Rainbow Wahine 'must' beat Tulsa

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Standing 6 feet 8, there's no shortage of height or apparent optimism for University of Hawai'i women's basketball coach Jim Bolla.

Abele

Macfarlane

"We're in a must-win situation now," Bolla said. "We squandered away at least three opportunities to move up in the standings."

Four of Hawai'i's last seven games have come down to the final possession. UH is 1-3 in those games with each decided by two points or less.

The Rainbow Wahine (10-11 overall, 6-8 WAC) need to finish in sixth place or better to receive a first-round bye in the WAC Tournament, March 8 to 12, in Reno, Nev.

Bolla earlier told his team to plan for seven more games, a scenario that would have Hawai'i earning a first-round bye and advancing to the championship of the WAC Tournament. Hawai'i has four regular-season games remaining.

"We've got seven, that's what our goal is right now," co-captain Milia Macfarlane said. "I'm the first one to jump on his bandwagon right now and agree we can do it. We all have to pitch in."

Macfarlane said she and her teammates appreciated Bolla's unwavering faith. The Rainbow Wahine rewarded Bolla earlier this season when they defeated conference leader Louisiana Tech in overtime, 79-78. It was a victory Bolla guaranteed before this season during a Honolulu Quarterback Club luncheon.

"He's the first one who believes in us," Macfarlane said. "He believes in us more than anyone I know. We all have to get in on that as well."

Hawai'i faces a tough challenge today in third-place Tulsa (16-8, 8-6). The Golden Hurricane is seeking a season sweep against Hawai'i for the second consecutive season. Tulsa sank 10 3-pointers and smashed visiting Hawai'i, 83-64, on Jan. 29.

Tulsa is led by forward Jillian Robbins, a four-time WAC Player of the Week this season. In victories last week against Fresno State and Nevada, Robbins averaged 32.5 points, 12 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3 blocks per game. She scored a school-record 38 points against Nevada.

"We don't go into any game with the idea of stopping one player," Bolla said. "We want to play good team defense."

Tulsa also has forward Megan Moody, who scored a game-high 26 points against Hawai'i in the Jan. 29 game.

"I think if we play hard 'D' and we play our game, we'll be right there," Hawai'i guard Janevia Taylor said. "As a team, we're growing every day. We just have to be consistent in winning every night."

Hawai'i will likely counter with forwards Jade Abele (11.5 ppg, 7 rpg), Amy Sanders (12.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg), center Brittany Grice (5.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and guards Macfarlane (7.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Taylor (11.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg).

Notes

Reserve guard Trisha Nishimoto said she suffered a neck injury in an auto accident last week in Boise, Idaho, and will miss the remainder of the season. Nishimoto said she was a passenger in the team's van that was rear-ended by another van. No one else was injured, according to team spokesman Neal Iwamoto.

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