Posted on: Sunday, January 13, 2002
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Wahine need to be perfect against No. 11 team today
| • | WAC standings |
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
| Wahine basketball
• What: WAC game • Who: Louisiana Tech vs. Hawai'i • When: Today, 5 p.m. • Where: Stan Sheriff Center • Exhibition: UH Alumnae Game, 3 p.m. |
No laughing, no playing, no joking around.
The University of Hawai'i Wahine took practice seriously yesterday. There's no way they can play No. 11 Louisiana Tech today the way they played against Southern Methodist on Friday night.
Not against the Western Athletic Conference's leaders in nearly every category.
The Lady Techsters (10-3, 5-0 WAC) are tops in scoring offense, averaging 81.8 points per game (90.2 in WAC games), and in scoring defense, allowing just 58.6 points per game. They shoot .452 from the floor, .376 from beyond the arc.
The Wahine (10-2, 3-0) have to play near-perfect basketball to compete against what will probably be their fiercest competition this season. The conference matchup starts at 5 p.m at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"Their weakness? Nothing. Their strength? Everything," said UH head coach Vince Goo.
But their participation in the WAC, regardless of tonight's results, is a win-win situation for the Wahine, tired of being overlooked and underrated.
"Any time you can go out and beat a team that's ranked in the top 10 or Top 25, it's power to you," Goo said. "Then again, you're never going to beat one of those teams unless you play them. So we have an opportunity on Sunday."
Louisiana Tech will be the third nationally ranked team the Wahine will face this season. In fact, their only losses came at the hands of ranked powerhouses Stanford and Baylor.
And to beat Louisiana Tech would be more than just a confidence boost. It could mean much-deserved national recognition.
The Lady Techsters have won three national championships and made 13 Final Four appearances, one of only two schools (Tennessee is the other) to appear in every NCAA Women's Tournament.
Having a perennial power in the WAC toughens Hawai'i's schedule — and enhances its power rating.
But first things first: play the game.
"We have nothing to lose and everything to gain," said senior guard and team captain Karena Greeny. "Coach had a good point when he said that nobody thinks we're going to win except for the 13 of us. I think that's a good attitude to take."
But beating the Lady Techsters won't be easy.
They return every starter from last year's sixth-ranked team, including senior center Ayana Walker, who leads the team in scoring (13.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.6 per game).
The Wahine have to shut down the Lady Techsters' inside post game, forcing more outside shots. Defense, again, will be critical.
"They crash the boards like crazy," Greeny said, noting they average 24 offensive rebounds per game. "Our main focus is to box out, give them only one chance."
Hawai'i's post position isn't as solid as it needs to be against a team that runs a fast-tempo offense and an aggressive man-to-man. Junior forward Natasja Allen, who went down in the first half of Friday's game and was scoreless in the second, is still suffering from pain after tweaking her left Achilles. (It's not a sprained left ankle, as initially reported by UH.) Freshman forward Jade Abele, who returned to action on Friday, is still coming back from a stress fracture in her right foot.
"We're the underdogs," said freshman guard Chelsea Wagner. "The only thing we can do is surprise people."
Free Throws: Wahine forward Kim Willoughby, released from the hospital on Friday and on antibiotics due to severe abdominal pains, is unlikely to play tonight. She shot around at practice yesterday, sinking 42 of 50 free throws.
