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HONOLULU, Hawaii – Winona State opened the season with a nail-biting win, defeating Lubbock Christian University 58-54 in the opening round of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic.
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\nVivica Bretton<\/a> and Megan Schuman<\/a> paced Winona State with 15 points, including Bretton scoring the game’s final four points to secure the win for the Warriors.
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\nA pair of Schuman free throws opened the scoring for the 2026-27 season as WSU took an early 2-0 lead, but LCU tallied seven straight points and then jumped out to a 17-5 lead with 2:41 left in the first quarter. A Vivica Bretton<\/a> layup brought the Warriors within 10, but the Lady Chaps hit a three pointer in the final seconds to take a 22-9 lead after the first.
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\nWinona State flipped the script in the second quarter, opening the period on a 13-0 run with five Warriors scoring, capped by a Sadie Jarmolowicz<\/a> swish from beyond the arc to bring the game within one possession with 3:12 remaining in the half. The Warriors then scored the final five points in the half with Jarmolowicz notching a put-back layup as time expired to send the teams into the locker room tied at 29 apiece.
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\nComing out of the break, Schuman scored six quick points in the paint but a pair of three pointers from Lubbock Christian kept things within one possession. After trading buckets, an and-one from Bretton tied the game up 44-44 with 2:50 left in the third quarter. LCU knocked down a triple in the final seconds of the third to hold a 47-44 lead heading into the final quarter.
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\nWinona State trailed by six points just 13 seconds into the fourth, but an 8-0 run over the game’s next five minutes gave WSU the lead. The Warriors and Lady Chaps battled back-and-forth and LCU sunk a pair of free throws to tie it 54-54 with less than a minute to go. After an Ana Wurtz<\/a> timeout, Bretton connected on a turnaround jumper in the paint to give Winona State the lead. Lubbock Christian missed the ensuing shot and Bretton sealed the deal with a pair of free throws in the final seconds to give the Warriors a season-opening win and send them into the semifinals of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic.
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\nCHECKING THE BOX SCORE<\/p>\n