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61
Hope International HIU 0-1, 0-0
73
Winner Montana Western (MT) UMW 1-0, 0-0
Hope International HIU
0-1, 0-0
61
Final
73
Montana Western (MT) UMW
1-0, 0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Hope International HIU 18 8 11 24 61
Montana Western (MT) UMW 12 22 12 27 73
Mila Hawk vs HIU 2026
Terri Haverfield

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

UMW Women’s Basketball Opens 2026-27 Season with 73-61 Victory over Hope International

DILLON, Mont. – The UMW women's basketball program (1-0) earned the 73-61 victory over GSAC preseason-favorite Hope International (0-1) Thursday evening in Straugh Gymnasium.
 
The Bulldogs were down 10 points early in the game, but locked it down defensively while shooting 40.4 percent from the field over the final three quarters to come out on top.
 
NOTABLES
Bailee Sayler earned a career high in both points and rebounds.
 
Reese Gustin was a force on the glass in her collegiate debut with eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
 
Marisa Snider dropped nine points in just 15 minutes of action in her first game for the Bulldogs.
 
Mila Hawk tied her career high in points.
 
STAT BREAKDOWN
UMW shot 38.4 percent (28-73) from the field, 25.0 percent (9-36) from beyond the arc, and 57.1 percent (8-14) from the charity stripe.
 
Western earned 52 rebounds, 10 assists, nine steals, and seven blocks.
 
The Bulldogs registered 28 points in the paint, 18 points off turnovers, 11 second-chance points, and 15 bench points.  
 
LEADERBOARD
Bailee Sayler led the game in both points (27) and rebounds (13).
 
Tayva Phillips (12) and Mila Hawk (11) were second and third on the team in scoring. The duo tied for the game-high in assists with three apiece while Phillips also shared the game-lead in steals with three.
 
Reese Gustin and Kyle Pancost tied for second on the team in rebounds with eight each.
 
Sayler, Pancost, and Ava Bellach shared the game-high in blocks with two apiece.
 
GAME SUMMARY
The Royals opened the game with an 11-1 run and led by 10, 13-3, with just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
 
Western pulled back within six, 18-12, by the end of the period.
 
The Bulldogs got hot in the second frame, draining nine shots, including four from beyond the arc. They also made some key defensive stops, holding HIU to just eight points in the quarter.
 
A three-pointer at the six-minute mark of the second put the Bulldogs ahead 22-20, a lead which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.
 
UMW led by eight, 34-26, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
 
The two sides were more evenly matched in the second half, with the Bulldogs outscoring the Royals 12-11 in the third.
 
They led by nine, 46-37, heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Both teams found the basket more in the last frame with UMW holding the 27-24 advantage in fourth-quarter points.
 
Six made free throws down the stretch gave Western its biggest lead of the game as the clock wound down, and the Bulldogs cruised to the 12-point win.
.
THE OTHER GUYS
The Royals shot 30.6 percent (19-62) from the floor, 25.8 percent (8-31) from distance, and 71.4 percent (15-21) from the foul line. They earned 44 rebounds, nine assists, seven steals, and two blocks in the contest. Amira Austin led the team with 18 points while Andrea Javier and Faith Brinkman were also in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Javier paced HIU in rebounds (nine) while she and Jordan Arreola tied for the game-high with three assists each. Brinkman tallied a game-high tying three steals. Austin and Jamelia Coleman each posted one block.
 
COMING UP 
The Bulldogs head to Spokane, Wash., this weekend to take part in the Northwest Crossover Classic. They will face off against Evergreen State (10/24) and (RV) LC State (10/25).
 
For complete coverage of UMW Women's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_wbb (Instagram), @umw_wbb (X), and @Montana Western Women's Basketball (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!
 
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