BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Montana State University Billings women's basketball coach Kevin Woodin has made it clear heading into the GNAC Championships: It's a new season, and it doesn't matter what happened before, everyone is 0-0 heading into the GNAC Championships.
 
That underdog mentality has paid off for the Yellowjackets (19-14, 9-9 GNAC) so far, who are now 2-0 with back-to-back upset wins at the conference tournament, and sit just one win away from doing something that has never happened in GNAC Championships history: becoming the first No. 6 seed to win a tournament title.
 
It's the fifth time in program history that the 'Jackets have advanced on to play in the GNAC Championships game, with each of those appearances coming in the past ten seasons, and the third time in four seasons that MSUB has been in a battle for the conference crown. MSUB is just the second No. 6 seed to advance to play in the GNAC Championship game, following in the footsteps of Saint Martin's University, who did so last season.
 
The road remains tough for the Yellowjackets, who will need to get by No. 1 seed to pull off a trifecta of upsets and collect a GNAC Championships victory. A win would deliver MSUB with the program's second ever GNAC Tournament Championship, following the 'Jackets lone tournament title in 2018.
 
2026 GNAC Women's Basketball Championships – Finals
No. 6 Seed Montana State University Billings vs. No. 1 Seed Western Washington University
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Time: 6 PM MT | 5 PM PT
Location: Sam Carver Gymnasium – Bellingham, WA
Tickets
Live Video
Live Statistics
Billings Watch Party: Highlands Golf Course. Doors Open at 5:30 PM MT
 
A win for either team would not only give them the conference title, but see them receive an automatic bid into the field of the NCAA West Regional. Western Washington was ranked No. 2 in the most recent NCAA West Regional top ten poll, while MSUB needs to receive that automatic bid to qualify for the tournament field.
 
HOW THE 'JACKETS GOT HERE: The road wasn't easy for MSUB, entering the GNAC Championships as the lowest seed in the tournament field. The team knew it would be the underdog in every game it would play in, and would have to elevate their game even further to have a shot at making a run.
 
Fortunately for them, the Yellowjackets have found a way to play some of their best basketball of the entire season once the calendar hit March, and the team has been bringing the madness since the beginning of tournament play. Their run opened up on Thursday with a 69-61 win over No. 3 seed Saint Martin's, avenging their upset defeat from last season when the Saints were the 6-seed to advance on to play in the semifinals.
 
The game would see a 20 point, nine rebound showing from Cassie Chesnut, with the GNAC Freshman of the Year adding in a pair of assists and a block. Kaitlin Grossman right behind her with 17 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block. Rae Smart would finish with a double-double, scoring 14 points with 13 rebounds, while Tailey Harris would score nine points with six assists and two rebounds.
 
Then in the semifinals, the 'Jackets would pull off the upset once more, taking down No. 2 seed and #23 nationally Central Washington 79-74 to advance on to the championship game. In a back-and-forth game against one of the nation's most dangerous offenses, MSUB would lead for the majority of the game, responding to every punch the Wildcats threw their way to hang on to the win, using a big run at the start of the fourth quarter to retake the lead and hold Central at bay.
 
Chesnut would post her second consecutive 20-point game of the tournament, scoring 24 on 10-16 shooting, adding in 13 rebounds for a double-double, three blocks, and two steals. Grossman would score a career-high 21 with seven boards, six assists, and a pair of steals, while Smart scored 12 with six rebounds. Kyla Momberg would also flirt with a triple-double, finishing the game with 11 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and five steals, while Tailey Harris also scored 11 points with three assists and a pair of rebounds.
 
MSUB entered the tournament shooting 38.3% from the field as a team, but in it's GNAC Championships run, the team hasn't shot lower than 44.8% in a game, with the offense finding it's rhythm at the right time. That scoring has been led by the starting five, who have stepped up to score the majority of MSUB's points. Chief among them, Chesnut is averaging 22 points across the tournament right now, with Grossman averaging 18.5 to help lead the way.
 
The team has also done an exceptional job of sharing the ball, with 40 assists between the two games. The 'Jackets ability to spread the ball has the team holding firing on all cylinders at the moment on offense, which they'll need to do again against the conference's top defensive unit.
 
The 'Jackets have continued to dominate the rebounding battle as well, winning the boards in both games of the tournament thus far. MSUB is outrebounding teams by a combined 82-62 through two matches, including 25-17 on the offensive boards. They'll need to win that battle on the boards once more to best Western Washington, with the Vikings outrebounding teams by an average of 13.2 boards a night, the biggest margin in the conference.
 
Western Washington University Vikings
2025-26 Record: 24-6, 15-3 GNAC
Head Coach: Carmen Dolfo (35^th season)
 
HOW THE VIKINGS GOT HERE: The regular season champs, Western Washington locked up an opening round bye as the top seed in the GNAC Championships. With their ticket to the semifinals punched, the Vikings took carer of business against the No. 5 seed in Western Oregon on Friday afternoon, taking down the Wolves 66-55 to make their way to the conference title matchup, and as tournament hosts, will get the advantage of playing that game with a home atmosphere, and carry a bevy of tournament experience behind GNAC Coach of the Year Carmen Dolfo.
 
The Vikings rank towards the top of the GNAC in most major stat categories. Averaging 68.1 points per game on offense to ranks fourth, and a GNAC leading 54.8 points allowed per game defensively, the Viks win games by an averaging margin of 13.4 points this season, the best margin of victory in the conference. The team holds the second highest shooting percentage in the conference at 43.6%, while holding opponents to a 32.8% mark shooting, the best mark by a significant amount.
 
Averaging just four made threes a game, the Vikings do a majority of their work offensively in the paint. Leading the charge in All-GNAC First Teamer and Newcomer of the Year Olivia Hodges, who has averaged 16.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game in her lone season with the Vikings, quickly become one of the top forwards in the conference. The forward leads the nation in rebounds per game, and double-doubles with 21. Alongside her is fellow First Team selection Libby Stump, a transfer from University of Montana that has showed out this season as well, averaging 13.8 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds to help lead the Vikings offense.
 
The Vikings also add contributions from a supporting cast of Demi Dykstra, an honorable mention all-conference nod who scores 11.1 points a game. Aspen Garrison is a threat on both ends floor, averaging 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, while players like Joy Haltrom, Rakiyah Jackson, Vivienne Berrett, and Eden Sander round out the rotation for a balanced Vikings team.
 
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: The Vikings got the better of the 'Jackets in both regular season matchups against MSUB. The teams opened GNAC play in Alterowitz Gym back in February, with the Vikings holding on despite a strong push from MSUB to win 59-56. Western Washington would then take the second matchup in the regular season finale for both teams, leading MSUB by just one at halftime before the offense caught fire in the second half, powering their way to a 78-55 win for the regular season sweep. MSUB had lost both of it's regular season games against Saint Martin's and Central Washington before the conference tournament as well.
 
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The two teams are both not strangers to the GNAC Championships, nor meeting each other at it. WWU has appeared in 14 GNAC Championships, while MSUB appears in it's 12^th this season, with the team's having met six times in the conference tournament, including in two finals games before this one, both back in 2023 and 2024. Western Washington is 5-1 all-time in GNAC Championships games against MSUB, with the 'Jackets previously winning in the 2016 tournament semifinals.
 
Both of the past two finals meetings have been razor thin affairs, with MSUB falling 76-71 in 2023, while falling in an even close 54-52 battle in 2024. The Vikings have won four GNAC Championships all-time (2023, 2014, 2023, 2024), while MSUB is gunning for it's second ever GNAC Championships title (2018), looking to become the third team in conference history to become a multi-time GNAC Champion.