Rainbow Wahine fall short against Utah, 52-45

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Rainbow Wahine basketball team proved it can overcome double-digit deficits in its first two games of the season. Its next challenge is maintaining late leads.

Michigan State's Liz Shimek finds her view of the basket obstructed by Santa Clara's Ashley Gonnerman in a Rainbow Wahine Classic semifinal. Shimek scored 19 points as the Spartans won, 81-59. Lucy Pemoni • Associated Press

"It's not good enough to accept this as a close game," said first-year Hawai'i coach Jim Bolla, whose team lost to Santa Clara, 75-68, on Friday. "We need to win the game. We need to finish games."

Utah's Kim Smith scored 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, and the taller Utes outrebounded the Rainbow Wahine, 46-26, before a crowd of 225 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawai'i (0-2) will play California (1-2) in the seventh-place game today at 11 a.m. Hawai'i has never gone winless in the Rainbow Wahine Classic, winning at least one game in the previous 25 tournaments.

Yesterday, Utah outworked Hawai'i 17-3 on the offensive glass, and, as a result, scored 16 points off second-chance baskets.

"It was so tough under the boards, they're just so physical," Hawai'i's Jade Abele said. "They go after everything. They even go through themselves. They hustle really well."

Hawai'i rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit and took a 41-34 lead with 7:50 remaining in the game.

But shaky ballhandling, cold shooting and a huge dose of Smith — the two-time Mountain West Conference Player of the Year — doomed the Rainbow Wahine.

Smith, a 5-foot-11 junior forward, scored 14 points during a 18-4 surge in the final 7:22. Julie Wood's 3-pointer with 4 minutes remaining put Utah up for good at 44-43.

"I wanted to score and cut the lead down," Smith said. "I don't like being behind. I don't like losing. You just want to put the ball in the hoop."

Hawai'i committed three consecutive turnovers and Smith hit a field goal and one of two free throws for a 47-43 lead with 2:18 remaining.

"We didn't run what we wanted to run," Abele said of the Rainbow Wahine's bad passes. "We wanted the win so bad. We went for the first option instead of waiting for the best option."

A basket by Dalia Solia pulled Hawai'i to 47-45 with 2:06 left, but that's as close as the Rainbow Wahine would get.

Against Utah's man-to-man defense, Hawai'i made just two baskets in the final 6:25 — one by Alofa Toiaivao and the other by Solia.

"Defense is what Utah is known for," Smith said. "It's what keeps us in the games near the end."

For the game, Hawai'i shot 33 percent (16 of 48) and Utah 26 percent (14 of 55). Utah outscored Hawai'i by 10 points on free throws.

Utah coach Elaine Elliott said the victory "wasn't a lot of pretty," but added the Utes found a way to win.

"We got the ball to Kim down the stretch," Elliott said. "That was the difference for us."

Abele scored 18 points and Janevia Taylor 10 for Hawai'i. Utah's Deanne Hanchett added 11 points, and Smith added 14 rebounds.

On Friday against Santa Clara, Hawai'i overcame a 51-39 second-half deficit and led 66-62 with 4:29 remaining before losing.

Notes: After today's game, the Rainbow Wahine will host the Waikiki Beach Marriott Invitational, Dec. 9 to 11, and the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic, Dec. 16 to 18. ... Hawai'i opens its Western Athletic Conference season when it hosts Fresno State on Dec. 30.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.