BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's basketball team opened its preseason slate on Tuesday, hosting the team's annual Elementary School Game sponsored by Stockman Bank.
The Yellowjackets opened the preseason with an energetic crowd, with hundreds of students attending from Beartooth, Meadowlark, Newman, Shepherd, Eagle Cliffs, and Park City elementary schools. The 'Jackets put on a show for the crowd, picking up a 67-48 win over Montana Tech. The 'Jackets held a double-digit lead the majority of the game after starting the opening minutes on fire from the field, while a strong defense forced 26 turnovers and held their opponents to 31.9% shooting in the contest.
"It was a fun environment today," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "It's great to have all these kids in the gym. We do this every year, and our players are always excited to go to the schools before and meet the kids, and then it's a blast when they get to turn around and come in to support us."
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Cassie Chesnut led MSUB in scoring, putting up 19 points in 19 minutes of action. The reigning GNAC Tournament MVP and Freshman of the Year shot 7-11 from the field, knocking down a trio of three-pointers while adding five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Behind her, newcomer Molly Hays scored 14 points, going 4-6 from beyond the arc while posting six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Layla Baumann returned for her first minutes since the 2025 preseason, scoring 12 points to go with a pair of rebounds, steals and one assist. Rae Smart scored nine points while pulling down six boards and snagging four steals, while Alli Ligocki scored seven points with six rebounds, getting one assist, steal and block each. Tailey Harris collected three points and three assists, while Brooklynn Brennan scored two points, and Camryn Koester added one point from the free-throw line.
The defending GNAC Tournament champions picked up right where they left off in the game's opening minutes, starting the first 2:54 on a 14-1 run, with seven of those points coming from Chesnut. The 'Jackets extended that to a 25-8 stretch over the first nine and a half minutes of the first quarter, with Chesnut leading the way with 12 first-quarter points, while not allowing the Orediggers to score consecutive baskets until the final minute of the quarter. MSUB shot 60% from the field in the first 10 minutes, going 9-15 overall and 3-7 from three while knocking down each of its four free throws to take a commanding early lead.
"The start was better than I even anticipated," said Woodin. "We came out with great energy, and did a great job of sharing the ball and making shots. Cassie came out really on fire, but our whole team came out great, and our defense was really good. We built up a big lead in the first 3-4 minutes, but they scratched back, and we got into a little foul trouble which slowed us down a bit."
The offense slowed in the second quarter as the Orediggers grew into the contest, but the MSUB defense continued to stifle the Orediggers on offense, with the 'Jackets forcing 11 second-quarter turnovers to limit the visitors' chances. The 'Jackets offense meanwhile was powered from outside the arc, shooting 50% from three in the second to build up a 39-23 lead heading into halftime.
The third quarter followed a similar trend, with both defenses clamping down for a low-scoring period, with the 'Jackets keeping the lead level. But the fourth quarter saw Hays take over from three, with the Idaho State transfer knocking down three triples in the period, posting 11 of MSUB's 16 points in the final 10 minutes to help the 'Jackets put the game on cruise control, opening up the preseason with a strong victory.
"Montana Tech plays hard," said Woodin. "They came into this game last year and beat us, and our players remembered that and it adds a little extra motivation. It's early season, so both teams definitely have room to improve, but I was happy with how we came out today, and it should be a good season."
THE BUZZ: Chesnut was named the Player of the Game.
The Yellowjackets play one more exhibition game before starting the 2026-27 regular season, heading down the road to the Fortin Center on Tuesday, October 27 for its first Rimrock Rivalry contest of the season against Rocky Mountain College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with live video available here, and live statistics available here.
