Box Score

KANEOHE, Hawaii. – Freshman Quinn Peoples started the game off hot, hitting 4-6 shots en route to tallying 12 points in the first half, but it was points off the bench and Bobbi Knudsen's 17 second-half points, including a critical free throw that lifted the Montana State Billings women's basketball team to a 72-69 victory over Hawaii Pacific University Thursday night to kick off the Yellowjackets' Hawaii trip.
 
The Yellowjackets, now riding a three-game winning streak, improve to 6-4 while the Sea Warriors are now 5-4, ending a two-game streak of their own.
 
“Tonight was a really good win for us,” said eighth-year head coach Kevin Woodin. “We started off really well. Quinn (Peoples) shot the three very well in the first half and our players found her in transition.
 
“We did a lot better tonight protecting the ball and that was very critical to tonight's game as we were able to force them into some costly turnovers,” Woodin said. “Down the stretch, we had some excellent minutes from our bench as we had 10 players give everyone enough rest and valuable minutes on the road. Battling back for the win on the road is a very great tribute to our players and their abilities.”
 
MSUB connected on 38.5% of their shots from the field, including going 10-27 (.370) from three-point range.
 
A week after suffering through a season-high 21 turnovers, the Yellowjackets committed just eight, out-scoring the Warriors 12-4 off of turnovers.
 
Three players ended the contest with double-digit points, led by Knudsen's 17. The sophomore guard from Malta was shut out in the opening half, but caught fire in the second stanza as she also ended the contest with five rebounds and five assists.
 
Peoples ended the game with 15 points, including hitting four treys, while senior Kalli Stanhope was 3-5 from the field and perfect (3-3) from the charity stripe en route to 11 points.
 
Freshman Annie DePuydt had a career night as she recorded eight points, going 4-6 from the field off the bench.
 
HPU hit 24-55 (.436) of their shots from the field in the contest, including just four of their 13 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
 
Mana Hopkins led HPU in their attack with a game-high 21 points, leading three Sea Warriors in scoring double-digits. Skye Savini had 14 points and Mikela Thoemmes added 11 of her own.
 
MSUB opened the game on an 8-0 run that began when Kayleen Goggins drove for a layup and was capped off by Peoples and Stanhope hitting a pair of treys before HPU could score their first points. The Yellowjackets would never trail in the opening stanza en route to a 39% (12-31) shooting performance in the first half of play, taking a 34-27 lead into the locker room.
 
With 11:44 left to go in regulation, the Sea Warriors tied the game up at 43-all, taking the lead for the first time in the contest just a little bit later when Hopkins hit a pair of free throws to go up 45-43.
 
Down seven points with just over five minutes remaining on the game clock, the Yellowjackets mounted their come-back.
 
At the 2:39 mark, Knudsen sank a three to tie the game at 63, but Savini found an answer on the other end of the court with two points to put HPU back up 65-63.
 
Peoples followed by driving down the court and sinking a layup while drawing the foul. The freshman put MSUB up by one as she nailed the free throw, but once again, the lead would not last for long as Thoemmes gave HPU the lead back a few seconds later.
 
On a roll and finding her groove in the second half, Knudsen would eventually sink a shot to tie the game at 69-all with around 40 seconds remaining. She would then give MSUB the one-point lead, and eventual win, by hitting her second of two free throws after drawing a foul.
 
After Savini committed a turnover with 14 seconds remaining, Stanhope was sent to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws, and an opportunity to give the Yellowjackets a three-point lead. She would deftly sink both shots with five ticks remaining and HPU would have no answer as the final buzzer sounded.
 
“This was a great team-win for us to start this trip,” Woodin stated. “For our young players to get a critical first win tonight, that does a lot for us heading into the rest of the trip. We are really looking forward to playing again tomorrow.”
 
Tomorrow, MSUB will travel to Honolulu for their second matchup in two days. The Yellwojackets will be tangling with the Silverswords of Chaminade University in another 5 p.m. West Region game.