Hawai'i rolls by Cowgirls, 72-62
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Nothing Oklahoma State did yesterday surprised the University of Hawai'i Wahine basketball team.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The last time they met was in March, when the Wahine beat the Cowgirls by a point in the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
A broken nose couldn't mask Janka Gabrielova's desire as the Wahine point guard scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
Yesterday, the Wahine won by 10 — 72-62 — to take third place in the Panda Travel Rainbow Wahine Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"They come with a lot of experience, but we knew their game plan," said UH sophomore guard April Atuaia, who posted career-highs in points (17), rebounds (13) and assists (nine). "And after (losing to Stanford Saturday), we had to redeem ourselves."
The Wahine dominated from the start, taking an 11-2 lead in the first four minutes. Senior point guard Janka Gabrielova scored Hawai'i's first nine points, easily penetrating the defense and finding an open route to the hoop.
"In the first half, they were really getting layups on us," said Oklahoma State head coach Dick Halterman. "They got points on cuts to the basket."
And shot exceptionally well.
In the first half, the Wahine hit 17-of-22 shots (77.3 percent), including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. Gabrielova and Atuaia were perfect in the paint, combining for 20 points. Atuaia also sank two of her three 3-pointers.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Playing with a broken nose suffered in Friday night's game against Wyoming, Gabrielova still managed to score a game-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
Wahine Natasja Allen, left, and Christen Roper double- team Trisha Skibbe.
For the game, the Wahine shot 58 percent (29-for-50), compared to Oklahoma State's 34.4 percent (21-for-61).
"Seventy-seven percent is outstanding, and 58 percent is still very good," said UH head coach Vince Goo. "We were really tired on the third day of a tournament, and for us to shoot that, that's a matter of our players really focusing and concentrating and playing with a lot of heart."
Hawai'i made it tough for Oklahoma State to score, blocking access to the basket and forcing the Cowgirls to take off-balanced shots. The Cowgirls found success at the free-throw line, sinking 14-of-15. Forwards Trisha Skibbe and Kara Faulk each scored 18 points, with Skibbe hitting all nine of her foul shots.
Wahine 6-foot-5 junior Christen Roper dominated on defense with four blocks, but foul trouble limited her playing time to 14 minutes.
"I was really mad at myself," said Roper, as two of her four fouls were offensive. "All I could think of (on the bench) was I gotta play smarter."
In the first half, the Wahine held the Cowgirls to 10 points for six minutes. And every time Oklahoma State scored, Hawai'i quickly responded, never letting the Cowgirls get closer than the final margin.
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NOTES: UH's Christen Roper needs two more blocks to become the school's career leader. She has 40. ... After taking today off, the Wahine will hit the gym again, focusing on fundamentals, particularly their halfcourt offense, fast breaks, boxing out and one-on-one defense, said coach Vince Goo. ... The Wahine will next play host to their third tournament, the Tesoro Invitational, Dec. 7-9 at the Stan Sheriff Center. Baylor and Illinois-Chicago are the other teams.
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• No. 7 Stanford 90, Penn State 68: Tournament MVP Lindsey Yamasaki had 25 points and 10 rebounds as No. 7 Stanford (5-0) beat Penn State (3-2) in the championship game.
Nicole Powell added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinal.
Kelly Mazzante had 30 points and 12 rebounds for Penn State.
Joining Yamasaki on the all-tournament team were Powell, Mazzante, Hawai'i's Natasja Allen, Carly Stucky of Wyoming, Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen, Trisha Skibbe of Oklahoma State and Crystal Howe of Weber State.
• Minnesota 76, Weber State 67: Sophomore guard Lindsey Whalen scored 24 points as Minnesota (4-1) beat Weber State (3-2) for fifth place.
Junior point guard Crystal Howe led Weber State with 23 points, 11 points and three steals.
• Wyoming 75, Florida Atlantic 71: Junior forward Carrie Bacon had 21 points and 10 rebounds as Wyoming (2-2) beat Florida Atlantic (0-3) for seventh place.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
