Hartford takes Wahine Classic

Tournament MVP Danielle Hood scored a game-high 19 points as Hartford routed Virginia 70-53 to win the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic yesterday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

After the Rainbow Wahine (3-3) took their only lead of the game late in the first half, Minnesota outscored them 41-13 over a 20-minute stretch.

Hawaii could not overcome a season-high 35 turnovers, which translated to 35 points for the Golden Gophers.

Tanya Smith was held to single digits in scoring for the second straight game, both Hawaii losses.

Texas finished in fifth place by beating UAB 59-49, while Kentucky smoked Lipscomb 76-55 for seventh.

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The blueprint to beating Hawaii has become evident in its last two games.

Facing another team that plays aggressive defense, Hawaii wilted under the pressure yesterday , committing a season-high 35 turnovers in a 72-54 loss to Minnesota in the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

At one point midway through the second half, Hawaii (3-3) had more turnovers (31) than points scored (30).

"We need to be able to learn how to play against pressure," Hawaii coach Jim Bolla said. "Thirty-five turnovers. You're not going to win that battle."

Sophomore Megan Tinnin led Hawaii with 15 points off the bench. But as was the case in Saturday's loss to Hartford, the starting unit struggled to produce.

Tanya Smith was just 2-for-9 from the field and finished with six points and eight rebounds. Freshman Keisha Kanekoa was held to a season-low four points and committed nine turnovers.

"We just don't have the capability right now to come down and get a bucket," Bolla said. "We're still not executing our plays. We ran a couple sets that I don't even know what they are."

Eleven of Hawaii's giveaways came in the opening 10 minutes, helping Minnesota (7-1) jump out to a 23-9 lead.

Tinnin scored eight points in a row as the Rainbow Wahine answered with a 14-0 run to tie the game at 23. Leilani Galdones swished a 3-pointer to give them their first lead, but the turnover bug struck again.

Hawaii gave it up seven more times in the final 5 minutes and was outscored 15-2 to end the half. The Wahine finished with 21 turnovers at the break, allowing the Golden Gophers to attempt 11 more shots and take a 40-28 lead at intermission.

"We let them get to us," Tinnin said. "We were right there, but we dropped our intensity."

Minnesota's man-to-man pressure defense continued to give Hawaii fits. The Rainbow Wahine turned the ball over on their first five possessions of the second half and made just one field goal in 8 minutes as the Golden Gophers built a 27-point lead.

"We had some people putting their heads down and that was another thing we talked about," Bolla said. "You're going to make mistakes, but when you put your head down it leads to another mistake. You have got to be able to forget about it."

The Rainbow Wahine will have two weeks to forget about their last two games. They don't play again until the Island Imaging Paradise Classic, which begins Dec. 14.