DES MOINES — The Peninsula College women’s basketball team got its first victory of the season thanks to a stifling defense and the best game of Alecsis Smith’s career with the Pirates.
The Pirates beat Highline 66-37 on Monday, holding the Thunderbirds to just 19.6 percent shooting from the floor (11-for-56).
Smith had a huge game, nearly outscoring the entire Highline team. She scored 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting and pulled down 15 rebounds, all in just 24 minutes of play.
Other than Smith, the Pirates didn’t shoot terribly well, but outrebounded Highline 50-37 and got off 71 shots to 56 for Highline.
Aspen Fraser also had her best game for the Pirates, scoring 12 points to go with 11 rebounds. Marley Myers hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored nine points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Neah Bay’s Ryana Moss led the team with six assists, also adding seven rebounds and three steals.
Peninsula (1-2) has Thanksgiving week off and next plays at its home Pirates Classic beginning Dec. 4, hosting Chemeketa at 6 p.m. The Pirates play Lower Columbia at 4 p.m. Dec. 5 and Tacoma at 2 p.m. Dec. 6.
Peninsula 66, Highline 37
PC 18 13 20 15 — 66
HCC 6 14 5 12 — 37
Peninsula (66) — Smith 29, Fraser 12, Myers 9, Ostrander 6, Moss 5, Caldera 3, Brown 2.
Highline (37) — Richardson 12, Graise 7, DeBois 5, Lopez 4, Sevaatasi 3, Anderson 3, Aumua 2, Lee 1.

