Yellowjackets Down Hawaii-Hilo in PacWest Home Opener (Jan. 20, 2004)
Box Score
BILLINGS, MT – In a meeting of two of the
PacWest’s top contenders, MSU Billings held off Hawaii-Hilo,
94-84, Tuesday night. Four Yellowjackets scored in double
figures, led by Trae Fortier’s game-high 23 points. MSU Billings
evened its conference record at 2-2 while improving to 10-4
overall. The Vulcans lost their second game in a row to fall to
3-2 in the PacWest and 11-4 overall.
Hawaii-Hilo was picked by the conference
coaches to win the PacWest this year, and MSU Billings was picked
to finish second, so the two games between them this week are
important in the PacWest championship race. The Vulcans started
3-0 in the PacWest, but have lost their last two. The
Yellowjackets came out of their first Hawaii trip 1-2.
Tuesday’s game, which was physical throughout
as it often is between the Jackets and Vulcans, was close from the
beginning. In the first ten minutes, there were five lead changes
and seven ties. After Dave Carse hit the back end of two free
throws to tie the game at 21-21 with 8:52 to play in the first,
the Yellowjackets put together a 15-4 run over the next four and a
half minutes to build a 36-25 lead with 4:23 left in the half.
The Vulcans used a 6-2 run to end the half to close the gap to
40-33 at the break.
MSU Billings answered the bell to start the
second half with a 7-0 run over the first two minutes. A Carse
3-pointer at 18:07 made the score 47-33 in favor of the
Yellowjackets. Carse scored 15 points before fouling out. A West
Hawthorne jumper stopped the bleeding for the Vulcans on the next
possession, but only briefly. The Yellowjackets built their lead
to as many as 19 after a Cameron Munoz 3-pointer gave MSUB a 58-39
lead with 13:41 to play. Munoz made four 3-pointers in the game
and finished with 17 points.
The Vulcans battled back behind the hot hand
of Ryan Abrahams. The senior guard scored a team-high 22 points
and made 4-of-9 three-pointers. UH-Hilo was able to cut the lead
to eight on an Alex Cabagnot steal and layup with 1:19 to play,
but the Yellowjackets made enough free throws down the stretch to
stave off the Vulcans’ comeback.
Along with Fortier’s 23 points, he also
grabbed ten rebounds for his fifth double-double in the last ten
games. Jerett Skrifvars scored 21 points to go with eight
rebounds. Both Fortier and Skrifvars scored 13 points at the
line. The Yellowjackets connected on 44-of-56 free throws in the
game, including 30-of-38 in the second half. Sixteen of those
free throws came in the final five minutes as UHH was trying to
trade baskets for free throws.
The Yellowjackets and Vulcans will square off
again Thursday night in a pivotal PacWest contest. Tip off will
be 7:00 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium. Both teams are chasing BYU-Hawaii,
who is 4-0 in conference play.
Click HERE
for photos of the Yellowjackets vs. Hilo |
