Short on numbers, Hawaii’s prowess from long range propelled the Rainbow Wahine basketball team to an 84-63 win over Hawaii Hilo in Wednesday’s intrastate exhibition at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine hit 11 3-pointers, five in the second quarter, to pull away from the Division II Vulcans in UH’s lone exhibition before the Nov. 11 season opener at USC.
Senior guard Briana Harris hit four 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 17 points for the Rainbow Wahine, who had seven players available for the game due to injuries.
Sophomore forward Lahni Salanoa posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Sarah Toeaina added 16 points and eight boards and freshman Julissa Tago knocked down three 3-pointers in a 13-point, 10-rebound debut.
“I thought they held up really well,” UH coach Laura Beeman said of the thin rotation. “I thought the first half we played much better than the second half. Conditioning definitely became a factor, focus became a factor.”
The Wahine went 11-for-25 behind the 3-point line with five players hitting at least one. Beeman said the numbers emerged within the flow of the game and doesn’t foresee UH shooting 3-pointers with the same frequency as the season progresses.
“It definitely evolved as the game went on,” Beeman said. “We’re not going to be a team that shoots the ball 25 times from 3, that can’t happen. … We can get to the basket, we can get some and-ones, we can do a better job of some mid-range jumpers.
“I do think we’re a team that shoots the ball much better from the outside than we ever have and it will definitely be part of our offensive productivity. But I don’t see us shooting 25 times form 3 every night.”
UH led 22-18 after an often ragged first quarter, then shot nearly 63 percent (10-for-16) from the field and hit five of eight 3-point attempts in the second quarter to take control.
Tago knocked down a 3-pointer late in the first quarter, then hit two more early in the second to trigger a 21-4 UH run and the Wahine opened up a 43-22 cushion. Harris added two more 3-pointers and scored eight straight points for UH at one stretch during the run.
“Scoring your first collegiate point is like, ‘I finally did it.’ and I was finally calmed down,” Tago said of her first 3-pointer. “My teammates definitely helped me a lot. I don’t think I would have gotten through it without them being so positive and helping me and cheering me on.”
Salanoa hit four 3-pointers in last Friday’s Green and White scrimmage, but did most of her scoring on drives into the lane on Wednesday. Salanoa went into halftime with 11 points and UH took a 48-33 lead into the break.
“Every time I caught the ball, they were already up and I just drove past,” Salanoa said. “Looked to shoot, but it wasn’t there so I drove past.”
UH Hilo coach David Kaneshiro had a similarly short bench with eight players suited up.
Sophomore guard Kim Schmelz led three UH Hilo players in double figures with 16 points, 14 coming in the second half. Center Asia Smith finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Sydney Mercer hit two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points.
“There was a few times we had good flow to our offense. Obviously we have a long way to go,” Kaneshiro said. “It’s still October. A lot of work to do, but I feel like we showed enough that the overall outlook is positive.”
