Wahine win WAC opener

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i Wahine basketball team hit the road in search of answers.

Could this young team handle the road? What was the conference competition like? Could they maintain momentum, opening up the Western Athletic Conference season on the road?

Yes. Not bad. Apparently.

Those answers were obvious after the Wahine's victory over conference newcomer Boise State, 61-48, at BSU Pavilion in front of a season-high 1,015 fans last night.

Hawai'i improved to 8-2, 1-0 in the conference. Boise State fell to 4-7, 0-1.

How this team would play on the road was the biggest question for Hawai'i's coaching staff. With a full day of travel, playing in a city 2,842 feet above sea level, with temperatures dipping to 19 degrees at night, it was a reasonable concern.

"But we talked about it," said Hawai'i head coach Vince Goo. "No excuses."

The Wahine bolted out of the starting blocks in the first half, scoring the first eight points of the game. But as soon as the Broncos scored their first bucket after a six-minute drought, they went on an 11-0 run.

The Broncos figured out Hawai'i's strategy of getting the ball down low to Natasja Allen and Christen Roper, double-teaming Hawai'i's leading scorers.

Though Roper ended the night with 12 points, she was held to just three rebounds.

"They did a pretty good job boxing her out," Goo said.

The Wahine adjusted, finding an open Karena Greeny on the perimeter. With 1:40 left, the senior forward drained a 3-pointer to extend Hawai'i's lead to 22-18 at halftime.

Hawai'i's scrappy defense held the Broncos to 8-of-30 from the field and 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. Boise State didn't go to the free-throw line in the first half.

But the Wahine couldn't boast a productive offense, either; they shot just 33 percent from the field. And 11 turnovers didn't help.

"We had a sloppy offense in the first half," Goo admitted. "But we played great defense for 40 minutes."

Forget the altitude or the long plane flight or the freezing temperatures. The Wahine left all excuses in the locker room, starting off the second half with a more controlled offense and improving their shooting percentage to 41.

The Broncos got within three behind a motivated Crista Peterson, who posted 16 of her 24 points in the second half. No other Bronco scored in double-digits.

Hawai'i's offense came alive. With Allen and Roper being double-teamed down low, the Wahine guards had open looks from beyond the arc. Janka Gabrielova, April Atuaia and Chelsea Wagner each drained a 3-pointer, extending Hawai'i's lead and, ultimately, sealing the win.

"They really did a good job double-downing our post people," Goo said. "But then we were smart, kicked it out. (Those 3-pointers) really opened the game back up again."

Defensively, the Wahine were near-textbook. They out-rebounded the Broncos, 46-32. Atuaia, a 5-10 off-guard, pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, three off the offensive glass.

That was part of the plan after halftime.

"To play the same kind of defense we did in the first half," Goo said. "And we did an excellent job. The offense will come. The ball will go in the basket if we don't shoot ourselves in our feet."

Junior forward Allen led the Wahine with 15 points. Greeny added 10 and four steals.

Hawai'i also went to the line 19 times, compared to Boise State's five. The Wahine, historically excellent from the free-throw line, hit 16-of-19.

"I'm really proud of how we stuck with our game plan," Goo said. "We shot 19 free throws and they only shot five. We do that at home all the time. But when you can go on the road and have that done, that's either the team playing really smart or the referees really like me. And I'm sure it's not the latter."

Road jitters aside, the Wahine travel to Texas to face UTEP tomorrow. A new coach, a roster of new players and just one game film make this WAC opponent difficult to scout.

"They're brand new to us," Goo said. "We're going to have to come up with a game plan. They play four guards and we may have problems matching up on them."

Free throws: After posting a career-high 22 points against Cleveland State in the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic championship, Hawai'i's Christen Roper was named the Western Athletic Conference women's basketball Player of the Week. The 6-foot-5 junior center earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 19 points, 9.5 rebounds and five blocks in two games. She won the honor over Louisiana Tech's Ayana Walker, Nevada's Kate Smith and Tulsa's Leela Farr. ... Boise State senior forward Crista Peterson sank her 1,000th point in the second half of last night's game. She became only the 10th Boise State player with more than 1,000 points in a season.