WAHINE BASKETBALL
Kotani takes over at point guard for UH
The Hawaii women's basketball team will start a new point guard as it goes on the road and attempts to end a streak of two overtime defeats in Western Athletic Conference games.
Sophomore walk-on Amy Kotani will start at point guard and junior Janevia Taylor will move to shooting guard, Rainbow Wahine coach Jim Bolla said earlier this week.
"Amy sees the court and knows the offense. Janevia works hard bringing the ball up court and it has hurt her offense and defense. She needs to be free to contribute to the offense," Bolla said.
Taylor made just two of her 16 field-goal attempts in last week's two home games.
The Wahine (10-4, 1-2) play Fresno State (12-4, 4-0) tomorrow and meet Boise State (10-7, 2-3) on Monday.
"Fresno is No. 1 in our conference. Let's go up there and see if we can play well and keep our road streak going," Bolla said.
The Wahine are 3-0 in mainland games this season.
The Bulldogs beat Idaho by 19 points last night to extend their winning streak to five games.
Four Fresno State players -- Amy Parrish, Mirenda Swearengin, Chantella Perera and Tierre Wilson -- have double-figure scoring averages in the 11- to 14-points-a-game range.
The Wahine went back to the basics in practice this week.
"We are still trying to get the players to understand that they are not executing our offense the way we want. Because we still have a chance to win at the end, it is hard for them to understand this, but we are not there yet," Bolla said.
To help get the point across, associate head coach Pat Charity broke down the last two game films into mini films that showed the play of each individual player. That is what each Wahine studied this week.
In addition to the starting backcourt adjustment, playing time might be redistributed among the frontline.
With junior center Brittany Grice nursing a sprained right ankle, junior Pam Tambini could see action at the forward spot on the trip.
"Pam rebounds for us, and I think with this adjustment we're putting her in a better position to score because she can step out beyond the arc. It gives her more flexibility," Bolla said.
Bolla's starting five will be a game-time decision.
The Wahine shot free throws in practice this week after a 22-for-42 performance against New Mexico State last Saturday.
"We did not dwell on it. We're 80 percent in practice. I think last Saturday was just one of those games," Bolla said.
The games will be aired live here on KKEA 1420-AM radio at 2 p.m. tomorrow and 5 p.m. Monday.
In the all-time series, UH leads Fresno State 24-10, but has lost four of the last five meetings. The Wahine lead the Boise State series 8-1.