PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College women’s basketball team rode an 18-2 second-quarter run to help carry them to a 72-53 win over Highline.
Peninsula ended up scoring 28 points in that big second quarter Wednesday as Taisha Thomas got hot in the period and ended the half with 13 points. She finished with 15 for the game.
Alicia Dugan had a great game on both ends of the floor, filling up the passing lanes for seven steals and scoring 23 points, many of them layups after thefts. Jenise McKnight also added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite the win, coach Allison Crumb kept the team in the locker room for half an hour afterward. She wasn’t happy with her team’s overall effort or energy.
“I didn’t see a lot I liked tonight. I didn’t see energy and heart. We won, but that isn’t what it’s about. Taisha, Jenise, Alicia had great games, but as a group, we didn’t have a great game. We gotta figure it out and play like a team,” Crumb said.
The game was tight early with the score 13-12 after the first quarter.
Peninsula took control in the second quarter thanks to 10 points by Thomas in less than four minutes. Dugan added a pair of 3-pointers during the big run as the Pirates opened up a 33-17 lead. Milan Barnes also hit a pair of 3-pointers in that big second quarter.
Peninsula took a 41-27 lead into the half, shooting 6-for-12 from 3-point range in the first two quarters thanks to 3-for-4 shooting from outside by Dugan.
The Pirates then opened the lead up to 51-30 midway through the third quarter after a Thomas dribble drive for a bucket.
But, the Pirates went stone cold for a while in the second half, going 5:32 without scoring a point. The Thunderbirds outscored the Pirates 10-0 during that stretch, cutting the lead in half and clawing back to make it a 51-40 score.
At the end of the third and beginning of the fourth, however, Peninsula scored eight straight points, capped by two free throws by McKnight for a comfortable 59-40 lead early in the fourth quarter. Highline never seriously threatened again after that.
Peninsula (3-3) will play Clackamas today at the Pierce Tournament in Steilacoom.
Peninsula 72, Highline 53
Highline 12 28 14 17— 53
Peninsula 13 15 13 13— 72
Highline (53) — Swanes 10, Westbrook 9, Puoy 8, Cook 6, Snyder 5, Hansgen 5, Pino 4, Brooks 3, Miller 3.
Peninsula (72) — Dugan 23, McKnight 17, Thomas 15, Rodisha 9, Barnes 6, Rodriguez 1, Butler 1.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
