Despite one of their most spirited and intense efforts of the season, the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine basketball team watched helplessly last night as their 11-point, second-half lead disappeared in a whirlwind of rushed plays and missed connections that ultimately resulted in a heartbreaking 74-69 loss to Nevada at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Tanya Smith scored 15 points, snared a game-high 20 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end, and blocked four shots. Saundra Cariaga contributed 16 points and Tara Hittle added nine points and 14 rebounds (seven offensive).

Mikail Price led the Wolf Pack with 17 points. Dellena Criner finished with 16, including 12 in the second half.

In a game in which both teams struggled offensively (both shot 39 percent from the field), the Wahine's scrappy work on the boards and solid interior defense earned them a 60-49 advantage with eight minutes left in the game.

It wasn't enough as the Wolf Pack, aided by several Wahine turnovers, mustered a 15-3 run to steal the game.

A turnstile crowd of 401 saw UH dominate the boards, 56-31, yet suffer a 20-6 disparity in free throws — a stat that drew an angry response from Wahine head coach Jim Bolla.

"We're the home team and we shoot six free throws and they shoot 20, are you (expletive) me?" Bolla said. "That's a joke. The commissioner wants to reprimand me, fine. But that was a joke."

Still, Bolla refused to pin the loss on poor officiating. As incensed as he was over the foul situation, Bolla expressed greater disappointment in his team's sloppy play in the final deciding minutes of the game.

"We gave it away," Bolla said. "We gave six turnovers and they go on a (15-3) run to take the lead. We're up 11 and we just give it away."

With the loss, the Wahine drop to 9-14 overall, 3-7 in the Western Athletic Conference. Nevada improves to 17-6 (8-2).

The Wolf Pack's aggressive man-to-man defense harassed the already turnover-prone Wahine into a string of early miscues, which in turn led to easy scoring opportunities in transition.

UH spotted Nevada an 8-2 lead before Bolla substituted Megan Tinnin with freshman point guard Keisha Kanekoa, giving the Wahine another ball handler and playmaker in the backcourt.

Kanekoa made an immediate impact, finding Smith for an easy layup then nailing a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Cariaga later nailed a 3 from the right corner to knot the game 10-10, the first of six ties in the half.

UH outscored Nevada 7-1 to end the half with a 39-31 advantage. The half ended with a steal and a layup by freshman Leilani Galdones, just seconds after she was scolded by Bolla for turning over the ball on the previous possession.

UH seemed to have the game in hand in the second half, opening up a 54-47 lead. After a made jumper by Nevada's Bre'anna Henry, Cariaga and Galdones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 61-49.

But the Wolf Pack went on a run of its own, capped by a steal and a layup by Criner, to give Nevada a 64-63 lead with 4:16 left. The lead changed four times in the next over the next minute as Kanekoa sat on the bench with a turned ankle.

UH trailed 68-67, when Criner stripped Galdones, leading to a pair of free throws for Price.

Kanekoa returned for the final minutes, but Nevada had the momentum. Price's 24-foot 3-pointer gave the Wolf Pack a two-possession lead 28 seconds left, and Hawai'i was unable to score the rest of the way.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.