By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of hard-fought victories in hostile territory last week extended Montana State Billings’ women’s basketball team’s winning streak to eight games and earned the Yellowjackets Great Northwest Athletic Conference Team of the Week recognition.
 
MSUB (9-1, 2-0 GNAC), the reigning GNAC regular-season champion, pushed past Western Washington 64-58 last Thursday before holding off a late rally from Simon Fraser for a 69-66 triumph. The Yellowjackets got their title defense campaign off to a strong start, beating a pair of teams that competed in last year’s GNAC Championships.
 
Attaining their highest-ever national ranking at No. 3 in last week’s Women’s Basketball Coaches Association top-25, the Yellowjackets have their sights set on a third-straight trip to the NCAA West Region Championships,

after advancing to the Sweet 16 a season ago.
 
In a rematch of the last two GNAC Championships title games – both won by Western Washington – the Yellowjackets dug deep on Thursday at Sam Carver Gym to emerge with the win. By the end of the third quarter, MSUB had built a nine-point advantage up 44-35 to gain momentum. The Vikings pushed the Yellowjackets in the fourth however, pulling ahead 55-54 with 2:26 left in regulation. Senior Dyauni Boyce converted a big three-point play to give her team the lead back immediately, and the Yellowjackets never trailed after that. MSUB’s stifling defense held the Vikings to just three field-goal attempts in the final two minutes, while senior Kortney Nelson made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
 
“That game featured two different halves: One was low scoring and in the second half both teams started to shoot well,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “We got a little separation, but like they always do, they made some big shots and took the lead. I was really pleased with how we responded. It is nice to have an experienced group, and there was no panic. We got some quality possessions down the stretch and made enough free throws to win the game.”
 
On Saturday in Burnaby, B.C., the ‘Jackets had to overcome a hot start by the Red Leafs, who got out to a 20-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. MSUB came out of the halftime break with energy and raced to a 23-15 advantage in the third quarter, before once again remaining calm in a fourth quarter that came down to the final possession.
 
A lead that peaked at 14 points in the third quarter slowly dwindled, until SFU took a 63-62 advantage with 2:43 to go in the game. This time it was back-to-back jumpers by seniors Chloe Williams and Aspen Giese that helped wrestle the advantage back into MSUB’s hands, and the team’s defense once again showed resilience. In the final 1:49 of play, Simon Fraser was limited to just two missed 3-pointers and managed just one made free throw. Nelson was once again the final Yellowjacket to score, sinking a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left on the clock to solidify the victory.
 
“It was a lot like Thursday’s game,” Woodin said. “We had a strong third quarter, and then in the fourth give them credit for fighting back. They are so explosive and hard to guard with a perimeter-oriented lineup. We got some great defensive possessions in the last minute. They took the lead on us twice, and we scored on the following possessions both times. We have experienced players like Boyce and Nelson who are really good at the foul line under pressure. Our whole team responded to adversity in both games.”
 
A core of experienced seniors anchors the Yellowjackets, with fifth-year players Boyce and Nelson and true seniors Giese and Williams having each started all 10 games so far this season. Nelson, the 2023-24 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-best 3.2 assists per game. Boyce, a second-team all-league pick last winter, is the leading scorer on the squad with her 13.8 points per game ranking 12th in the conference. Giese is also in double figures at 12.7 points per game, while ranking sixth in the GNAC with 2.4 steals per game and ninth in rebounding with 6.2 boards per game. Williams chips in 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
 
“They are an amazing group,” Woodin said of the senior class. “They are academically excellent, they are great leaders, they care about their teammates and they are tremendous competitors. They all buy in on both ends of the court, and combined together they have played 14 years of Yellowjacket basketball before this season even started. They know what is going to happen out there with one another, many times before it does. Their trust level is at as high of a point as any senior group I’ve ever had.”
 
Hometown junior Kaitlin Grossman, in her third season out of Billings West High School, is the other regular starter with averages of 6.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Newcomer Chenoa Louie (6.2 ppg) and sophomore Layla Baumann (6.1 ppg) are the other Yellowjackets to have seen minutes in every game this season.
 
Woodin, now in his 21st season leading the program, holds an all-time record of 353-228 (.617) and is the winningest coach in school history. He also led the Yellowjackets to the 2013-14 GNAC regular-season title and the GNAC Championships tournament title in 2018, a season that culminated in an NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance. Woodin’s mark of 292-203 (.579) since MSUB joined the GNAC in 2007-08 ranks him third in conference history among head coaches.
 
Woodin’s staff is bolstered by a pair of his top former players in associate head coach Alisha Breen and assistant coach Janiel (Olson) Beggar. Breen was a first-team All-American in 2017-18, earning GNAC Player of the Year honors and setting the conference record for most points in a career (2,001). Beggar was the 2013-14 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and set the MSUB school record with 1,001 career rebounds. Both players were on the roster of the 2013-14 team that claimed MSUB’s other GNAC regular-season title.
 
MSUB’s only loss this season was a 69-52 setback against current No. 1 Grand Valley State. MSUB hasn’t lost since Nov. 2, as it gets set for five more non-conference games prior to the holiday break. The action starts on Wednesday night at Alterowitz Gym, as the Yellowjackets look to complete the season sweep against intra-city rival Rocky Mountain College (7 p.m. MT). It only gets tougher from there, as MSUB faces No. 25 Cal Poly Pomona (Dec. 17), No. 18 Texas Tyler (Dec. 19), and No. 4 Lubbock Christian (Dec. 20) in a four-day span in Las Vegas to close out its non-conference slate.
 
“Our November schedule was really hard, with lots of really good opponents,” Woodin said. “That prepared us very well for the tough opening weekend on the road in the GNAC. Having two home games this week will be nice, and then we head to Vegas for three tough teams who were all ranked in the top-25 in the nation last week. I prefer to play great competition in the preseason. It exposes your weaknesses and strengths, and helps you to become the type of team you want to be when the remaining conference schedule comes in January. It helps us be at our best come the end of the season.”