Rainbow Wahine travel
to face Miners, Broncos
The Rainbow Wahine basketball team travels to Texas-El Paso and Boise State to face two Western Athletic Conference foes who are no longer just scraping by. The Miners and the Broncos are in a logjam for third in WAC play with each posting surprising wins this season.
Hawaii (4-10 overall, 2-3 WAC) puts its 12-0 series lead against UTEP (8-6, 3-2) on the line tomorrow at the Don Haskins Center at 4:05 p.m. The Wahine, winners in the previous four meetings with the Broncos, play Boise State (6-8, 3-2) on Saturday.
Hawaii is battling through one of its worst seasons in recent memory and could be vulnerable to a veteran UTEP squad. But the Wahine prefer not to see themselves that way.
"We aren't feeling sorry for ourselves (after the loss to Louisiana Tech). We're getting ready for the next two games," junior guard Milia Macfarlane said. "Those are going to be great games. Everything's up for grabs right now with all of our teams in the WAC. We're excited.
"We've never taken any team lightly. We can't control if another opponent takes us lightly, but we definitely respect Boise and UTEP. We know they want to win and we want one too. It's going to be a huge battle."
A big battle in part because of UTEP's resurgence. Miners coach Keitha Green is enjoying her best season since taking over the program three years ago.
It has been a wacky WAC season, with the top teams owning at least one loss. The Miners contributed to that by knocking off Rice two weeks ago to start a three-game winning streak. UTEP has overcome its road woes too, snapping a 20-game WAC road losing streak, with wins at Fresno State and Nevada last week.
The Miners major in versatility with a team that can light it up on the outside or pound it into the post. UTEP uses a three-guard offense with two forwards.
"They have good all-around players, very versatile players," Hawaii coach Vince Goo said. "All of them can score.
"We match up OK. It's just that their versatility is outstanding. They have nine or 10 players who can score."
The Miners are shooting 40.6 percent from the field. Senior guard Vaida Zagurskyte leads the Miners in scoring with 14.6 points per game while averaging four assists and 2.09 steals. Point guard Noni Wharemate chips in 9.8 ppg and averages five assists per game. Junior forward Angie McGee is the team's best rebounder (6.3 ppg) and averages 9.5 points a game.
UTEP also has 6-foot-6 center Marta Dydek, the younger sister of the WNBA's Margo Dydek, coming off the bench and contributing. The Miners like playing at home but they aren't invincible at the Haskins Center. UTEP owns a 4-2 record at home.
The Rainbow Wahine went 1-2 on their last road trip, the longest of the season for a youthful squad. Hawaii arrived yesterday in El Paso via a red-eye flight to Denver. They took 11 players for this trip. Freshman Janevia Taylor said she is ready to go. Taylor injured her back in a collision in Saturday's game. Two other players did not make the trip due to injury. Sophomore center Callie Spooner (sprained right ankle) and Pam Tambini (sprained left foot) remained in Honolulu.
