[ WAHINE BASKETBALL ]
Wahine hang on
vs. Bulldogs to end
losing streak
FRESNO, Calif. >> Yesterday was the perfect time for the Rainbow Wahine basketball team to start a new winning streak against Fresno State and spoil the Bulldogs' Western Athletic Conference opener in the Save Mart Center. Hawaii took the opportunity for a 48-46 win.
Fresno State stopped a 15-game losing skid to UH in the team's final WAC game in the old North Gym a year ago.
Hawaii (3-7 overall, 1-0 WAC) came into yesterday's game with three consecutive losses by an average of five points. Fresno State had won four of its last five games, had triumphed in its last two conference openers, and was the heavy favorite.
The Wahine started the game by jumping to a 9-0 lead. With the exception of FSU's one-point lead, 18-17, late in the first half, and two ties in the second half, UH led the rest of the time.
More importantly, Hawaii took its final lead on Jade Abele's layup with 2.3 seconds to play.
In a frenzied final 51 seconds during which the Wahine threw the ball away twice and had a call go against them on an FSU pass that went out of bounds, it was a turnover by Fresno State's Aritta Lane, an Aiea alum, with 12 seconds left that gave UH a shot at breaking a 46-46 deadlock.
The Wahine got the ball to midcourt and called timeout with 7.2 seconds on the clock. Abele inbounded the ball to April Atuaia at the top of the key. Atuaia worked the give-and-go to Abele, who was streaking toward the basket, and she put a layup in over Lane.
"That was the first option," Hawaii coach Vince Goo said. "It was the same option we should have had against Hartford at the end of regulation. We didn't get a shot off then and lost, so we've been there before."
This time the Wahine made the play work.
FSU's Jasmine Plummer's half-court heave at the buzzer hit the front of the rim, bounced off the backboard and fell harmlessly to give the Wahine the upset victory.
Goo always says basketball is a game of streaks. One of the keys for the Wahine was not letting the Bulldogs explode for a double-digit scoring burst. FSU had 6-0 runs in both halves, but the Wahine countered with a 9-0 run to start the game and a 7-0 spurt after FSU (6-5, 0-1) closed to 32-31.
"We did a good job on defense," Goo said. "The Bulldogs went hard to the boards in the second half and we could have boxed out better.
"It was a tight game all the way. I think the difference was, even though we had unforced turnovers, we kept our composure. The kids hung tight in there."
Goo made one switch in the lineup. Janevia Taylor started at point guard in place of Milia Macfarlane. The Wahine also installed a new offense during five days of practice after taking a six-day Christmas break.
"It is an offense we ran last year, but no one saw it on tape this year," Goo said. "The players adjusted to it well. We ran it well at times, but there are some rough edges that we have to fix up."
Goo also complimented the team on the way it handled the Fresno State pressure.
At the other end, the Wahine limited the Bulldogs, who had made 42 percent of their field-goal attempts entering the game, to just 28 percent from the field.
FSU was hurt at the free-throw line, sinking 10 of 20, while UH made eight of 11.
Abele led UH with 15 points and nine rebounds. Her first-half 3-pointer extended the Wahine streak of making a trey to 57 games.
The Wahine held Lane, the Bulldogs' leading scorer at 14.4 per game, to six points and no rebounds.
UH leads the FSU series 24-7.
Hawaii plays at Nevada tomorrow at 5 p.m. Hawaii time. The Wolf Pack (1-10, 0-1) lost 70-63 to visiting San Jose State yesterday.
Hawaii 48, Fresno State 46
Wahine (3-7, 1-0 WAC)
Bulldogs (6-5, 0-1 WAC)
fg fga ft fta min reb a tp Abele 5 17 4 5 37 9 1 15 Spooner 1 3 0 0 24 2 0 2 Taylor 2 11 0 0 32 6 3 4 Sanders 3 5 2 2 27 3 1 9 Atuaia 4 9 0 0 32 5 2 8 Solia 2 7 0 0 20 6 0 4 Macfarlane 2 5 1 2 12 0 1 5 Lee 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 Grice 0 1 1 2 13 3 0 1 Team 4 Totals 19 59 8 11 200 38 8 48
Key -- fg: field goals; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
fg fga ft fta min reb a tp Moore 0 1 2 2 12 3 0 2 Lane 2 8 2 6 20 0 1 6 Clark 4 8 2 5 34 14 2 10 Sutherland 5 10 0 1 27 7 1 14 Mack 0 10 0 0 38 4 2 0 Diggs 1 4 0 0 9 3 2 2 Selmon 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 Fleming 1 4 0 0 7 1 0 2 Green 0 5 3 4 20 8 1 3 Plummer 3 5 1 2 27 7 2 7 Probst 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 Team 3 Totals 16 56 10 20 200 50 11 46
Halftime -- Hawaii 21, Fresno 18.
3-point goals -- Hawaii 2-13 (Abele, Sanders), Fresno 4-13 (Sutherland 4). Personal fouls -- Hawaii 19, Fresno 12. Steals -- Hawaii 6 (Abele 2, Taylor 2, Sanders, Lee), Fresno 5 (Plummer 2, Clark, Sutherland, Mack). Blocked shots -- Hawaii 5 (Abele 2, Solia 2, Spooner), Fresno 1 (Clark). Turnovers -- Hawaii 9 (Taylor 3, Solia 3, Abele 2, Sanders), Fresno 13 (Mack 3, Lane 2, Clark 2, Diggs 2, Moore, Selmon, Plummer, team).
A -- 4,570.