The Hawaii women’s basketball team couldn’t right the ship against East Carolina yesterday, falling for the fifth straight game, 71-63, in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Shootout at Hilo.

Senior point guard Keisha Kanekoa scored 17 points in her final game on her native island and moved within 13 of becoming the 16th 1,000-point scorer at UH (4-6). That and a season-high 22 points from senior shooting guard Megan Tinnin still weren’t enough, as ECU (5-6) nailed 11 3-pointers and outrebounded the Wahine 46-35.

Turnover-prone UH committed only 12 giveaways compared to 24 for the Pirates, who nevertheless slowly pulled ahead in the second half.

Tinnin tied the game at 32 with a 3-pointer just before halftime, but depth was the difference as East Carolina’s bench outscored UH’s 30-3.

UH was without freshman forward Kamilah Jackson, the Western Athletic Conference’s leading rebounder, who was on the mainland at a funeral.

Freshman wing Shawna Kuehu had 10 points and four steals for UH, which returns to the Stan Sheriff Center on Tuesday against Columbia in the Pepsi Rainbow Wahine Invitational. UH follows against Cal State Bakersfield and UNLV on Dec. 29 and 30 in its last games before WAC play.

Kelly Smith led ECU with 18 points, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers.