Hawai'i digs deep, rallies by UTEP
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
EL PASO, Texas — Rainbow Wahine basketball came to this border town walking a tenuous line between success and failure.
In the final 20 minutes last night, success won out. Hawai'i overcame UTEP, 68-57, scoring the game's final 11 points.
Before 1,005 at Don Haskins Center, the Rainbows (15-12, 9-9 WAC) clinched yet another winning season and the No. 5 seed at the WAC Tournament.
UH plays fourth-seeded Tulsa in the quarterfinals at Reynolds Center. The matchup with the hometown team will be Wednesday's feature game, starting at approximately 4:30 p.m. HST.
A loss last night would have been the first to UTEP (10-18, 5-13) in Rainbow Wahine history, and given them a seventh seed and Tuesday play-in game against 10th-seeded Nevada. It was not a place they wanted to go, a point they realized with new urgency as they fell behind 34-26 in the first half.
"We were playing for pride," Michelle Gabriel said. "It was all about pride. ... We needed momentum for the WAC Tournament. We had to establish something."
Senior teammate Christen Roper also spoke of intangibles. She closed the regular season with double-doubles in her last two games, lifting Hawai'i to its first road victories. Against UTEP she went for 15 points, 12 rebounds and tied a career high with eight blocks. But the numbers and extra day off they helped earn were inconsequential last night.
"We were just playing for us," Roper said. "I was playing for myself and everyone else on the team and I'm sure everyone else was too."
After blowing out Boise State on Thursday in their best game of the year, Hawai'i seemed to begin this one playing with the utmost respect for the Miner seniors honored before the game. Dragana Zoric wiped her wet eyes during the pre-game program, then blitzed the 'Bows for 18 first-half points as UTEP worked its offense to perfection.
"I told them at halftime the same thing I've told them a number of times this year," UH coach Vince Goo said. "When we have a number of people who don't show up for a game, don't play to their abilities and with their intensity, we're just average or less. It showed in the first half."
Zoric scored 12 in a row to put UTEP up 27-17 five minutes before the half and just after freshman guard Trisha Nishimoto came in to give Hawai'i its first offensive spark. Zoric's last six came on consecutive 3-pointers after UH turnovers.
When senior Romie DeAnda launched in another 3-pointer Hawai'i had its biggest deficit (30-17) and starting point for another late rally against the Miners. In their WAC opener, the Rainbow Wahine outscored UTEP 41-24 in the second half.
Last night, it was 42-23 after Goo accused his team at halftime of being "satisfied" with the Boise win, and put post player Kim Willoughby on Zoric. Willoughby is only an inch taller than Zoric, but her quick feet and long arms held the Bosnian to six points on 2 for 7 shooting. Zoric's teammates were worse as the Miners shot just 27 percent in the second half.
"Kim is a great athlete," UTEP coach Keitha Green said. "She has tremendous length, much for size than 'Drag' does. That made it a little difficult. And also, when 'Drag' got the ball they did a good job swarming her."
In contrast to the Miners, the Rainbow Wahine shot 65 percent after halftime. It started with April Atuaia, who finished with a team-high 18, hitting a leaner and 3-pointer to open the second-half scoring. Gabriel and Jade Abele followed with consecutive 3-pointers, finally forcing UTEP to abandon its 2-3 zone and pay attention to the top of the key.
That cleared out the inside for Willoughby and Roper, who admitted she finally realized it was "my senior night too." Hawai'i overtook the Miners at 45-44 on Nishimoto's drive. After eight lead changes, Zoric's basket tied it at 57 with 3:33 remaining. The Miners would come up empty after that, while the Rainbows sank 9-of-10 free throws after Roper's last basket gave them the lead for good.
OVER AND BACK: Christen Roper has 90 blocked shots this year, six off the UH record she set as a sophomore. She extended her UH and WAC career record to 283 last night and played a team-high 37 minutes. ... April Atuaia has now hit 3-pointers in her last 10 games and scored in double digits the last five. She has moved up to eighth on the career 3-point list. ... Hawai'i has held its last five opponents below 37-percent shooting.
