HONOLULU – Completing its Hawaii trip with a third straight victory on Sunday afternoon at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team used a hot start and a strong finish to beat University of Hawaii Hilo 72-61.
 
The Yellowjackets (3-0) limited the Vulcans to 12 points in the first quarter and 12 in the fourth, and used a well-balanced offense to secure the victory. "I'm real proud of our team to go 3-0 on three consecutive days," MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said, after the 'Jackets beat Hawaii Pacific on Friday and Chaminade on Saturday. "I am really proud of how hard they played. We were running out of gas today, but they just dug deep and found a way to get it done. I think that is due to our great team culture, good leadership, and excellent depth."
 
Cariann Kunkel led the team with 18 points while adding five rebounds, and Aspen Giese and Kortney Nelson scored a dozen points apiece. Skylar Patton also reached double figures with 11 points, and Dyauni Boyce secured a career-high 11 rebounds to help the 'Jackets to a dominant 42-31 margin on the boards. "Balanced scoring is key for us, and we had several players contribute points," Woodin said. "When we are able to play five players at a time who are all a threat to score, it just makes it that much better. We protected the ball even though it was a very physical game."
 
Hawaii Hilo was led by a game-high 23 points from Mandi Kawaha, who made 9 of 23 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws. Keirstyn Agonias had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Kamalu Kamakawiwo'ole grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Vulcans.
 
A made free throw by Kamakawiwo'ole three minutes into the game gave UHH a 3-2 lead, but it was the last time the Yellowjackets trailed as they wrestled away momentum and led the rest of the way. A three by Kunkel and two more by Giese put together a 9-0 run by the Yellowjackets through the first part of the second quarter, as MSUB established a double-figure advantage at 30-17.
 
The Vulcans battled back however, and cut into the spread to trail just 40-34 at halftime. A jumper by Kawaha at the 6:23 mark in the third quarter cut it to a single-possession ballgame with MSUB leading 44-41, but a response bucket from Giese followed by a three from Natalie Andreas helped keep command in the hands of the 'Jackets.
 
MSUB finished the third quarter strongly and carried the momentum into the fourth, with a layup by Kunkel reestablishing a 10-point advantage with 6:08 to go in the game. MSUB's lead peaked at 15 points with a minute left, as the 'Jackets finished strong to close out the win. "The reason we won today is because we defended better in the second half," Woodin said. "Hilo is a good team and they are going to win a lot of games. We stopped the ball better, and we out-rebounded them by double figures. Those were big factors in the win."
 
Andreas finished with eight points, while Shayla Montague contributed seven rebounds and five points. Chloe Williams chipped in four boards in 21 minutes off the bench. MSUB shot 44.8 percent overall (26-for-58), while making 7 of 20 threes (35.0 percent) and 13 of 23 free throws (56.5 percent). The 'Jackets committed 14 turnovers, and the Vulcans had 11 in the game.
 
UHH shot 39.3 percent overall (24-for-61), while making 3 of 11 threes (27.3 percent) and 10 of 15 free throws (66.7 percent). "Alisha (Breen) and Janiel (Begger) did a great job with our scouts this week," Woodin said, crediting his assistant coaches. "They were hard because these teams hadn't played a lot before, so they had to work hard to find information. We were well-prepared, and I thank them for their contributions."
 
THE BUZZ: Giese was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…she matched her career high in scoring, as she also had 12 points on March 4, 2022 against Western Washington in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships…Boyce's previous high in rebounding was eight, which she achieved on Feb. 17, 2021 against Rocky Mountain College…MSUB is now 2-1 all-time against UHH with all three games being played in Hawaii.
 
NEXT WEEK: The Yellowjackets are at home on Saturday to take on Minot State University with a 2 p.m. tipoff at Alterowitz Gym. Live coverage for the game will be available online here.