(Billings, MT) Park University Gilbert women’s basketball team showed everyone the first two games of the season were not just talk, it was about business. This evening the Buccaneers went on the road and beat the 21st-ranked team in the country Rocky Mountain College 89-78 at the Fortin Education Center. The Buccaneers are now 3-0 on the season.
This is the first win in program history over a team ranked in the NAIA top-25.
The Buccaneers got things going right off the bat with a three-point basket by Savannah Huerta and never trailed throughout the contest. The Bucs won the first quarter 19-17 led in scoring with seven points by Huerta who was 3-3 in the quarter.
It was the second quarter where the Bucs broke the game open, winning the stanza 30-24 to take an eight point halftime lead 49-41. Senior Kayla Schroeder and freshman Jacie Bunck led the Bucs with eight points each as the Bucs shot 50 percent from the floor for the quarter and 60 percent (6-10) from three. The Bucs forced Rocky Mountain into seven turnovers in the quarter.
When facing a ranked team such as Rocky Mountain, you have to expect they will make a run. This is exactly what happened in the third quarter. The Bears cut the lead to at 59-58 with 3:44 left in the third quarter. But the Bucs did not flinch, going on a 9-0 run to end the quarter with a 10-point advantage. Junior Alynna Palaciosdominated the quarter scoring 11 or Bucs 19 points and adding four steals.
The final result was never in doubt in the fourth quarter as the Bucs led by as many as 14 but never allowed the Bears to get closer than eight points.
“This is a special group,” said Buccaneers head coach Ben York. “I’m incredibly proud of how they fought. This was the definition of a team victory against a ranked team and one of the biggest wins in our program history.”
Park Gilbert shot 49 percent from the floor and 46 percent from three. The Bucs also shot 73 percent from the free throw line. The Bucs had 16 steals and forced 24 Bear turnovers.
Rocky Mountain shot 42 percent from the floor, 33 percent from three and 53 percent from the line.
Individually, Palacios led the team with a career high 21 points. She also had five steals, four rebounds and two assists.
Huerta added 17 points, three assists and three steals. Schroeder posted 14 points on 5-10 shooting and 4-5 from three. Bunck and freshman Camisha Fuson each had 10 points. The 10 points was a career high from Fuson.
The Bucs return to the floor tomorrow afternoon as they take on Montana State-Northern at 4 p.m. in the Fortin Education Center on the campus of Rocky Mountain College. This will be the first matchup between the two teams.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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