Every basketball team needs a player like Megan Tinnin: a long-range bomber who can come off the bench and light a spark.

Tinnin has performed the role so well she leads Hawai'i in scoring at 11.7 points per game despite playing just 23 minutes per game.

She could also be moving closer toward her first start of the season, having practiced with the first team leading to tonight's game against Western Carolina in the Island Imaging Paradise Classic. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 at the Stan Sheriff Center. Tennessee Tech will face Oregon State in the opener at 5.

Tinnin, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard/forward, is 11 of 32 on 3-point attempts for Hawai'i (3-3). No other Rainbow Wahine has made more than six or attempted more than 15.

"Basically, when I'm given the opportunity I just take advantage of it," Tinnin said. "I go in there, hit a few 3s every now and then."

Tinnin also has shown the ability to score inside.

"She is probably one of our purest shooters," said Hawai'i coach Jim Bolla. "She does some other things well. She's really good at posting up. We can get some mismatches with her since she's a bigger guard."

Last season, Tinnin appeared in 18 games, starting three.

"Having someone come off the bench after everyone is tired and be able to pick everyone up and hit key shots is crucial. It's nice being that player," she said.

As far as Tinnin starting tonight, Bolla left it up in the air.

"We don't know yet," he said. "We really haven't set our lineup yet. We may have her (start) and we may put Leilani (Galdones) in and go with that. Either way Megan right now is our leading scorer and she's coming off the bench. She's going to get considerable playing time.

"Starting has never been an issue, and I've always said this to my players: It's what you do when you play. I could start you at the jump ball and take you out in 30 seconds."

In Hawai'i's previous game 18 days ago, Tinnin scored a career-high 15 points in a 72-54 loss to Minnesota in the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic.

"We're just tired of looking at each other," Bolla said of the long layoff.

Hawai'i starting point guard Keisha Kanekoa said: "It was good for us to get refocused and get back into a rhythm. Work on the things that we need to work on, especially defense and knowing our plays."

The extra time allowed Bolla to put in new things on offense. Its effectiveness likely will depend on Tinnin's long-range shooting.

"In our new series we have a couple of plays where she comes off of a screen and she has to be able to catch and shoot it right away and not wait," Bolla said.

Western Carolina (5-2) also has faced Minnesota this season, losing 79-67 at Minneapolis on Nov. 16.

"It's a team we have a size advantage on, but those are the teams we usually have difficulty with," Bolla said of the Lady Catamounts.

If the Rainbow Wahine are to have any success against the three teams in the round-robin tournament, they will need to cut down on turnovers.

Hawai'i's three losses have come by an average of 17.3 points and it committed a combined 75 turnovers.

"We're young and we're going to make mistakes," Bolla said. "That's how you learn. If we came out and played well every night, where would the challenge be?"

They play Tennessee Tech (1-6) at 1 p.m. tomorrow and Oregon State (4-2) at 7 p.m. Monday.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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