BILLINGS — The Montana State Billings women's basketball team beat Montana Tech 67-48 on Tuesday in front of a packed house, as six local elementary schools attended the Yellowjackets' annual Elementary Day game.
The NCAA Division II Jackets pounced on NAIA Tech, jumping out to a 21-3 in the first quarter before coasting to victory. Cassie Chesnut led all scorers, racking up 19 points in just 19 minutes for MSUB. Molly Hays (14) and Layla Baumann (12) joined Chestnut as Yellowjackets in double figures, while Hallie Neibauer led Tech with 10 points.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
While it's an exhibition game for MSUB, it's one of the better atmospheres the Jackets get all season long.
"It's such a great way to start off the season. We have six school here — from Billings but also extended community in Shepherd and Park City, as well," interim athletic director Andrew Bonner said. "It's awesome to start this off at noon and it's wild, as loud as can be."
Throughout the game you could see kids holding signs of their favorite players, as the Jackets spent time connecting with the community ahead of Tuesday's game.
"To do a game like this you have to go all out. You can't just send an e-mail invite," Bonner said. "We have a lot of these kids at our summer camps, so they meet a lot of our student-athletes there.
"We also go and outreach to all the schools, so the last couple weeks we've been to the six elementary schools to talk to them so they build connections that way. They show up with the jerseys on and the names on the posters and just love it."
MSUB is in action next Tuesday against Rocky Mountain College in the Rimrock Rivalry, while Montana Tech will host Hope International on Saturday at home.
