StarBulletin.com

Robinson and Nevada are too much for Hawaii


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POSTED: Sunday, January 17, 2010

The energy of Rainbow Wahine players past and present wasn't enough to carry Hawaii on this night.

Following a spirited UH alumnae game, Nevada got career outings from two juniors in an 80-62 win over the current Wahine before a crowd of 1,067 last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Wolf Pack (10-8, 4-0) remained tied for the WAC lead with Fresno State, while the Wahine (7-10, 1-3) stayed just ahead of winless Boise State and San Jose State in the bottom tier after suffering their first league home loss this season.

Hawaii simply couldn't match Nevada's efficiency. The Pack notched 18 assists against 12 turnovers—including just three giveaways in the first half—and shot 49.2 percent from the field. UH, meanwhile, was hamstrung by a 22-for-39 night (56.4 percent) at the free-throw line and 33.3 percent shooting from the floor.

“;Nevada deserved the win tonight, but I'm proud of the fact that the Wahine didn't quit, and the final score was not an indication that this game was fought 'til the end,”; UH coach Dana Takahara-Dias said.

Junior guard Tahnee Robinson led the Wolf Pack with a career-high 25 points, including 5-for-10 shooting on 3-pointers. Despite the scoring binge, her biggest moment was a steal while falling out of bounds, setting up a Johnna Ward fast-break baseline jumper that put Nevada up 72-56 with 3 minutes, 53 seconds to play. It took the wind out of any remaining hopes of a Wahine comeback.

Between Robinson and junior guard Nicole Williams—who went for a career-high 21 points off the bench on 7-for-7 shooting—the Wahine were playing catch-up after the first 6 minutes.

Junior point guard Keisha Kanekoa led the Wahine with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in playing all but 1 minute. Sophomore forward Breanna Arbuckle added 13 points despite battling foul trouble all game, and junior forward Allie Patterson chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

UH cut it to 51-42 on a Patterson basket inside with 15 minutes, 47 seconds left—the closest it got in the second half—but Robinson muscled through for 2 at the other end to establish a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

“;Working back in the second half is just that much harder,”; Patterson said. “;It was just upsetting that we couldn't walk away with a victory.”;

Nevada had its streak of 10 straight games outrebounding opponents snapped. That was despite Arbuckle, one of UH's best post players, being saddled with fouls and playing just 19 minutes. She was coming off a career-high 18-point outing vs. Idaho, but picked up her third and fourth fouls just minutes into the second half, relegating her to the bench.

Nevada shot 54.8 percent in the first half. UH trailed 40-30 at the break after Julita Bungaite's 3-pointer and Kanekoa's strong take to the basket.

A few dozen Wahine alumnae were honored at halftime along with former coaches Patsy Dung and Vince Goo.

UH plays the second game of its three-game homestand against Utah State tomorrow at 5 p.m.

 

WAC Women's Basketball Standings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
TeamWLPctGBAll
Fresno State401.00013-5
Nevada401.00010-8
Louisiana Tech21.6671 1/211-4
New Mexico State22.50027-8
Utah State22..500211-6
Hawaii13..33337-10
Boise State13.333312-5
Idaho03.0003 1/22-14
San Jose State030003 1/24-12

Yesterday
Nevada 80, Hawaii 62
Louisiana Tech 78, New Mexico State 64
Boise State 84, Idaho 81
Fresno State 73 Utah State 46
Tomorrow
Utah State at Hawaii, 5 p.m.
Wednesday
New Mexico State at Idaho
San Jose State at Boise State
Thursday
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech, 3 p.m.
Fresno State at Nevada

 

Nevada 80, Hawaii 62

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

     

     

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

 

Wolfpack (10-8, 4-0 WAC)
 fg-aft-arbpfptsatomin
Moore3-93-49490126
Williams4-60-05481120 
Robinson 9-17 2-311254231
Ward3-112-21284222
Johnson1-10-00224119
Woodard0-03-4003005
Williams7-76-844214232
Jones0-10-00301110
Gough0-00-0000001
Hammond2-40-03340117
Lombardi0-30-07401317
TEAM  5    
Totals29-5916-213527801812200

 

       

Hawaii (7-10, 1-3 WAC)
 fg-aft-arbpfptsatomin
Liepkalne3-100-05175634
Arbuckle3-77-1234130219
Dew0-01-23110116
Galdones1-50-03022321
Kanekoa5-157-963175439
Linton1-42-6114006
Wilson0-20-23200011
Bungaite2-70-04250025
Patterson4-63-664110128
Gaddis0-12-2102001
TEAM  5    
Totals19-5722-394018621217200

Key— fg-a: field goals made-attempted; ft-a: free throws made-attempted; rb: rebounds; pf: personal fouls; pts: total points; a: assists; to: turnovers; min: minutes played.
Halftime— Nevada 40, Hawaii 30
3-point goals—Nevada 6-17 (Robinson 5-10, Williams 1-1, Ward 0-6), Hawaii 2-8 (Liepkalne 1-1, Bungaite 1-4, Galdones 0-1, Kanekoa 0-1, Gaddis 0-1).
Steals— Nevada 8 (Williams 3, Moore, Robinson, Ward, Johnson, Lombardi), Hawaii 5 (Kanekoa 4, Patterson). Blocked shots— Nevada 4 (Williams 3, Ward), Hawaii 4 (Patterson 2, Arbuckle, Wilson).
Officials— Carla Fujimoto, Darla Foutz, Kyle Bacon. A— 1,067.