Friday, December 11, 1998
Wahine look for
By Al Chase
winning edge
Star-BulletinWith renewed focus, the Hawaii women's basketball team attempts to break a rare two-game losing streak tomorrow in a first-round game against Texas Southern in the Hawaii Invitational.
The pall that pervaded the UH locker room after the Nov. 28 Kentucky loss was indicative of the jolt the Wahine suffered.
"The mood was pretty bad. There was a lot of disappointment," senior captain BJ Itoman said. "We knew we did not want that to happen again.
"The next day we all knew we were going to lay it all on the floor. No matter what the hurdles, we don't let up. We keep playing the game."
The effort against North Carolina the following day was a step in that direction. Now, the UH coaches are counting on the absence of further jolts the remainder of the season.
Not only did Kentucky rally to win, the UH coaching staff was suddenly confronted with what seemed to be a loss of resolve and focus by several players.
"We had a lot of concern after the last 12 minutes of the Kentucky game, head coach Vince Goo said. "I thought we let up. We don't know what the reason is, but there shouldn't be a reason for that. We're a very young team and I think we matured a lot in that tournament."
From that point on, the mental approach to competing hard for the full 40 minutes has been stressed and Goo no longer views it as a problem.
With last weekend off, the Wahine were able to heal some nagging injuries and work on several deficiencies.
Offensively, the field goal percentage (43.5 percent) isn't up to par. The perimeter shooting is down from a year ago (29.1 percent this year vs. 38.7 in 1997-98). Much practice time was spent having the Wahine find their spots on the floor and shoot without defense, then passive defense.
The team worked on closing lanes and defending against the dribble, rebounding and boxing out, especially on the offensive boards.
"Our opponents hold a 2 to 1 advantage in offensive rebounds. It may be because they are taking more shots," Goo said. "But, we are doing a good job defending the 3-point shot."
In the latest NCAA statistics, Wahine forward Crystal Lee is tied for 15th place in free throw percentage (93.1 on 27-of-29). Forward Raylene Howard is tied for 37th place in scoring with a 20.7 points per game average.
A quick look at this weekend's visiting teams.
Texas Southern (2-6): Coach Peggy Stapleton, in her second year, has a young, eager team. The Lady Tigers are led by 6-foot-1 freshman center Kanesha Randle (13.3 points per game) and the only senior, 5-8 guard Sheila Pena (13.5 ppg).
Second-year coach Beth Burns knows Hawaii having coached San Diego State for eight years. Her leading scorers are 6-1 forward Larecha Jones (18.8 ppg) and 5-11 forward Marrita Porter (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg), who is hitting 62 percent of the field goal attempts.
SERIES RECORDS: Hawaii vs. Texas Southern, first meeting; vs. St. Mary's, 2-1; vs. Ohio State, first meeting.
SURPRISING: The Wahine, with no starter over 5-11, have more blocked shots than their opponents, 17-14, with Hedy Liu's nine rejections leading the way.
WILL WAIT: Freshman walkon Karyn Fitisemanu, a 5-9 guard/forward from Iolani School, will redshirt this year.
Hawaii Invitational
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
