Wednesday, December 19, 2001
[ WAHINE BASKETBALL ]
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Wahine win Hawaii coach Vince Goo said the Wahine basketball team would need to play smart and have a strong defensive performance to win against a similar Cleveland State team.
Classic title
Tournament MVP Christen Roper
scores a 22 in the 76-55 winBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.com
The Wahine (7-2) did just that and proved they weren't too mentally drained from finals week to answer one last test before conference play.
Before 796 at the Stan Sheriff Center, Hawaii captured the 10th annual Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic with a 76-55 win over Cleveland State.
It was the seventh time Hawaii has won the Classic as the Wahine picked up their third consecutive win and snapped the Vikings' four-game win streak.
Junior Christen Roper, who was named tournament MVP, scored a career-high 22 points (19 in the first half) and pulled down 10 rebounds before fouling out with seven minutes to go.
Natasja Allen, who joined Roper on the all-tournament team, added 20 points and six rebounds as the Wahine dominated the boards 52-30.
Ashley Schrock and Shannon Sword each had 13 for the Vikings, who shot a measly 23 percent from the field.
Goo nearly emptied his bench in the second half after the Wahine built a 21-point lead at 54-33.
Wahine volleyball player Kim Willoughby had six points and seven rebounds.
Hawaii opened the game with an 11-0 run. Cleveland State missed its first nine shots and couldn't get the ball inside.
Hawaii, on the other hand, ran its offense to perfection, working the ball inside to post players Roper and Allen. The two combined for 31 of Hawaii's 37 first-half points.
Roper was unstoppable inside the paint, going over Cleveland State's 6-foot-4 center Kim Brockway, who didn't give up much in height but lacked the girth to contain Roper.
Maria Richards' three-pointer at 14:49 started a 17-9 run that cut Hawaii's lead to three at 20-17. But the Wahine closed with an 11-3 run to take a 13-point advantage at the end of the half.
In the consolation game, Charlotte defeated Tennessee State 56-40 as Alicia Abernathy poured in 17 points.
UH's Karena Greeny joined Roper and Allen on the all-tournament team, as did LaRissa Thomas of Tennessee State, Charlotte's Abernathy and Erika Roudebush of Cleveland State.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii