Louisiana Tech rolls past Hawai'i
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
TULSA , Okla. — By the time Louisiana Tech was through thrashing Hawai'i, 85-58, yesterday in the WAC Tournament semifinals, the question was no longer where Tech is better than the Rainbow Wahine.
Where is Tech not better?
The country's sixth-ranked women's basketball team — and the WAC's top seed — pounded fifth-seeded Hawai'i inside and turned its perimeter into a high-theft area. The Techsters (28-2) were bigger, stronger, faster and fundamentally sound. About all they did not accomplish was putting the Rainbow Wahine (16-13) away before halftime.
It took four minutes at the start of the second half before that happened. A 14-point UH halftime deficit spread to 46-30 when WAC Player of the Year Cheryl Ford broke free underneath to open the scoring. The 'Bows got a free throw from Christen Roper and a steal from Michelle Gabriel, which led to April Atuaia's breakaway basket. Gabriel started and played 29 minutes despite spraining her ankle in Wednesday's quarterfinal win over Tulsa.
In the next three minutes, Ford, Erica Smith and Trina Frierson all scored inside while the Rainbow Wahine missed five shots. By then, all 1,164 at Reynolds Center knew it was over.
Hawai'i had nothing new to offer and could not afford to go to full-court pressure against a much quicker team. Louisiana Tech's 26th consecutive victory was at least as convincing as the first 25. It hit 55 percent of its second-half shots.
"Today's performance by Louisiana Tech was very indicative of what happened during the season," UH coach Vince Goo said. "They dominated our conference, went undefeated, dominated everyone. And you know what? They're doing it again this week. They did it tonight."
A year ago, Hawai'i had a halftime lead against LaTech in the WAC Tournament championship, and two shots to tie the game in the final seconds. Yesterday, there were just flickers of hope for the Rainbow Wahine, all in the first half.
Atuaia looked the Techsters in the eye early and shot right over them, tying the game at 6-6 with a pair of 3-pointers. Roper's hook gave UH the lead four minutes into the game.
It would be the last.
Tech scored the next 10 points in what was the beginning of a brutal display of power basketball that didn't even include Ford. She missed her first six shots yet finished with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds — her 20th double-double of the season. Karl "Mailman" Malone's 6-foot-3 daughter — the only senior on the team — didn't score for the first 10 minutes.
By then Hawai'i, which averages fewer fouls than any team in the country, had put Tech in the bonus in a futile effort to keep the Techsters off the boards. They stretched their lead to double digits (22-12). The 'Bows cut it to six on jumpers from post players Kim Willoughby and Natasja Allen. It was the only look the LaTech defense gave them.
Tech, which hit its first 10 free throws, built its lead back to 35-23 on three consecutive baskets by Trina Frierson (16 points, 11 rebounds). Allen and Willoughby cut it to six again taking a page from Tech's playbook; Allen made two free throws after getting fouled on a power move and Willoughby scored on Hawai'i's only putback of the game.
The 'Bows' two-sport star played just eight minutes in the second half after throwing up at halftime. Maybe she knew what was coming.
"In the second half they got their track team going," Goo said. "We missed some shots early and they turned their transition up and got a lot of good shots under the basket. Just beat us down the floor.
"The tempo changed early in the second half. We came down and fired away from the perimeter, really didn't go hard with the dribble to the basket or go in to our post people. We missed, they got it and ran. The first 4ý minutes of the half told the story right there. We let them get into the type of game they like to play."
Ford said the runaway "started with the defense and then we just waited for the offense to come through for us. That's how we put them away."
The Techsters ran when Hawai'i missed and ran faster when they plucked balls from the passing lane. They came into the game with 324 steals — twice as many as their opponents —Êand had 10 at halftime, finishing with 15. When Ford, Frierson and reserve Amisha Carter (14 points, nine rebounds) weren't going over the 'Bows inside, Tasha Crain, Amber Obaze and Aarica Ray were picking their pockets on the perimeter and racing off on breakaways.
"Hawai'i is ranked in the top 10 in this nation at not turning the ball over," Tech coach Kurt Budke said. "I look at this sheet and they've got 21 turnovers. So I think our guards did do a great job of getting out and pressuring, making it tough to make that next pass. Maybe they could make the first one but we tried to make it very tough to make the next one."
Budke, whose team is guaranteed a high NCAA seed — he "hopes" for a No. 3 — and a regional if it gets that far, was the first to bring up Hawai'i's fourth consecutive WNIT appearance. He called the Rainbow Wahine "deserving" in his opening statement.
"When you look at this tournament, there was nobody that wanted to match up with Hawai'i, I promise you," Budke said. "They are very big, very strong, they take care of the basketball, they keep the score down. Vince is a heckuva coach so I hope they get an NIT bid."
Goo believes it will come true, citing his team's strong schedule, a final week that included three victories on the road and a power rating in the 80's.
A WNIT bid tomorrow would be the only way Hawai'i's seniors — Gabriel, Allen and Roper — could close their careers with a fourth-straight 20-win season. That was little consolation yesterday.
"We felt good coming in because Louisiana Tech had not lost yet and we'd played three really good games and had nothing to lose," Gabriel said.
"All that was against us," Roper added, "was ourselves and the odds."
OVER AND BACK: Third-seeded Fresno State won the other semifinal, 81-67, over seventh-seeded Southern Methodist. 'Aiea High graduate Aritta Lane had two points and two rebounds in seven minutes of action for Fresno. ... Hawai'i's seven blocks gives it a program-record 156 for the season. Christen Roper extended her WAC and UH career and season records to 296 and 103 with six rejections yesterday. She is third in this week's national statistics. ... Louisiana Tech would set a WAC record for consecutive victories if it defeats Fresno State in today's championship game. ... The Rainbow Wahine are scheduled to arrive in Honolulu tomorrow night on Delta flight 219.
