BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The second-seeded Central Washington University Women's Basketball Team fell in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament to the sixth-seeded Montana State Billings Friday afternoon.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
 

• Final: #2 Central Washington (74), #6 Montana State Billings (79)
• Records: CWU (23-6), MSUB (19-14)
• Location: WECU Court at Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)

 
QUOTING CWU HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH RANDI RICHARDSON:
 
"Our team showed a lot of fight and played hard. I'm so proud of our fight and effort tonight, but we didn't have enough execution in finishing possessions with rebounds, making paint shots, and limiting our fouls. Credit to MSUB, they played a great game and never let us pull ahead."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• Rae Smart put the 'Jackets on the board immediately followed by Tailey Harris adding a three and the and one to make it 6-0 MSUB before Annalee Coronado put the 'Cats on the board with a jumper to cut it to 6-2 MSUB with 7:41 left in the first.
• MSUB responded to the 'Cats first bucket of the game with a 6-0 run to make it a 12-2 MSUB lead with 5:29 left in the first.
• The two teams exchanged a bucket but a pair of free-throws by Capri Sims helped spark the 'Cats to a quick 7-0 run to make it a 14-11 MSUB lead with 2:08 left in the first.
• A layup by Cassie Chesnut of MSUB concluded the scoring in the first quarter to give the 'Jackets the 16-11 lead. 
• A pair of free-throws by Sims began the second quarter and cut it to a one possession game once again with MSUB leading 16-13.
• The teams continued to battle back-and-forth but back-to-back buckets by Kaitlin Grossman and smart put the Yellowjackets back up double digits, 30-20 with 4:42 left in the second.
• The 'Cats responded with four straight possessions hitting a three to cut it to a 34-32 MSUB lead with 2:42 left in the second.
• Following another quick 6-0 run by the 'Jackets, the 'Cats used a huge 8-0 run thanks to a pair of threes from Coronado and Kayla Thornton paired with a layup from Aliyah Finch to tie the game at 40 apiece.
• A made free-throw by Harris sent the teams to the halftime break with the 'Jackets up 41-40.
• The 'Cats had a huge start to the third quarter with Cai giving the 'Cats their first lead of the game hitting three free-throws followed by the and-one from Thornton to make it a 46-41 CWU lead with 8:22 left in the third. 
• Back-to-back buckets by MSUB made it a one-point game once more sparking a back-and-forth affair between the two teams for the remainder of the quarter with a pair of free-throws by Grossman wrapping up the third quarter with MSUB on top 62-59.
• A layup from Kyla Momberg followed by a three from Chesnut opened the fourth quarter with MSUB leading 67-59 with 9:18 left.
• A layup from Thornton sparked another exchange of buckets from the teams however a jumper from Grossman followed by a three from Momberg gave MSUB their largest lead of the night with 5:54 left, 74-63.
• A pair of free-throws by Thornton followed by a layup from Sims made it a 74-67 MSUB lead with 4:03 left.
• The two teams traded another pair of baskets, but a jumper and a three by Coronado cut it to 78-74 in favor of MSUB with 1:31 left.
• A made free-throw by Grossman concluded the game and sealed the sixth-seeded Yellowjackets victory by a 79-74 margin.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:
                         

• Coronado led the 'Cats and tied for a game-high 24 points while adding two rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
• Thornton rattled off a new CWU career-high with 19 points while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• Cai tacked on 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
• Sims added 12 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
• Fiona Snashall contributed three points, five boards, four assists, one block, and one steal while Finch added two points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
• Mackenzie Schulz finished with four rebounds and two steals. 
• The 'Cats shot 35.7 percent from the floor, 35.7 percent from three, and was a perfect 14-14 at the free-throw line.
• MSUB saw only their starting five log points, led by Chesnut with 24 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and two steals.
• Grossman added 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
• Smart added 12 points while Harris and Momberg finished with 11 points each.
• The Yellowjackets concluded the game shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, 27.3 percent from three, and 65 percent at the free-throw line.
• The 'Jackets won the rebound battle by a 42-38 margin.

 
SERIES HISTORY:
 

• MSUB leads the all-time series 33-20.
• The 'Cats are 3-7 against the 'Jackets in the last 10 games.
• CWU is 1-6 against MSUB in neutral site games.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• The Wildcats will await their fate for the NCAA Tournament.
• They were slotted in the top spot in the region this past week, putting them in a good spot to make the regional tournament.
• They will await to see who will host as the top seed in the region earns hosting rights.
• The West Region Tournament will take place next Friday, March 13 through Monday, March 16. 
• The NCAA selection show will happen at 7:30 p.m. PST on Sunday live on NCAA.com