The homecoming for one player was much unwelcomed by the host squad.

Taylor Smith, a 2005 Kalaheo High graduate from Kailua, scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and started a key second-half run in Pepperdine's 65-52 win over the Hawai'i women's basketball team in yesterday's opener of the Jack in the Box Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"We kept fighting and had our ups and downs but everyone came in and did a great job," Smith said. "It started with our defense, just getting turnovers, causing them to rush shots and just capitalizing on the other end."

The Rainbow Wahine, who came into the game averaging 22.2 turnovers per game, had 22 in the first half and finished with a season-high 33.

Breanna Arbuckle scored nine points off the bench to lead Hawai'i (3-9) and Megan Tinnin and Tara Hittle, making her season debut after competing for the volleyball team, added eight each before an afternoon crowd of 172.

The Rainbow Wahine played their second straight game without leading scorer Keisha Kanekoa (13.6 points). Kanekoa, a sophomore guard, sprained her right ankle during a Dec. 21 practice and missed the Dec. 22 win over Washington State. Her status is day-to-day.

"We had people that just didn't want to be in the game," Hawai'i coach Jim Bolla said. "They put pressure on us, we knew they were going to pressure, we practiced against pressure. We had players hiding, not wanting the ball, not being aggressive.

"We got aggressive one time in the first half on a press and Megan ended up getting the ball in the middle of the court and we ended up getting a layup out of it. We talked about attacking the press, you don't become passive in it."

Jessica Ross had 13 points and Nakeya Isabell had 10 steals, eight rebounds and seven assists for Pepperdine (7-6), which plays Colorado (6-4) at 3 p.m. today. Hawai'i faces Colorado tomorrow at 5 p.m. to complete the three-team, round-robin tournament.

Hawai'i rallied for its first lead of the game in the second half before Pepperdine turned up the pressure and improved on its shooting. The Waves shot just 31.6 percent from the field (29.3 at halftime), but attempted 79 shots to Hawai'i's 35. Pepperdine had more offensive rebounds (26) than defensive (19).

Hittle, a four-year player for the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team, keyed a second-half Rainbow Wahine run in her second season of basketball. Her basket with 15 minutes remaining cut the deficit to 38-33. After Tinnin hit a 3-pointer, Hittle converted a three-point play to give the Rainbow Wahine their first lead of the game at 39-38 with 14:42 remaining.

"She's a competitor," Bolla said. "She's used to being in really competitive situations that none of our other kids have. She brings experience and enthusiasm to this game and the other ones need to feed off of it."

Catherine Cho's steal and layup made it 41-38 and Hawai'i led 45-40 with 11:58 remaining after back-to-back baskets by freshman reserve Rebecca Dew. The Rainbow Wahine reserves scored 27 points.

Smith then scored to start a 14-2 run that gave the Waves the lead for good. Her three-point play made it 54-47 with 8:08 left.

After Tinnin hit a 3-pointer to end the run, Pepperdine hit three straight 3-pointers, the last by Smith, to lead 63-50 with 2:34 remaining.

"What did work is when they pressed us, we were running our press breaks, that was working. We were getting down the court and getting good shots," Tinnin said. "There's times when we'd come down the court and pick up the ball and they'd fall back and they would guard everyone else and we'd have nobody to pass it to and we'd get a stupid turnover. So just stupid mistakes like that is where they got us."

Smith scored the game's first four points while the Rainbow Wahine turned the ball over on their first four possessions and had 10 midway through the first half. A 15-4 run capped by Lauren Bell's 3-pointer gave Pepperdine a 31-19 lead with 2:38 left.

The Rainbow Wahine then scored eight straight to trail 31-27 at halftime.

NOTES

Colorado's leading scorer is sophomore Brittany Spears (19.5 points per game). Junior Whitney Houston is redshirting this year after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during fall workouts. She won the team's "Sixth Man" award last year for the Buffaloes.