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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, February 18, 2002

Rice stops Wahine, 55-54

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

For 34 minutes yesterday, offense was an exercise in basketball futility for Rice and the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine. Ultimately, and ironically, the last basket in a flurry of late baskets won.

Hawai'i coach Vince Goo tried to get the attention of his Rainbow Wahine to direct the next play against the Rice Owls in a Western Athletic Conference basketball game yesterday.

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Sophomore Lindsey Maynard hit it with one second left, catapulting Rice to a 55-54 victory. Maynard was 1-for-10 in the game, but took the inbounds pass with seven seconds to go and drove by the UH defense for the winning score. Her layup bounced out and back in.

"We played man (-to-man defense) and said if they're going to beat us, it's going to be with a perimeter shot, not a layup," UH coach Vince Goo said. "And they got away."

Janka Gabrielova's drive with 12 seconds remaining put Hawai'i ahead, 54-53, and culminated an 8-1 Rainbow run in the final minute.

Prior to the run, the Owls went on a 7-2 surge that put them up 51-46 with 1:47 left.

Natasja Allen was called for traveling on Hawai'i's next possession, then Maynard got the same call. Goo called timeout and told the referee "there were three travels before that." He got a technical and Kara Liggett, who scored all 11 of

her points in the final 10 minutes, hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 52-46 lead.

"I lost my composure," Goo said. "That was the difference in the ballgame right there."

There were a multitude of differences, all tiny, in a second-place showdown played before 1,151 at Stan Sheriff Center. Both teams live and die on defense, which transforms their games together into offensive nightmares — only both teams wake up with bruises.

"It was a great defensive battle," Owls coach Cristy McKinney said. "Both teams really do well taking away the other's strengths. We have to look for other ways to score other than what we're used to."

Rice, the only unranked team to beat UH this season, swept the series. The Rainbows shot a poor 20 percent in the first game, which made yesterday's 31 percent appear brilliant. But that came despite 19 offensive rebounds, which the Rainbows converted into just two putbacks. They also missed 9-of-22 free throws.

Hawai'i's Karena Greeny loses a rebound to Rice's Johnette Hayes in the second half at Stan Sheriff Center.

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"There seemed to be Glad Wrap all over the rim," UH freshman Jade Abele said. "They are a very physical team and it's tough to be physically strong as well as mentally tough. Rice was bashing the crap out of us. It was very frustrating."

Rice, which received its share of bashing, made six of its last eight shots, but missed four free throws in the last minute.

The first half was no prettier. Hawai'i went without a basket for nine minutes, yet led 21-16 at the break because it held the Owls — who shot 27 percent — scoreless nearly seven minutes.

UH starters Gabrielova and Allen both watched the final 13:16 of the half with foul trouble, yet Rice had the last eight fouls before halftime. Christen Roper, Hawai'i's 6-foot-5 defensive stopper down low, played just six minutes in the second half and fouled out with 1:47 remaining.

The Rainbow reserves, particularly Abele and Michelle Gabriel, kept them in it, and in the lead, until a 9-2 Rice run put it ahead, 38-37. The game was tied three times before the Owls took their biggest lead behind Liggett and a rare UH defensive breakdown.

"We should have not been in the position where it was close and the technical became a factor," Abele said. "We should have been up by then. Vince did what he had to do."

In the final minute, Karena Greeny and Chelsea Wagner hit 3-pointers from way out to get the Wahine back in it. Rice came back for more.

"I thought we had it in the bag," Abele said. "Then it all went so fast. Greeny and Wags did a great job getting us back into it, hitting those huge 3s. We played our heart out. Just that lucky damn shot at the end."

The Owls (17-7) took over second in the WAC, at 11-4. Their first victory in Hawai'i followed their first loss to San Jose State. They play seventh-ranked Louisiana Tech in Houston Thursday. The Rainbows (17-6, 10-4 WAC) are in Fresno.

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OVER AND BACK: The Sunday afternoon crowd was Hawai'i's fourth-largest of the season (1,860 paid, 1,151 turnstile). ... Until yesterday, the Rainbow Wahine were 15-0 this season when they led at halftime. ... UH sophomore Christa Brossman suffered a cut chin when she was knocked to the ground in the first half. She needed stitches and was not allowed to return to the game.

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