Pierce Basketball: Lady Raiders Earn First Home Game Victory of Season

Editor's note: This is a recap provided by Jenee James, member of Pierce College athletics.

Another big performance on the offensive end lifted the Pierce College women’s basketball team (4-1) to a 71-65 win over the Trojans of Everett Community College (1-3) Wednesday night to notch their first home victory at the Health Education Center (HEC).

Pierce Guard Kawehi Hagi led the Raiders with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Hagi continues to showcase her talent on the court. This is her third consecutive game with 25 or more points scoring while shooting a remarkable 60 percent  from the field and 90 percent from the charity strip.

The Trojans were led by freshman Guard Gabrielle Redwine with 27 points.

Raiders sophomore Taylor Riley inked her third double-double of the season and her second in as many games scoring 14 points, grabbing 12 boards and dishing out 7 assists during the contest. Unique Taufa’asau (Federal Way, WA) scored 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Also in double digits on the night was sophomore shooting guard Hayley Hancock (Eatonville, WA). Hancock scored 13 points and continues to pose a threat from beyond the arc.

At the half the Raiders held a commanding lead over the Trojans and went into the locker room with a comfortable 42-26 lead but Everett would not go down easily. The Trojans outscored the Raiders 31-14 down the stretch making up for the 16-point deficit at the half. The Raiders were plagued by turnovers and impatient play.

The Trojans forced 26 Raider turnovers, many of them coming in the second half. Across the board, the numbers were fairly close with Everett out-performing the Raiders in almost every statistical category except rebounds and turnovers that proved to be the difference in the game.

“We let up in the second half," Hagi said "We got too comfortable with our lead. This was a lesson and will prepare us for other teams” Hagi said.

With this win the Raiders improve to 4-1 on the season as they prepare for their annual Raider Holiday Invitational. The Raiders will take on the Peninsula College Pirates in the opening round of bracket play and will take the court for the 8:00pm game. Tip-off for the tournament is slated for 2 p.m. with various teams from the NWAACC.