Jackets Upset 13th-Ranked Vulcans, 105-95 (Feb. 8, 2005)
Box Score
BILLINGS, MT – It took about two and a half
minutes for Montana State-Billings to snatch victory from the jaws
of defeat Tuesday night. The Yellowjackets erased a 12 point
second half deficit to upset 13th-ranked Hawaii-Hilo,
105-95. The win improved MSU Billings to 13-5 overall and 5-4 in
the PacWest. The Vulcans, the top-ranked team in the West Region,
lost for just the third time to fall to 20-3, 8-3 in the PacWest.
After a 48-48 halftime score, the first eight
minutes of the second half saw two ties and five lead changes.
Hawaii-Hilo looked as though it had taken over the game midway
through the second half, building its lead to as many as 12. A
pair of Skip Esene free throws at 12:35 started the 16-4 Vulcans
run. Alex Cabagnot’s jumper at 7:12 gave UHH an 84-72 advantage
and all of the momentum.
After a pair of Carlin Hughes (Fr., Perth, Australia) free throws cut the lead
to 10, the Yellowjackets erupted for three 3-pointers in the span
of 48 seconds. Buddy Windy Boy (Jr., Lodge Grass, MT) hit back-to-back
triples followed by a Cameron Munoz (Jr., Chino, CA) long ball from the wing,
trimming the lead to 86-83.
Following two more free throws from Hughes
that cut the lead to one, Justin Hassell (Sr., Brooklyn, NY) converted a traditional
3-point play at the end of the fast break with 4:40 remaining,
giving the Yellowjackets an 87-86 lead that they would not
relinquish.
Consecutive 3-point plays by Windy Boy in the
paint pushed the Jackets’ lead to eight. Windy Boy’s layup with
2:43 left delivered the knockout blow, giving MSU Billings an 11
point lead. The Yellowjackets were 7-of-10 from the free throw
line in the final 1:19 to seal the win.
Hughes finished with a career-high 27 points,
hitting 13-of-17 from the stripe and 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
He also handed out a game-high six assists. Munoz shared high
scoring honors with Hughes, dropping in 27 points and seven
3-pointers. The Jackets were 16-of-37 from beyond the arc in the
game.
Windy Boy finished with 17 points on 6-of-11
shooting. He was 3-of-8 from 3-point. Hassell notched a
double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Freshman Lucas Walker (Launceston, Australia) had a tough night from
the field, making 1-of-12, but he was a perfect 10-of-10 from the
line for 13 points. Jonathan Wiley (So., Westlake Village, CA) added eight points
and six rebounds.
The Vulcans were paced by Esene’s 23 points
on 7-of-12 shooting. He also had eight boards. Cabagnot finished
with 16 points, hitting 5-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the
line. Kimo Keiter-Charles added 12 points and five assists.
Justin Dobson led UHH with 12 rebounds and also had eight points.
The Yellowjackets host Chaminade University
on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Silverswords easily defeated Western
New Mexico in Silver City Tuesday night to improve to 14-8 overall
and 7-4 in the conference. The Jackets and Swords will meet again
Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Alterowitz Gym. The six new Yellowjacket
Hall of Fame inductees will be introduced at halftime of that
game.
Click HERE for photos of
the Yellowjackets vs. Hawaii-Hilo |
