WAHINE BASKETBALL
Wahine run over the Vandals
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Tanya Smith celebrated Australia Day in a big way.
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at New Mexico State on Thursday
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On the night of Australia's equivalent of Independence Day, the Sydney native amassed a career-high 25 rebounds and scored 14 points to lead Hawaii over Idaho 68-53 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawaii (8-11, 2-4 Western Athletic Conference) outrebounded the last-place Vandals (2-17, 1-6 WAC) by a margin of 44-25.
Iwona Zagrobelna added 15 points and Megan Tinnin 12 in the win.
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Just like that, the demons were exorcised.
Hawaii broke its lengthy string of 20-plus-turnover games with a relatively smooth offensive outing and punished last-place Idaho on the backboards en route to a 68-53 win last night before a gathering of 385 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine (8-11, 2-4 Western Athletic Conference) earned their first home WAC win of the season and first home win since Dec. 28 against UC Irvine.
If there was an opponent that Hawaii needed to break out of its WAC slump against, it was Idaho. The Vandals (2-17, 1-6) were held to 35.8 percent shooting and remained winless on the road in 10 attempts.
Hawaii power forward Tanya Smith wasn't particularly accurate (6-for-18 shooting) but was energetic all night on the glass, and the Vandals' top scorer, forward Katie Madison, couldn't keep her out of the paint. The Australian amassed a career-high 25 rebounds and scored 14 points for her ninth double-double in her last 10 games. She was one board off Renee McKnight's school-record 26 in 1978, and her five assists and four steals helped counteract six turnovers.
"I should have just missed one more shot," Smith joked. "I only have that many (rebounds) because I missed that many shots (10 were offensive boards)."
Regardless, her efforts basically accounted for a 44-25 team advantage on the glass.
Iwona Zagrobelna added 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and Megan Tinnin chipped in 12, including three 3-pointers.
Thanks to a superb passing game in the first half, the Wahine picked apart the Vandals' zone defense with a solid high-low post attack to build an early 24-15 lead and 36-23 halftime advantage. Everyone who played in the first half except Ebony Jones notched at least one assist, and the team had just six turnovers at the half. Hawaii had committed 20 or more turnovers in every WAC game up to last night, but kept the damage to 18 with 15 assists.
"For us to have less than 20 turnovers, that's a big deal," coach Jim Bolla said. "(And) 25 boards for Tanya is pretty awesome.
But that's Tanya, she comes with her lunch bucket and her hard hat and goes to work in every game."
For several minutes midway through the second half, all of Hawaii's old woes -- haste and miscommunication leading to turnovers -- roared back as the Wahine coughed up the ball on five straight possessions.
Idaho capitalized with a 16-3 run, and Alana Curtis hit a jumper to pull the Vandals to within 48-47 with 6 minutes left.
Keisha Kanekoa snapped Hawaii out of the funk with a sweet behind-the-head pass to Zagrobelna, and -- combined with a defensive switch from man-to-man to a matchup zone -- the Wahine burst to a 12-0 run capped off with a Kanekoa 3-point play and a layup by Smith at 3:55 to extend to 60-47.
Idaho never seriously threatened again.
"I think it was like, we know we're much better than them, and we just came to a point where we just gave up and we just had to come back as fast as we could," Smith said.
Bolla was happy with the overall effort his team gave in its two-game homestand against defending WAC champion Boise State and Idaho, but the Wahine now need to take the energy on the road to New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech.
"(Idaho) hung in there and was physical, and made it a game," he said.
"We're not in a position where we can take any team lightly.
"They're going to win some games."
Guard Amy Kotani missed her second straight game with an injured ankle and observed in street clothes.
WAC Standings
|
WAC |
Overall
|
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
GB |
W |
L
|
Fresno State |
6 |
0 |
1.000 |
-- |
11 |
8
|
Nevada |
5 |
1 |
.833 |
1 |
14 |
5
|
New Mexico State |
4 |
2 |
.667 |
2 |
14 |
5
|
Boise State |
4 |
2 |
.667 |
2 |
12 |
6
|
Louisiana Tech |
3 |
3 |
.500 |
3 |
9 |
10
|
Utah State |
2 |
5 |
.286 |
3 1/2 |
6 |
13
|
Hawaii |
2 |
4 |
.333 |
4 |
8 |
11
|
San Jose State |
1 |
5 |
.167 |
5 |
2 |
17
|
Idaho |
1 |
6 |
.143 |
5 1/2 |
2 |
17 |
Yesterday
Hawaii 68, Idaho 53
Nevada 83, New Mexico State 76 (OT)
Louisiana Tech 71, Utah State 56
Fresno State 83, San Jose State 65
Hawaii 68, Idaho 53
Rainbow Wahine (8-11, 2-4 WAC) |
|
|
|
fg |
fga |
ft |
fta |
min |
reb |
a |
tp
|
Liepkalne |
3 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
20 |
3 |
1 |
8
|
Smith |
6 |
18 |
2 |
4 |
38 |
25 |
5 |
14
|
Tinnin |
3 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
30 |
3 |
1 |
12
|
Galdones |
1 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
19 |
1 |
1 |
3
|
Cariaga |
3 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
40 |
3 |
2 |
9
|
Kanekoa |
2 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
25 |
3 |
4 |
7
|
Zagrobelna |
6 |
8 |
3 |
5 |
22 |
4 |
1 |
15
|
Jones |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0
|
TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Totals |
24 |
55 |
16 |
22 |
200 |
44 |
15 |
68 |
Vandals (2-17, 1-6 WAC)
|
|
fg |
fga |
ft |
fta |
min |
reb |
a |
tp
|
Olorunnife |
2 |
7 |
4 |
6 |
28 |
7 |
3 |
8
|
Madison |
4 |
8 |
1 |
5 |
21 |
5 |
1 |
9
|
Otero |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Curtis |
3 |
11 |
4 |
5 |
33 |
1 |
0 |
10
|
Dennehy |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
3 |
0 |
3
|
Bakondy |
4 |
9 |
2 |
2 |
26 |
2 |
2 |
11
|
Koppen |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Wells |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Kloke |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
1 |
3
|
Simon-West |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Riedel |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
2 |
4
|
Schlotthauer |
2 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
18 |
2 |
2 |
5
|
TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
Totals |
19 |
53 |
11 |
18 |
200 |
25 |
10 |
53 |
Key -- fg: field goals made; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws made; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes played; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
Halftime -- Hawaii 36, Idaho 23
3-point goals -- Hawaii 4-9(Tinnin 3-6, Cariaga 1-1, Galdones 0-1, Zagrobelna 0-1). Idaho 4-18 (Schlotthauer 1-2, Bakondy 1-4, Dennehy 1-3, Curtis 0-5, Simon-West 0-1). Personal fouls -- Hawaii 18, Idaho 17.
Steals -- Hawaii 9 (Smith 4, Tinnin 2, Zagrobelna 2, Galdones 1), Idaho 11 (Dennehy 3, Oter0 2, Olorunnife 2, Madison, Curtis, Bakondy, Schlotthauer). Blocked shots -- Hawaii 3 (Cariaga 2, Smith), Idaho 2 (Dennehy, Olorunnife). Turnovers -- Hawaii 18(Smith 6, Tinnin 3, Cariaga 3, Galdones 2, Kanekoa 2, Liepkalne, Zagrobelna). Idaho 15 (Olorunnife 3, Madison 3, Curtis 2, Bakondy 2, Otero, Koppen, Wells, Kloke, Schlotthauer).
Officials -- Shelley Nakasone, Jim Morrell, Todd Apo.