PORT ANGELES — Ituau Tuisaula followed up her team record-setting 24-rebound performance last week with a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double in Peninsula College’s 96-75 North Region women’s basketball contest Wednesday.
“Ituau, she scored a lot, but I was challenging her. Yyou are facing the other best post in the Region [Gwen Aasland], so she proved her worth,” coach Alison Crumb said. “She held No. 24 to 12 points and nine rebounds.”
Chasity Selden led the team with 27 points off the bench as the Pirates rolled.
It was the sixth straight win for Peninsula (6-2, 14-4), which was ranked No. 6 in the NWAC Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll earlier this week.
“I thought we shared the ball really well, we took good shots and we’ve really tried to make that an emphasis,” coach Alison Crumb said.
Crumb was pleased with the methods the Pirates used to post such a high point total. Peninsula hit 33 of 65 shots from the floor (51 percent), including 4 of 7 on 3-point tries.
“Out of 65 shots, only seven were 3s, and it’s hard to score 96 points like that,” Crumb said. “We made a lot of baskets inside, we got to the rim, and that’s a team effort. You have to set good screens, run the floor and execute well.”
Selden was 12 of 12 at the free-throw line.
“They didn’t have a great understanding of her game,” Crumb said.
Selden missed the first contest at Bellevue last month.
Adam Kaganak also had a big night, hitting 8 of 10 shots, including 3 of 3 on 3-pointers, to score 19 points.
“She had a great game,” Crumb said. “She stayed out of foul trouble, which has been her Achilles’ heel. She was selective with the shots she attempted, and she hit them. Sometimes we think if you are open, you need to shoot it, but we don’t have to take all those long shots if we can get to something better inside.”
Peninsula now faces a first-place showdown with No. 4 Shoreline (7-1, 15-6) at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“This is our biggest game of the season so far, ” Crumb said. “It’s going to be a battle. They are a title-contending team and I think that we are as well. Shoreline is so athletic, they are strong, they are long and can pack it in defensively. I think they will try to do that to us and make us shoot the 3, so we need to keep focusing on getting into the paint and not settling for shots.”
Peninsula 96, Bellevue 75
Bellevue 12 27 21 15 — 75
Peninsula 25 21 27 23 — 96
Bellevue (75) — Huerta 25, Van Ess 14, Aasland 12, Byrnes 8, Blauman 7, Rodriguez 5, Mueller 4.
Peninsula (81) — Jackson 23, Williams Jr. 20, Medlock Jr. 15, Onakpoma 9, D’Amato 5, Dean 4, Olmstead 3, Tinsley 2.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
Peninsula’s Tatianna Kamae tries to slip around the defense of Bellevue’s Jadyn Mueller on Wedneday night at Peninsula College. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Ituau Tuisaula takes aim at the basket over the heads of Bellevue’s Kristina Blauman, left, and teammate Jenilee Donovan on Wednesday in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Chasity Selden, right, drives to the lane as Bellevue’s Jadyn Mueller runs interference on Wednesday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
