UH women fall short against Texas-Arlington

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Texas-Arlington got territorial in winning the Territorial Savings Bank Invitational last night.

The Lady Mavs relied on a relentless full-court defense to defeat the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team, 59-51.

A crowd of 614 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Wahine fall to 2-5. The Lady Mavs snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 3-5.

All three teams in the tournament — Hawai'i, Texas-Arlington and Saint Mary's — finished 1-1. The Lady Mavs were awarded the championship because they allowed the fewest points in the tournament.

"Our defense is our strength," said UTA head coach Donna Capps. "We try to put together an effort like this every game, but tonight was the first time we played a full 40 minutes."

The proof was in the numbers.

Hawai'i shot just 14 of 44 from the field, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range. The Lady Mavs also collected 15 steals, and forced the 'Bows into a season-high 21 turnovers.

"We lost our focus," UH head coach Vince Goo said. "We had people playing scared, I guess."

Were it were not for the aggressive play of UH junior forward Jade Abele, the outcome could have been worse.

Abele led Hawai'i with 19 points and seven rebounds, and was named the most valuable player of the tournament. She scored 15 in the second half, when the 'Bows rallied to within two.

"It was hard to smile for that picture," Abele said about receiving the MVP trophy. "But if there's one positive that came out of this, it's that we didn't lose our cool and we showed that we can fight back."

UTA's full-court defense wreaked havoc from the start. In a sign of things to come, Hawai'i committed five turnovers on its first six possessions of the game.

"It definitely caught me off guard," said Abele, who was the only UH player to score in double figures. "We knew they were quick, but they just out-hustled us and took us out of our groove."

Five minutes into the game, Hawai'i trailed 11-1. The Lady Mavs increased the lead to as much as 18 before taking a 33-19 advantage at intermission.

Hawai'i, which was averaging 13.5 turnovers per game prior to last night, had 14 turnovers in the first half alone. UH was also a dismal 3 of 18 from the field in the first half.

"We were playing back on our heels," Goo said. "We were supposed to be a little tougher with the dribble, but we had people picking up their dribble way too early."

Hawai'i rallied in the second half behind Abele, but could never overcome the deficit.

The 'Bows got as close as 53-51 after a 3-pointer by Milia Macfarlane with 48 seconds remaining.

But UTA converted six of eight free throws in the closing seconds to secure the victory.

Rola Ogunoye led the Lady Mavs with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six steals.

"She's been tentative this season, but she decided to play tonight," Capps said. "She was certainly a key to our defense."

All-Tournament Team: MVP-Jade Abele (UH), Rola Ogunoye (UTA), Krystal Buchanan (UTA), Triola Jackson (Saint Mary's), Serena Benavente (Saint Mary's), Dalia Solia (UH).

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.

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