winning team was associate head coach Alisha Breen, the MVP of the 2018 GNAC Championships, who herself played in three conference tournaments, and has helped lead MSUB to seven conference tournaments in her coaching tenure. Two more former alumni; Janiel (Olson) Begger and Kortney Nelson likewise carry a bevy of postseason experience with them on staff, with Begger having made multiple trips to the postseason with MSUB as both a player and an assistant. Nelson, in her first year as a graduate assistant, was a member of MSUB's last four GNAC tournament team as a player.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT: After graduating a number of key contributors from the past few season's runs, including all four of the team's All-GNAC selections the previous season in Nelson, Dyauni Boyce Aspen Giese, and Chloe Williams, the Yellowjackets entered the 2025-26 season with a different look than previous seasons. The team entered the season with just one senior on the roster, compared to 11 underclassmen players, including seven freshmen.
 
The lineup was forced to get even younger after a preseason injury sidelined Preseason All-GNAC selection Layla Baumann for the year, the Yellowjackets leading returning scorer who averaged 7.0 points a game while shooting 36.6% from beyond the arc.
 
But a young roster has continued to grow together both on and off the court as the season has worn on, and MSUB is rounding into form as the regular season wound to a close. After a 1-4 start to conference play put the team in an early hole, the Yellowjackets rallied back, with it's continued improvements paying off as conference play wore on. Beginning with the squad's road trip to Alaska on January 22, MSUB finished the season on a 7-4 run, including a pair of three-game winning streaks, averaging 71 points per game in that stretch, up from 62.2 points per game before that point. Meanwhile defensively, the 'Jackets have allowed an average of 61 points per game in that stretch, including six games where they've held teams to 53 or less points.
 
"Our team may be young, but we have so much talent," said Woodin. "We have a roster full of versatile players. What has been impressive is how our upperclassmen have welcomed our new players, and together they understand the value of accomplishing these things as a team, and that's really what it's come down to over the past few weeks. We've been in some must-win situations in the last month, and in most of those games we were able to get it done. Our team has improved it's focus and mental play, and become very balanced on both ends. Going into the tournament, I really like where we're at."
 
'JACKETS AT A GLANCE: The biggest strength of the Yellowjackets this season has come from the team's abilities on the boards, where the Yellowjackets typically dominate in the rebounding battle. The 'Jackets 41.3 rebounds per game rank third most in the GNAC this season, as does it's 5.6 rebounding margin.
 
The team ranks even better on the offensive boards, tying for second in the GNAC with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game. The team's ability to create second chance points has been pivotal in swinging games in their favor this season, helping boost MSUB's offense in multiple close games this season.
 
MSUB also puts an emphasis on it's defense, allowing 61.3 points per game against teams this season. The 'Jackets have blocked 111 shots this season, averaging 3.58 per game, while forcing 8.35 steals and 15.1 turnovers a game. MSUB also does a great job of contesting shots, with the team holding teams to a 37.5% shooting percentage on the year, third best in the conference, and a 28.6% mark from three, fifth best in the conference.
 
Offensively, the 'Jackets emphasize ball security, with a positive turnover margin of .87 and assist-to-turnover ratio of .99 climbing throughout conference play as the Yellowjackets found their stride. The team shoots 38.3% from the field, and 29.6% from three, but those marks have improved across the final few weeks of the season, where MSUB shot north of 40% three times in it's last four games, and shot over 35% from three in five of their final seven games, hitting seven threes per game in that stretch.
 
"When you're a young and inexperienced team, it takes time to figure out how to play together," Woodin said. "And early in the season we turned the ball over a lot. We struggled with our offensive sets and how to play with one another, and offensively they've continued to get better. Our ability to rebound the ball all season has always kept us in games, and then our communication on the court defensively has really improved. We're just playing really good team basketball at both ends. We aren't trying to beat people by going one-on-one, we're going to beat them by coming together as a team and playing well as a unit."
 
"I feel like we've gotten better since early December," said Woodin. We started to improve in early January, and by the time February hit I think we've been playing our best basketball up to now. We're a young team, but now we've got a year of experience, and combine that with good leadership from our upperclassmen I think we have ethe ability to play with anybody on any given night."
 
FRESHMEN PHENOMS: For a program built on four-year program players, 2025-26 has been an aberration in terms of youth in the rotation. MSUB has started three freshmen in the majority of the program's games this season, with four freshmen playing more than 22.4 minutes per game on the season, and seven underclassmen playing in more than 24 of the team's 31 games this season. But the trust shown in the youth has paid off, with many players showing impressive development as the season went on.
 
Chief among them is Cassie Chesnut, MSUB's leader in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals this season. The freshman forward was named as the 2026 GNAC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Yellowjacket to receive the honor from the conference, while also earning a nod to the All-GNAC Second Team, the first freshman to earn All-Conference honors at MSUB since Taryn Shelley in 2019. Chesnut has started each of MSUB's 31 games this season, averaging 12.9 points and 8.6 boards per game. Her 401 points scored so far in her freshman season rank as the most scored by a freshman in the program's history. Defensively, Chesnut also leads the team with 47 steals and 43 blocks in the season, ranking second in the conference in both total blocks and blocks per game. Chesnut's numbers improved even more as the Yellowjackets hit conference play, where she is one of two players who average a double-double in the regular season, averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds against other GNAC teams. Of her nine double-doubles this season, eight came against GNAC opponents, including a run of four double-doubles in five games from Jan. 22 to Feb. 7.
 
Behind her, Tailey Harris received All-GNAC Honorable Mention honors, making it the first time in program history that MSUB has had two freshman earn all-conference honors in the same season. One of four 'Jackets from Billings and nine players on the roster from Montana, Harris finished the year as the 'Jackets second leading scorer in points per game, averaging 9.7 a contest, while leading the team in assists at 3.3 per game to go with 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game. The playmaker was another Yellowjacket who found their rhythm as conference play commenced, increasing her averages to 11.1 points and 4.3 assists per game against GNAC foes. Her 95 total assists are the most recorded by a freshman in program history, while her nine assists in a game this season on Jan. 15 against Northwest Nazarene were the most dished out by a Yellowjacket since 2018.
 
Rounding out the Yellowjacket's starting trio of freshman is Rae Smart, another Billings native who has stepped up in a big way early in her career. Smart has averaged 7 points and 5.1 rebounds a contest, 1.8 assists, and 1 steal a game. Smart is yet another 'Jacket who has increased their output in GNAC play, averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds against conference opponents. Unique with smart is her knack for attacking the offensive boards as aggressively as she does the defensive boards. Of her 157 total rebounds this season, 45.9% of her rebounds come on the offensive glass. The perfect example of this was on Jan. 24 in a double-overtime victory against Alaska Anchorage, where Smart broke the GNAC single game record for offensive rebounds, pulling down 13 in an MSUB victory.
 
Frequently deployed as the team's sixth man, redshirt freshman Brooklynn Brennan has also come into her own after sitting her first year with the program.  A spark plug on both ends of the court, Brennan comes into the GNAC Championships averaging 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.1 steals per game. Brennan's high pressure, high energy style has helped her carve a spot in the Yellowjacket's rotation this season, often seeing her defend a team's lead guard. While scoring hasn't always been her primary role for the team, Brennan has proven herself adept at providing a boost on the offensive end, especially in the closing weeks of the season, where she averaged 8.6 points a night, including a career-high 19-point outburst in the team's penultimate game of the season on Feb. 26 against Simon Fraser. Brennan is also starting to find her stroke from three, hitting multiple triples in each of the 'Jackets final three games while shooting 7-9 (77.8%) in those games.
 
SENIOR PRESENCE: MSUB's lone senior coming into the season, Kaitlin Grossman has shouldered the load as a lead for the team both on and off the court. The Billings native has a large impact on both ends of the court for MSUB after being a Preseason All-GNAC selection, averaging 8.3 points and 7.2 rebounds, both of which are career highs, while collecting 37 steals and 21 blocks this season, setting new single game highs for her career in nearly every major stat category along the way. She has totaled four double-doubles throughout the season.
 
"Getting Kaitlin healthy was a big part of our success of late," Woodin remarked. "The level she's playing at is the highest of her career over the past month which has helped a lot. Our program is based on four-year seniors who come in as freshman and stay here, and that chemistry that you build on and off the court is a huge part of our success. She's been in these spots before, last year she played a much bigger role with an incredible senior class, and this year she's become the leader and she's done such a great job of that. She's such an unselfish person, she's very focused and just an amazing teammate. People love to be around her and the impact she has can't be underestimated in our success."
 
Her tournament experience will prove valuable for MSUB this postseason. The senior has now competed in the GNAC Championships in each of her four seasons with the program, along with three appearances in the NCAA West Regionals, including three regional wins during her career.
 
TRANSFERS MAKE THEIR MARK: MSUB brought in a pair of transfers to add to the core of the roster ahead of the season, and both players have stepped in to the team and made their marks in year number one.
 
Kyla Momberg joined the Yellowjackets from NAIA Montana Western, and was named as an All-GNAC Honorable Mention in her first season with the program. The Box Elder, MT local would make her impact felt in the lineup from day one, starting each of MSUB's games this season and averaging 9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, all of which were career highs.
 
Momberg has also proven to be adept in late situations this season when the Yellowjackets needed her most, making multiple big shots in the clutch for the Yellowjackets this season. Highlights for the junior include a game-winning basket in MSUB's first win of the season on Nov. 8 against CSU Pueblo, scoring the final four points of the 'Jackets one-point win on Jan. 15 against Northwest Nazarene, and a huge basket in the final seconds to help the Yellowjackets win in double overtime over Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 24.
 
Meanwhile, Allison Kunze joined after being an All-American at NJCCA Williston State College, and has played a big role for MSUB, in particular with her ability to score inside. The Malta, MT local has averaged 7.3 points this season, leading the team with a 57.9% shooting mark on the year. Kunze is more than capable of picking up the scoring load when called upon, finishing in double figures ten times on the year, while adding in 2.6 rebounds a night.
 
SUPPORTING CORE: Rounding out the roster for MSUB, a number of players have contributed to help the 'Jackets make their way to the postseason. Sophomore Alli Ligocki has seen time in 30 games during her second year with the program. Ligocki has found her rhythm off the bench as the season wore on, coming into her own over the final month of the season, where she increased her time on the court, playing 17.3 minutes per game and averaging 4.3 points across the final eight games of the regular season, including a career-high nine in the 'Jackets last game before the GNAC Championships on Feb. 28 against Western Washington.
 
Katelyn Hamilton is another second-year player capable of providing a spark, with her abilities beyond the arc helping swing games for the Yellowjackets. Hamilton has shot 37.3% from three this season, including seven games with multiple made triples and two games where she's gone off for 11 points. Meanwhile, Lauren Kuhbacher has seen time in 24 games for the 'Jackets, averaging eight minutes a game, while Avery Burkhart has hit the floor in 15 games for the 'Jackets, with the pair each averaging around a point and a rebound a game.
 
"We've gotten deeper in terms of contributions," Woodin said. "It's not just the same one or two players off the bench, but we've been getting good minutes from several different players, and that's really come in handy."
 
Saint Martin's University Saints
2025-26 Record: 18-9, 14-4 GNAC
Head Coach: Natalie Marlowe (3^rd season)
 
After making the GNAC Tournament outright for the first time since 2015 last season and a run to the GNAC Championship game, No. 3 seed Saint Martin's has pushed on with a successful season under third year head coach Natalie Marlowe, already tying their win total from last season. The Saints' 14-4 record in conference play ranked as the program's most wins in GNAC play since 2004-05. The team is set to enter the tournament on a hot streak, winning eight of their last nine over the second half of conference play, and sit firmly on the bubble of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regional, ranking tenth in the most recent region rankings provided by the NCAA.
 
The Saints come marching into the tournament as one of the toughest defensive teams in the GNAC, ranking second in points allowed per game at 55. The Saints excel at with their turnover margin, leading the conference at 4.33 with the team forcing 17.7 turnovers per game, while turning the ball over just 13.3 times a contest. Meanwhile on offense, the Saints profile similarly to the Yellowjackets, with their 66.7 points per game just one more than MSUB scores on average this season, and an even slimmer 66.7 to 66.6 between the Saints and 'Jackets when looking only at conference games.
 
The Saints are led by a quartet of All-GNAC selections, including GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and all-conference first team nod Avery Oaster. The senior has averaged 12.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, totaling seven double-doubles so far this season. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Jada Travis leads the Saints with 13.3 points per contest to go with 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 steals on her way to an all-conference second team nod. Meanwhile, the honorable mention duo of Kiana Rios and Laiken Hill are dangers in their own right, with Rios scoring 12.1 points per game with a conference-best 89.1% mark from the free throw line, while Hill scores 10.2 points per game, hitting two threes a night on average on a GNAC-high 41.7% three-point clip.
 
"It sounds like a cliché, but once you get to the conference tournament everyone is back to 0-0," said Woodin. "Saint Martin's is an excellent team, they've gotten us twice this year. I think in the first game we played them much better than we played them at home."
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUPS: The Yellowjackets will look to avenge a regular season sweep at the hands of Saint Martin's this year, although the games were a tale of two stories. In the first meeting between the two teams in Lacey, WA, both squads would be right in a tightly contested affair, with the Saints seeing off a late comeback attempt from MSUB to win 63-57. In the second game in Billings however, the Saints would take advantage of a mid-game shooting slump from the Yellowjackets, taking a 68-47 win.
 
"It sounds like a cliché, but once you get to the conference tournament everyone is back to 0-0," said Woodin. "Saint Martin's is an excellent team, they've gotten us twice this year. I think in the first game we played them much better than we played them at home. Offensivley, we're going to have to execute well, keep our turnovers down and shoot better than we have in our previous games against them. A lot of that has to do with the way they defend, but I look for tournament games always to be a little bit lower scoring in our league. Teams do such a good job of scouting, and by the time you're playing someone a third time there's not that many surprises left. We'll need to be solid defensively, eliminate easy baskets for them and keep attacking the boards and trying to rebound. We're really excited and ready for the opportunity."
 
Despite a three-game losing streak against Saint Martin's, recent history has traditionally favored the Yellowjackets, who won eight consecutive games against the Saints before they reversed the streak last year. MSUB is 38-15 all-time against Saint Martin's, but are only playing the Saints for the second time ever in a neutral site, and for the first time in a neutrally hosted GNAC tournament, and the second time ever in the GNAC tournament. MSUB is 9-10 all-time in GNAC Championships games, while the Saints are 4-5.
 
2026 GNAC Women's Basketball Championships Schedule
 
March 5-7 | Bellingham, WA |Hosted by Western Washington University
 
All times listed are Pacific.
 
Thursday, March 5
 
Quarterfinal 1: 12 p.m. – No. 6 seed Montana State Billings vs. No. 3 seed Saint Martin's
 
Quarterfinal 2: 2:15 p.m. – No. 5 seed Western Oregon vs. No. 4 seed Northwest Nazarene
 
Friday, March 6
 
Semifinal 1: 12 p.m. – Winner Quarterfinal 1 vs. No. 2 seed Central Washington
 
Semifinal 2: 2:15 p.m. – Winner Quarterfinal 2 vs. No. 1 seed Western Washington
 
Saturday, March 7
 
Championship: 5 p.m. – Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2