USC uses turnovers against UH

The start was not the problem this time for the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine.

Rather, a four-minute lapse going into halftime doomed UH in an otherwise competitive matchup with USC, which held off the home team for a 71-60 win in front of 780 people Sunday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

USC (7-0), a team receiving votes in the latest Top 25 poll, picked up the 400th career win for coach Mark Trakh and claimed the Rainbow Wahine Showdown title behind a 25-point, eight-rebound effort from tournament MVP Kristen Simon.

It was a 32-30 game with four minutes left in the second quarter when the Women of Troy exploded for a 14-2 run to send UH (4-3) into intermission reeling.

The Pac-12 team turned back UH’s fourth-quarter comeback effort; Amy Atwell’s jumper made it a nine-point game with eight minutes to play but Simon responded with one of USC’s many three-point plays to re-establish control.

UH coach Laura Beeman was pleased with her team’s effort a day after blasting her players for their lack of focus from tip-off in what became a 12-point loss to Purdue. The difference, she said, was USC’s sustained athleticism across its eight-player rotation. Guards Minyon Moore (20 points) and Aliyah Mazyck (16) were lethal playing off of Simon, who shot 8-for-13.

“Their guard pressure is incredibly good,” Beeman said. “All of a sudden, that last three and a half (of the first half), they upped their defensive intensity and we didn’t handle it well. I probably should’ve called timeout. That’s on me, to kill the momentum. … That was probably, though, the turning point, if there was one.”

Not long before, UH came out on fire in its Vince Goo-era throwback uniforms, even taking a lead a few times in the opening quarter.

“The way we played first quarter was, great, from our past two games,” said Lahni Salanoa, who scored a season-high 17 points to lead UH. “They went on their run and our energy went kind of flat. … They were getting hyped off of their plays, and that was one of our main keys on our scouting report. They’re emotional players, so they’ll get hyped off everything they make. We let them do that and let them get a big lead.”

Point guard Tia Kanoa contributed 10 points and nine assists for the Wahine, while Sarah Toeaina (eight points) was named to the all-tournament team.

UH buckled down in the third and got within 51-41 on a basket by Kanoa. UH had a chance to cut it further on Makenna Woodfolk’s rebound of Kanoa’s free-throw miss, but UH turned it over.

At the other end, Moore converted a three-point play on Woodfolk’s fourth foul. UH center Lauren Rewers, also playing with four, stuffed Simon under the basket and hauled in the board, but again UH turned it over.

Salanoa hit a step-back jumper at the third-quarter buzzer to get UH within 55-45.

Atwell hit from the short corner to get UH within single digits with eight minutes left, but Simon’s response made it a double-digit game the rest of the way.