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Tuesday, December 19, 2000
Wahine win The bruise on Jana Gabrielova's knee and the cut above Christa Brossman's eye were signs of a tightly contested physical battle.
Classic battle
Hawaii wins Paradise Classic
opener by 44 points, the largest
margin of victory in three yearsBy Tim Crouse
Special to the Star-BulletinBut the final score showed the University of Hawaii clearly won the battle of points.
The Wahine crushed Detroit Mercy, 97-53, in yesterday's Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic opener at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The tournament continues today, with Houston and Detroit Mercy playing at 5 p.m. and UH taking on Eastern Washington at 7 p.m.
Dainora Puida erupted for 18 of her game-high 21 points in the first half and the Wahine bench helped propel Hawaii (7-2) to its biggest win margin in nearly three years.
"We played really well as a team and we executed really well," said freshman forward Brossman, who took an elbow to the face in the second half. Despite the injury, she had personal season highs in points (15), rebounds (six) and minutes played (22).
"They were physical, but I didn't mind," she said. "It was good to get in there and get into the flow of the game."
Puida didn't waste any time getting into that flow, scoring early and often as the Wahine took an 18-3 lead. She scored 11 points before the game was even six minutes old, hitting two 3-pointers in the process.
"I thought that was the turning point in the game," Detroit coach Anne Rexford said of Puida's treys. "They just pulled away after that."
The Titans (5-4) never got into the game, thanks in part to point guard Gabrielova.
"Playing a team that averaged 80 points a game, you need to rely on your point guard to control the tempo," UH coach Vince Goo said. "She did a good job pushing the ball upcourt and making good decisions when we needed to get into a halfcourt set."
Gabrielova finished with five assists and zero turnovers.
Of the 18 Wahine baskets in the first half, 14 were assisted.
UH held Detroit to 25 percent shooting for the game.
"It could have been a little nerves, excitement about being in Hawaii for the first time," said Rexford.
"Their big girls did a good job against our freshmen (post players). That was the difference tonight."
Of Detroit's five post players, four are freshmen and the other a sophomore.
That contrasts sharply with the senior presence of Puida.
"Dainora is our fixture in the middle and everything revolves around the post player," Goo said. "If she can come out and play with that kind of intensity we'll be good the rest of the season."
Christen Roper pulled down eight rebounds in the second half, scored a basket and blocked two shots.
The Wahine's 97 points -- the most since they scored 105 against UNLV in 1998 -- were even more surprising because their second-leading scorer was shut out.
Crystal Lee came into the game averaging 18 points and 36 minutes a game. She didn't score in 11 minutes because of foul trouble.
Natasja Allen (14 points), Karena Greeny (10) and Michelle Gabriel (nine) picked up the slack though -- all registering career highs in points.
"We've been concentrating on executing our game more and being more fluid," Brossman said.
HAWAII 97, DETROIT MERCY 53
Titans (5-4, 0-1 AMHPC)
fg fga ft fta reb a tp min Henry 3 8 0 2 5 0 6 17 James 4 7 0 1 2 2 9 22 Hill 1 12 0 0 1 1 3 28 Peterman 2 6 1 2 5 1 5 30 Savalli 1 5 0 0 2 0 3 8 Wild 0 4 0 0 5 0 0 18 Yoches 1 6 5 6 6 1 8 17 O’Dea 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 10 Moss 6 17 1 5 3 0 16 20 Coleman 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 12 Bortz 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 11 Crum 1 5 0 0 1 0 3 7 Team 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 Totals 19 76 7 16 40 8 53 200 Wahine (7-2, 1-0 AMHPC)
fg fga ft fta reb a tp min Galloway 5 7 1 1 3 3 12 25 Gabrielova 3 7 0 0 3 5 8 24 Lee 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 11 Atuaia 2 5 1 2 6 5 6 25 Puida 7 9 4 5 6 2 21 22 Croser 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 5 Brossman 3 8 8 10 6 2 15 22 Roper 1 3 0 0 8 0 2 18 Gabriel 2 2 5 7 1 2 9 13 Greeny 4 6 2 2 5 0 10 18 Allen 5 5 4 4 6 1 14 22 Team 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 32 55 25 32 46 24 97 200 Key--fg: field goals; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
Halftime score-Hawaii 51, Detroit 20
3-point goals-Detroit 8-25 (Moss 3-9, Hill 1-6, Yoches 1-3, Savalli 1-2, Crum 1-2, James 1-1, Wild 0-1, Peterman 0-1), UH 8-15 (Puida 3-3, Gabrielova 2-5, Brossman 1-2, Atuaia 1-2, Galloway 1-1, Lee 0-1, Greeny 0-1). Personal fouls-Detroit 24, Hawaii 17. Fouled out-none. Steals-Detroit 7 (Yoches 2, Moss 2, James, Hill, Coleman), Hawaii 6 (Gabrielova 3, Galloway, Brossman, Puida). Blocked shots-Detroit 1 (Bortz), Hawaii 4 (Puida 2, Roper 2). Turnovers-Detroit 18, Hawaii 17. Technicals-none. Officials-Yamasaki, Wells, Labenz.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O HawaiiA-530.
