Rainbows lose to Maine; 0-2 for first time since 1981-82 season

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

It is going to be a season of growing pains for the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team, off to its first 0-2 start in more than two decades.

Hawai'i's April Atuaia is defended in the paint by Maine's Melissa Heon in the first half. Maine beat Hawai'i, 75-62. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Washington beat Lipscomb, 78-52, for the championship.

In 1981-82, under then-coach Milo Griffin, Hawai'i began the season 0-3 and finished 8-18.

"We have to work on our individual skills," Hawai'i coach Vince Goo said. "Shooting is one. We need to work on our perimeter shots."

Hawai'i was led by senior wing April Atuaia's 12 points. The Rainbows shot 34.5 percent (20 of 58). Maine shot 41.2 percent (28 of 68).

Hawai'i made 2 of 14 3-point attempts (14.3 percent), and Maine made 10 of 25 (40 percent).

"I don't think we attacked enough," junior wing Jade Abele said. "We settled for 3-pointers too many times. We took too many outside, bad shots. I think we should do more of a drive and a dish, or drive to the basket and draw a foul. Sometimes we would get down to 10 seconds and force something in."

Hawai'i opened the game with a 5-0 run, and held the lead through the first six minutes. But Maine, led by Ernest — the 2003 America East Conference player of the year, took a 13-11 lead at 14:51, and never lost the lead.

Ernest scored 15 of Maine's 37 first-half points.

"Heather should be playing like this," Maine coach Sharon Versyp said. "She's a senior and a reigning player of the year. I expect Heather having numbers like this. She can score outside and inside, and so this doesn't shock me; this is what she should be doing for us."

The Black Bears took a 37-30 halftime lead, then went on a 13-0 run for a 56-38 cushion with 12:55 remaining.

"They were kicking it out early to the outside and our rotation wasn't good and when they reversed the ball we were off-balanced,"Abele said.

"We didn't have enough communication, and we didn't know who we were picking up, and they were sneaking in."

Maine senior guard Melissa Heon added 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Black Bears returned 10 letterwinners, including all five starters from last season, when they went 25-6 and 16-0 in conference. They used 12 of their 14 players last night — two of whom were freshmen.

Hawai'i used 13 players, including 10 underclassmen. At times, four freshmen and one sophomore, wing Amy Sanders, were on the court.

Freshman center Amber Lee led the Rainbows in rebounding for the second night in a row with seven. Hawai'i out-rebounded Maine, 41-39.

The Rainbow Wahine did improve their free-throw shooting. They made 20 of 24 free throws against Maine, which bettered the 13 of 23 made Saturday against Lipscomb.

They also cut down on their turnovers. They had 13 by the first half of Saturday's game. Yesterday, they had seven by halftime and 14 for the game.

"(Fewer turnovers) helped us because we kept the ball moving on offense," Atuaia said. "We had better passes and we could look for each other."

• Washington 78, Lipscomb 52: Tournament MVP Andrea Lalum scored 21 points, including 12 in the second half, as the Huskies won the Classic.

Senior Gioconda Mendiola added a career-high 12 points, Jill Bell added 11, and Breanne Watson 10 for Washington (2-0).

The Huskies, picked to finish third in the Pac-10 Conference, went on a 19-0 run from the last three minutes in the first half through the first four minutes of the second half. Their largest lead of the game was 54-24 at 12:47.

Washington outscored Lipscomb 37-19 in the first half.

Last year's Pac-10 Player of the Year, senior Giuliana Mendiola, scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds and had seven assists for Washington.

Keirsten Head and Katie Beth Pate had 10 points apiece for the Lady Bisons (1-1).

All-Tournament Team: Ashley Underwood, Maine; April Atuaia, Hawaii; Courtney Boynton, Lipscomb; Heather Ernest, Maine; Giuliana Mendiola, Washington. MVP: Andrea Lalum, Washington.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.

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