WAHINE BASKETBALL
Hawaii Invitational
Teams: Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (3-2), Oregon State Beavers (2-3), Wichita State Shockers (5-1), Hawaii Wahine (4-2).
Coaches: Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sandy Botham, 4th season (45-42, .517), Oregon State, Judy Spoelstra, 11th season (148-133, .527), Wichita State, Darryl Smith, 10th season (181-77, .702), Hawaii, Vince Goo, 13th season (245-109, .692).
Series record: This is Hawaii's first meeting with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. UH leads Wichita State, 2-0, and trails Oregon State, 2-3.
Top players: Wisconsin-Milwaukee, freshman guard Jessica Wilhite (9.6 point per game), junior center Janelle Jonason (7.6 ppg, 6.4 rebounds per game) ... Oregon State senior center Sissel Pierce (8.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), sophomore guard Felicia Ragland (8.8 ppg) ... Wichita State, junior guard Courtney Sims (19.2 ppg), senior guard Lateesha Hill (15.5 ppg), senior guard Keomi Johnson (15.3 ppg), sophomore forward Jennifer Kaczka (13.2 ppg) ... Hawaii, junior forward Kylie Galloway (17.0 ppg), senior guard Raylene Howard (16.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg), senior forward Hedy Liu (7.0 rpg).
Interesting facts: Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Midwestern Collegiate Conference, is on a win, lose, win, lose, win rollercoaster so far this season Wilhite scored 17 points to lead the Panthers past Montana State in their last game ... Oregon State, Pacific 10 Conference, defeated Portland State and Idaho State to open the season, then lost its next three games. OSU forward Reda Petraitis and Hawaii's Dainora Puida were teammates on the Lithuanian junior national team ... Wichita State, Missouri Valley Conference, has played two future UH opponents, losing to Texas Christian, 86-80, and trouncing Tulsa, 85-65 ... Tomorrow is Nostalgia Day with free admission for everyone at Klum Gym. Saturday is Honolulu Ford/Toys for Tots Night with those bringing a new toy (benefits the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots drive) admitted free. Sunday is KCCN/Revlon night with 2000 fans receiving a bottle of Revlon "Sweetwater" nail polish after the game.
Tournament keys: The Wahine need to continue building on the success they enjoyed in the last tournament. That means showing the refinements made to the offense and defense during practice this past week when they had no games ... The Shockers are off to a strong start and relay on their three guards who combined for 59 points in their latest victory, 86-81 over Oklahoma State.They have a better 3-point field goal percentage (.410) than field goal percentage (.405) ... The Panthers have just one starter over 6-foot tall and will probably have to contend with zone defenses until they show the ability to score from the perimeter. This is the first trip outside the contiguous 48 states for the women's team so they must remain focused on the reason they are here ... The Beavers have not scored over 56 points in their last three games, all losses, and no starter is averaging in double figures. They need to improve their shooting from the floor (.355) and cut down on opponents field goal percentage (.443).
Tournament schedule: Tomorrow, Oregon State vs. Wichita State, 1 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3 p.m., Klum Gym. Saturday, Wisconsin-Milwaukee vs. Wichita State, 5 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Oregon State 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center. Sunday, Oregon State vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 4 p.m.,; Hawaii vs. Wichita State, 6 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center.
On the air: Tomorrow's Hawaii-Oregon State game at 7 p.m. and Sunday's Hawaii-Wichita State game at 6 p.m. are live on KCCN (1420 AM). Sunday's Hawaii-Wichita State game is live at 6 p.m. on KFVE (Channel 5).
RealAudio: Live 'Net broadcast Click Here
By Al Chase, Star-Bulletin
