Yellowjackets Rally for Win at Hawaii Pacific (Jan. 8, 2004) 

HONOLULU, HI – Trae Fortier blocked the potential game-winning shot with time expiring Thursday night as MSU Billings won in Hawaii for the first time since January 5, 2002 when they beat Chaminade on a last second shot.  The Yellowjackets eventually won the PacWest title that season by one game.  Before Thursday's 89-86 victory, the last time MSU Billings won at Hawaii Pacific was January 13, 2000.

An offensive rebound and put back by Bill Day with 20 seconds to play gave the Yellowjackets an 87-86 lead.  They hadn’t led since the seven minute mark of the second half.  Following a Hawaii Pacific timeout, the Sea Warriors’ Dante Sykes drove the lane and tried to loft a runner over Fortier, who blocked the shot.  Day was fouled after the rebound and made both free throws with 1.5 seconds on the clock to provide the final three-point margin of victory.  Hawaii Pacific was unable to get off another shot.  Day scored ten points in the game and had four rebounds.

The Yellowjackets lost by 15 on Tuesday in a shootout with the Sea Warriors despite Fortier’s scoring a career-high 37.  Senior captain Jerett Skrifvars missed Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury suffered during last week’s win over Western Oregon.  He returned for Thursday’s match up, but the Yellowjackets were without the services of fellow captain Dave Carse.

Skrifvars made an immediate impact, scoring 17 first half points to keep the Yellowjackets within one point at the break.  He was 8-of-10 from the field in the first half and 11-of-16 in the game before fouling out with 23 points. 

MSU Billings led by as many as eight with two minutes left in the first half, but HPU finished the opening stanza with a 9-0 run over the final 1:50.  Fortier and Cameron Munoz each dropped in nine first half points en route to twenty-point games.  Fortier finished with 21 points while Munoz had 20.  Fortier recorded his second-straight double-double with ten rebounds.

Even though they were playing shorthanded in the backcourt, the Yellowjackets were able to contain Hawaii Pacific’s 3-point shooting.  The Sea Warriors made a school record 19 3-pointers on 70-percent shooting in their win on Tuesday.  They only managed five 3-pointers in the first half of Thursday’s game and nine total for the night.

MSU Billings knocked down eleven 3-pointers in the game, six in the first half, and made eight more field goals than HPU.  The Sea Warriors were able to stay in the game at the free throw line, outscoring the Yellowjackets 27-12 at the charity stripe and taking 20 more attempts.

Fortier tied the game just a minute into the second half with the second of his four 3-pointers.  Hawaii Pacific answered with a 10-2 run over the next two minutes to take an eight-point lead.  A Munoz 3-pointer and two Skrifvars baskets cut the Sea Warriors’ lead to one with 10:38 remaining.  Buddy Windy Boy tied the game for the eighth time on the next possession. 

There were five lead changes and one tie over the next three and a half minutes.  Windy Boy’s 3-pointer with 6:57 to play gave the Yellowjackets a 73-71 advantage.  HPU regained the lead on a jumper and three free throws over the next three possessions and held the lead until Day’s put back of a Jonathan Wiley miss gave the Yellowjackets the final lead of the game.

Windy Boy finished with nine points and a pair of 3-pointers.  Munoz was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line, accounting for half of the Jackets’ free throws.  Wiley added five points on 2-of-3 shooting. 

HPU was led by 25 points from Aaron Abrams.  Abrams scored 34 in Tuesday’s win.  Marvin Noble added 21 points, including 7-of-7 from the line.

The Yellowjackets continue conference play on Saturday when they play at first place BYU-Hawaii.  The Seasiders crushed Western New Mexico twice this week in their first two PacWest games.  MSU Billings returns home January 16 and 17 for non-conference games against Green Mountain College from Vermont.