By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
TULSA, Okla. — With the University of Hawai‘i Wahine teetering on the brink of basketball disaster last night, an unlikely pair of saviors stepped up to squash Tulsa.
Reserve Dainora Puida and freshman April Atuaia hit for career highs in Hawai‘i’s 65-55 quarterfinal victory at the Williams WAC Tournament.
The second-seeded Wahine (22-6) advance to tomorrow’s semifinals, where they will play third-seeded Southern Methodist. Top-seeded TCU takes on fifth seed Rice in the other game.
Two more victories will put the Wahine in the NCAA Tournament. One will make them a long shot. Based on last night’s first half, they won’t make it.
The Golden Hurricane, traditionally tenacious man-to-man defenders, packed their defense down low after losing leading scorer and rebounder Leela Farr to a freak injury Tuesday night. Hawai‘i tried to bomb over their 2-3 zone in the first half and failed miserably.
UH’s leading scorer Crystal Lee missed all five of her 3-pointers in the game, as did point guard Janka Gabrielova.
With every missed UH shot ö and there were a dozen 3-pointers and eight gimmes inside in the first 20 minutes ö a passionate Tulsa crowd of 1,932 grew louder at the Reynolds Center. The Golden Hurricane, devastated by injuries all during an 8-21 season, fed on the energy and Farr’s inspiration to pull ahead, 25-15, in the first 15 minutes.
"I panicked then," said Atuaia, who had career highs in points (15) and rebounds (9). "I didn’t want to go home."
The WAC’s Freshman of the Year helped the Wahine start some semblance of an offense when she buried two bombs.
"Coming into the game I knew I hadn’t been very consistent lately, so they wouldn’t be guarding me as well," Atuaia said. "And it was like that SMU game when I was just feeling it. I wanted the ball more."
Puida, who played all but nine minutes for foul-plagued starter Christen Roper, also helped Hawai‘i close within one (29-28) before halftime. Puida had a career-high 23 points and her seventh double-double (10 rebounds) of the season.
At the break, UH coach Vince Goo begged his team to get the ball inside against the ’Canes, whose starters averaged 5 feet 8 without Farr.
"We were 4-for-16 from 3-point, which is not very good — they were wide-open looks," Goo said. "We decided at halftime that maybe we’re not a great 3-point shooting team tonight so why not go inside. And we shoot 64 percent."
Meanwhile, his team contemplated the consequences of a loss.
"The challenge was, if you lose, you go home tomorrow morning," UH captain Kylie Galloway said. "That was pretty clear cut."
Hawai‘i relentlessly forced the ball inside in the opening minutes of the second half, and turned it over four times. But Tulsa’s offense, ruthlessly efficient early, also sputtered.
With 15:28 left, and with no band and very little fan support, the Wahine went ahead, 32-31. It was their first advantage since 4-2. Athena Pirpich put Tulsa ahead again, but just for a moment.
Gabrielova, scorched by Pirpich in the first half and haunted by turnovers and terrible shooting all night, redeemed herself by holding Tulsa’s only starting senior to four second-half points. Atuaia’s third 3-pointer kick-started an 11-0 Wahine run that put them ahead, 47-37, with 8:29 showing.
"She played very hard," Puida said. "She proved she was Freshman of the Year."
Tulsa would get no closer than five again. In the second half, Hawai‘i outscored the ’Canes 18-1 from the foul line and out-rebounded them 18-9. And, those errant inside passes finally began to find Puida’s hands, allowing her to pour in 15 points.
Eventually, the Wahine’s tenacity and talent wore down even Tulsa, which was game for anything. At the end of Tuesday’s practice, the Golden Hurricane saw Farr tear her anterior cruciate ligament when she jammed her foot into the floor. Last night, they saw 6-3 freshman Becky Heidotten, who hadn’t played since January because of stress fractures in her shins, come off the bench for eight second-half minutes.
"They’ve been through a lot," said Tulsa coach Kathy McConnell-Miller.
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