MONMOUTH, Ore. --- The Western Oregon women's basketball team plays its first home games of the 2026 calendar year this week and looks to continue its best start since 2002 when the Wolves host Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

THIS WEEK | LINKS TO WATCH
Western Oregon (8-4, 3-1) vs. Montana State Billings (9-7, 1-2)
7 p.m. Thursday • Monmouth, OR
All-Time: 9-34 • Streak: Lost 7
Last: 76-60 loss at WOU (Feb. 8, 2025)
Last WOU win: Jan. 14, 2022 (66-57 at WOU)

Western Oregon vs. Seattle Pacific (3-9, 0-3)
2 p.m. Saturday • Monmouth, OR
All-Time: 10-49 • Streak: Won 2
Last: 58-53 win at WOU (Feb. 6, 2025)
Last WOU loss: Feb. 10, 2024 (59-47 at WOU)

ON THE SEASON ...

• The Wolves are off to their best start to a season at 8-4 since starting the 2001-02 season 9-3. The Wolves lead the GNAC and rank in the top 15 nationally in scoring (80.0 -12th NCAA), 3-pointers per game (9.2 - 6th) and 3-point percentage (37.7 - 7th). 
• MSU Billings has won five in a row to improve to 9-7 on the season and are led by Cassie Chesnut (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 spg), Kyla Momberg (10.5 ppg, 2.2 apg) and Kaitlin Grossman (9.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg).
• Seattle Pacific is 3-9 on the season, dropping their last three contests. Layne Kearns leads the team in scoring (10.8) and rebounding (5.6) while second in assists (2.8). Grace Turley is also averaging double figures (10.1) while Grace Leasure is first in the conference in 22nd in DII in blocks per game (2.2).

LAST WEEK'S ACTION ...

• The Wolves returned to GNAC action by going 1-1 last week - falling on the road at Western Washington on Thursday (62-57) before bouncing back with a convincing 68-49 win at Simon Fraser, WOU's first win at SFU since 2019.
• MSU Billings opened the new year with a 58-45 win at Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Cassie Chesnut and Kaitlin Grossman each had a double-double with Chesnut finishing with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three steals while Grossman had 20 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. 
• SPU's last contest was the 58-45 home loss to MSUB as Cascadia Yates came off the bench to lead the team with 10 points while Grace Leasure had eight points, six blocks, three assists, three rebounds and two steals.

WOU SEASON NOTES

Best start in 24 years ...
WOU's 8-4 start to the season is the best for the program since 2001-02, when the team opened the year 9-3. That 2001-02 season is also the last time a Wolves team finished above .500, going 16-11.

Keeping mistakes to a minimum ...
A key to the Wolves' 8-4 start has been their ability to take care of the basketball, as WOU ranks first in Division II in fewest turnovers per game (11.0 — more than four fewer per game than last season) and first nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.42).

Lighting up the scoreboard ...
The Wolves continue to put up big numbers, ranking 12th nationally and first in the GNAC in scoring offense at 80.0 points per game. The surge included hitting the century mark for the first time in 15 years in a 104-77 win over Evergreen State on Nov. 22 in Monmouth. WOU followed that up by scoring 107 points in a win over Warner Pacific on Dec. 10, the program's highest output since 2001 when the Wolves scored 113 against Alaska Anchorage.

Sharpshooting Wolves ...
WOU has been lethal from the perimeter, ranking sixth in Division II and first in the GNAC in 3-pointers made per game (9.2) while also sitting seventh nationally and first in the conference in 3-point percentage at 37.7 percent.

Rookstool named GNAC Player of the Week (Dec. 15) ...
Western Oregon women's basketball's Kylani Rookstool was named the GNAC Athlete of the Week on Dec. 15 after a sharpshooting and efficient week for the junior.

Rookstool averaged 25.5 points and shot an eye-popping 83.3 percent from 3-point range (10-for-12) and 75 percent from the field (18-for-24), while averaging six rebounds per game in helping the Wolves go 2-0 and extend their win streak to four.

Rookstool capped off the week by scoring 26 points and grabbing eight rebounds while shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range in a win at Cal Poly Humboldt on Dec. 13. In a Dec. 10 win over Warner Pacific, she scored 25 points in just 21 minutes of action, going 10-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range in the lopsided win over the Knights.

Continued on next page

Knocking off a ranked foe for the first time in 10 years ...
In WOU's 77-69 win over No. 16 Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 6, it marked the first time the Wolves defeated a ranked opponent since beating Seattle Pacific on Jan. 22, 2015. The victory snapped a streak of 32 consecutive losses to ranked opponents.

Wolves break 3-point record vs. Evergreen State
WOU broke a school record for 3-pointers made and scored the most points in a game in 24 years in a 104-77 victory over Evergreen State on Nov. 22.

The Wolves hit a school-record 16 3-pointers, breaking the previous mark of 15 set in 2017. The 104 points marked the first time WOU scored 100-plus since 2010 and were the most points in a game since defeating Alaska Anchorage 113-51 in 2001.

Wolves named GNAC Team of the Week (Dec. 8)
The Western Oregon women's basketball team was named the GNAC Team of the Week on Dec. 8 after opening GNAC play 2-0, highlighted by a win over No. 16 Alaska Anchorage — the program's first victory over a ranked opponent since 2015.