Yellowjackets Keep Rolling with Last Second Win (Feb. 15, 2005)
Box Score

HONOLULU, HI – After missing two straight free throws in the final minutes, Cameron Munoz (Jr., Chino, CA) bounced back to drain a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds on the clock Tuesday, giving  Montana State-Billings a 92-90 win at Hawaii Pacific.  For the Yellowjackets it was their eighth straight conference win, improving them to 16-6 overall and 8-4 in the PacWest.  The Sea Warriors dropped to 8-13, 2-9.

The Yellowjackets entered the game with just seven players in uniform.  Freshman Lucas Walker (Launceston, Australia) is sidelined for the season with a broken hand, and sophomore Jonathan Wiley (Westlake Village, CA) missed the game with an injury.  Both players are usual starters.

Hawaii Pacific, which gave up 225 points in two losses in Billings last month, started fast on Tuesday.  The Sea Warriors capitalized on numerous Yellowjacket turnovers in the early going to build a 23-10 lead.  The Yellowjackets stormed back using the 3-pointer.  Buddy Windy Boy (Jr., Lodge Grass, MT) had four 3-pointers in the first 8:40 to pull the Jackets back into the game.  He scored 14 of the team’s first 27 points and his fourth 3-pointer tied the game at 27-27.  After the slow start, the Yellowjackets found their offensive rhythm to take a 46-41 halftime lead after leading by as many as seven.

The Sea Warriors quickly erased the Jackets’ lead after halftime and led for much of the second half.  The see-saw second half saw neither team lead by more than eight points.  After MSU Billings came back from an eight point deficit, Munoz had a chance to extend MSUB’s 87-85 lead with two free throws with 2:12 to play.  He missed both, allowing HPU to tie the game at 87-87 on the next possession.

After the team’s traded baskets, HPU’s Audrius Peciukas was sent to the line with 15 seconds remaining and hit one of the two free throws to give the Sea Warriors a 90-89 lead.  Following a timeout, the Yellowjackets were able to spring Munoz on the wing for the game winner.  The Sea Warriors were not able to get a shot off in the final seconds.

All five MSU Billings starters scored in double figures, led by Munoz’s 24 points.  He was 5-of-10 from 3-point range.  Justin Hassell (Sr., Brooklyn, NY) and Windy Boy finished with 20 points each.  Hassell had 14 points for his league-leading ninth double-double. 

Carlin Hughes (Fr., Perth, Australia) and Cody Samuelson (So., Broadus, MT) each scored 14 points.  Hughes was 4-of-10 from behind the arc and finished with a career-high nine assists.  The Jackets’ only players off the bench were true freshmen Drew Arnold (Tempe, AZ) and Jay Jamieson (Big Sandy, MT).  The pair combined for just eight minutes.

HPU was led by Dante Sykes who finished with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists.  Finis Harwell scored 18 points, and Aleks Jakovcjevic added 15 points and 11 boards.  Alex Swerzbin had 11 points and seven assists. 

MSU Billings plays at BYU-Hawaii on Thursday and Saturday.  Both games will be broadcast on AM 970 KBUL.  Thursday’s game tips off at 10:30 p.m. MST, and Saturday’s starts at 5:00 p.m. MST. The Seasiders ran past Western New Mexico, 94-63, on Tuesday.