"I was laying in bed last night, thinking if we don't win this game, the coach had guaranteed this," Sanders said. "He really guaranteed it to everyone, the press, everyone."

A crowd of 329 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Hawai'i snap its three-game losing streak and improve to 9-9 overall and 5-6 in the Western Athletic Conference. Three-time defending WAC champion Louisiana Tech lost for the first time in four games and dropped to 14-6 and 10-2.

"I think our kids had this mental block against Tech, and it wasn't just our kids, it was our community," said Bolla, who guaranteed Hawai'i would defeat Louisiana Tech at the Honolulu Quarterback Club last August. "I remember when I first got here, people were asking me, 'What are you going to do against Louisiana Tech?' A lot of people didn't believe me. A lot of people thought I was blowing smoke. I'm proud of our kids."

Jade Abele scored 14 points, Janevia Taylor 12, Milia Macfarlane 11 and Alofa Toiaivao 11 for Hawai'i. Abele and Sanders each had 10 rebounds. Tasha Crain scored a career-high 36 for Louisiana Tech.

Sanders' game-winning basket was set up by a pass from Taylor. It was the same play that broke down in the final seconds of Hawai'i's 56-54 loss to San Jose State on Feb. 5.

"This time, I hit Amy and it came out to be a good one," Taylor said. "Amy was on fire the whole game."

Louisiana Tech's Erica Taylor, the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year, played in her sixth game last night after missing the first half of the season due to childbirth. She scored 14 off the bench, including a layup that gave her team a 78-77 lead with 19 seconds remaining in overtime.

After Sanders' basket, Louisiana Tech had a chance to win the game, but a last-second shot by Shan Moore was off the mark.

"It was a great college basketball game," Louisiana Tech coach Kurt Budke said. "The people who weren't here tonight made a mistake not coming to this gym. Hawai'i's got the talent to beat anyone in this conference."

Senior co-captains Abele and Macfarlane combined to score seven of Hawai'i's nine overtime points.

Hawai'i was picked by league coaches to finish eighth in the 10-team WAC preseason poll. Louisiana Tech was picked first.

"It's exciting to win, especially how low we were placed, and how everybody looked at us like we weren't going to make it that high," said Toiaivao, who, along with center Brittany Grice, held 6-foot-7 center Margaret DeCinman to six points. "We proved them wrong. We wanted it more than them."

Hawai'i fell behind by as many as six points in the second half, 33-27, but rallied to tie the game at 36 on Macfarlane's layup.

After a basket by Ty Moore, Hawai'i took its first lead of the second half, 39-38, on Taylor's 3-pointer.

Following a basket by Tamika Kursh, Hawai'i responded with a 7-0 run capped by Toiaivao's 3-pointer to take a 46-40 lead. Sanders and Abele each scored two points during the surge.

Hawai'i led by as many as nine points on two occasions with the last coming at 64-55 on Toiaivao's basket.

However, LaTech rallied with a 15-6 run that was capped by Crain's driving basket with 2.7 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime tied at 70.