Rainbow Wahine top SMU to tie for fourth in WAC
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kim Willoughby and April Atuaia got by with a little help from their friends last night, lifting the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine to a 69-60 Western Athletic Conference basketball victory over Southern Methodist.
Atuaia took the Hawai'i offense in her hands early, scoring 12 of her 19 points in the first half. Willoughby began as Atuaia's complement and finished with a flourish, collecting 20 points and 15 rebounds — both career highs. She had her second double-double in as many games — and the fourth of her career — less than seven minutes into the second half.
"She's amazing," said teammate Michelle Gabriel. "Sometimes I catch myself watching her when she rebounds. We all do. It's amazing how high she gets. She just hangs. She kept us in the ballgame."
A crowd of 995 at Stan Sheriff Center saw Hawai'i (12-8) pull into a three-way tie for fourth in the WAC at 6-5, with SMU and Fresno State. The Rainbows ended a three-game losing streak, their longest in more than four years.
A month ago, the Mustangs (12-9) blew by Hawai'i in the final minutes in Dallas. They threatened a sequel last night, chopping an 11-point UH advantage to 45-43 midway through the second half.
SMU got the ball back, but Gabriel stripped it from point guard Tiara Cruse and glided in for a layup. It was the first score for the Rainbow Wahine's three point guards, who had just two air balls to their names until then.
"That was a huge turning point there," SMU coach Rhonda Rhompola said. "But tonight we just didn't put the ball in the hole, that's what it came down to. And they hit their free throws. They shot 17 more than we did, but that's nothing new in the Islands."
In the next six minutes, Hawai'i built its advantage back to 60-50. Willoughby scored eight in that surge, driving under one defender to hit with her left hand, powering through two and sinking four foul shots; she finished 10-for-10 from the line.
"We went to her," UH coach Vince Goo said. "We thought if she went inside she was going to get some fouls. And obviously we knew she'd get some rebounds."
Christen Roper had two free throws and Gabriel ended the run with a 3-pointer.
But SMU wasn't going anywhere. Aside from Shonte Roberts, who was 7-for-10, none of the Mustangs had a good shooting night, but it didn't stop them from trying. They fired up 80 shots thanks to 18 offensive rebounds and some creative casting.
In the end, nothing stuck. Hawai'i, especially Jade Abele, completely frustrated Andrea Cossey. The WAC's fourth-leading scorer had only six points, all in the final 2:10. Her first basket ignited a 5-0 run that cut the Rainbow Wahine's advantage in half (62-57) with 1:42 to go.
In the next minute, Atuaia left the floor with a sprained ankle, UH freshman Trisha Nishimoto made a free throw and Roper missed the front end of a one-and-one. Then Cossey pulled up next to the scorer's table and launched in another 3-pointer that made it 63-60 with 42 seconds left.
"Vince told us, even if she's in her hotel room you still have to be scared because she'll shoot it from there," said Gabriel, who saw Cossey score 17 in Dallas.
But this time, Hawai'i wasn't going to be denied. Atuaia returned and sank two free throws. After a Roper rejection, Abele hit two more. Nishimoto finished the scoring by grabbing a rebound and bursting out of the pack for a breakaway layup. She finished with three points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
"We wanted her in there to push our offense a little quicker," Goo said.
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