On a night when the Hawai'i women's basketball team donned pink socks, pink ribbons, even pink hair for breast cancer awareness, the game they turned in — a masterful 62-42 dismantling of Utah State — was a study in black, blue and whoo.

With double-double machine Tanya Smith recording a modest (for her) seven points and nine rebounds and starter Dita Liepkalne out nursing an injured knee, the Rainbow Wahine relied on a staunch defensive effort and a free-wheeling but efficient offense that resulted in four players scoring at least 12 points.

Megan Tinnin and Saundra Cariaga led the way with 14 points apiece. Tara Hittle, in her first start since joining the team midseason, contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a dozen floor burns. Reserve center Iwona Zagrobelna added 12 points and shot 2-for-2 from 3-point range.

The Rainbow Wahine improved to 9-13 overall and 3-6 in the Western Athletic Conference. Jenny Gross led the Aggies (6-15, 2-7) with 15 points.

UH took a quick 5-0 lead off a 3-pointer by Amy Kotani and a putback by Smith.

From there, the UH defense took over, smothering Gross' efforts in the paint and leaving the Aggie's sub-zero shooters to shoot vainly and at will.

The 'Bows took advantage of the Aggies' 26-percent field-goal shooting in the half with a 10-0 run sparked by the frenetic, physical play of Hittle, who converted the front end of a 1-and-1, then stole a pass for an easy layup. The run ended in spectacular fashion as Keisha Kanekoa spun away from a sideline trap and tossed a near-blind lob pass to Cariaga on the opposite side of the basket. The 5-foot-9 Cariaga made an athletic, body-torquing catch and guided the ball in as she fell away.

"Big Island girls, we just connect," said Cariaga, laughing. "I told her that if I'm open, just throw it up and I'll get it."

UH continued to press its advantage, eventually taking a 35-16 lead at the half on a 3-pointer from the corner by Cariaga.

"It all started with our defense," said UH head coach Jim Bolla, who spent the week preparing his squad to shut down the Aggies' usually potent penetration. "We dropped back to the screen and instead of going north-south on us, they had to go sideways a little bit. We just did a real good job on their penetration."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.