Wahine rout Cleveland State to win Paradise Classic
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
With their defense denying Cleveland State anything and their offense executing nearly everything, the University of Hawai'i Wahine captured the 10th annual Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Basketball Classic last night.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Hawai'i (7-2) won its third straight, 76-55, over the Vikings (4-4) , who came into the championship with a four-game winning streak. The final was watched by 796 at Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawai'i's Christa Brossman, left, tries to gain control of the ball against Cleveland State's Ashley Schrock.
For the second night in a row, the Wahine pulled away in the final minutes of the first half. But this time, they iced the game early, going on a 12-0 tear midway through the second half to knock the Vikings out.
The decisive surge began with Christen Roper — the tournament MVP — on the bench with three fouls. Despite fouling out, Roper scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Her replacement, volleyball All-American Kim Willoughby, drove left, then right and got the basket and ensuing free throw to ignite the UH streak. April Atuaia scored on a breakaway, with point guard Janka Gabrielova hitting her in stride. Then Gabrielova sank the Wahine's first 3-pointer of the night — off an Atuaia assist — and two free throws. Willoughby, playing in her second game, closed the run with another drive, to make it 58-33 with 11:10 remaining.
The Vikings, fourth in the country last season with nearly eight 3-pointers a game, couldn't muster enough offense to rally. They shot just 24 percent on the night, the second game in a row Hawai'i held an opponent below 30 percent.
"We're a shooting, running-type team and we just couldn't throw it in the ocean," Cleveland State coach Duffy Burns said. "Part of it was hesitating, or rushing, or not using proper technique. Part of it was they defended us differently. They took away our best shooter and made other people try to beat them, and other people didn't step up and score."
Erika Roudebush, who had 36 points Monday and was averaging more than 20, was frustrated by Gabrielova. Roudebush's only basket came with 9:42 remaining, while Gabrielova was resting her broken nose and backup Michelle Gabriel heading the other way after barely missing a steal.
"Janka is a pest, she's a tough defender," UH coach Vince Goo said. "She can take you out of the game. Even more so with that mask she has on. She's really intense on defense. You give her an assignment and she'll run through the wall for you to accomplish it."
Hawai'i scored the first nine points of the game, while the Vikings were missing their first nine shots. Their first points came on Maria Rickards' 3-pointer five minutes into the game. Their second basket also came from beyond the arc, as Cleveland State shot better from long range than up close in a first half where it hit but 20 percent of its attempts.
The Wahine found something that worked early — post players Roper and Natasja Allen — and kept pounding it in. The double whammy down low scored 31 of Hawai'i's 37 first-half points, with Roper a rebound short of a double-double (19 points, 9 rebounds) at the break.
"The kid Roper is a pro," Burns said. "I'm not afraid to say that. She knows how to use her body. She has great footwork and she will make a great player in the WNBA.
"We tried to double her and get it out of her hands. We tried to play behind her, in front of her, we just couldn't do anything with her."
Cleveland State was tenacious enough to stay close until nearly halftime. But as soon as the Vikings cut their deficit to three (24-21), the Wahine went off.
Allen, who finished with 20 points, and Gabrielova each hit a pair of free throws. On the next possessions, Gabrielova threw a length-of-the-court pass to Allen for one easy basket, then launched a line drive to Roper inside for another.
Cleveland State called time, down 32-21. Another 3-pointer stopped its scoreless streak. But Roper and Karena Greeny scored the final five points of the half.
Of the Wahine's 15 first-half baskets, all but one came off an assist; Greeny, Atuaia and Gabrielova had four assists apiece.
• • •
All-tournament team
MVP: Christen Roper (Hawai'i)
LaRissa Thomas (Tennessee State), Alicia Abernathy (Charlotte), Erika Roudebush (Cleveland State), Natasja Allen (Hawai'i), Karena Greeny (Hawai'i).
