77
Seventh-ranked Mississippi State responded with fury to an early lead by Hawaii and wrapped up the Rainbow Wahine Showdown with a 66-41 victory over the hosts today at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Chinwe Okorie, a 6-foot-5 center, led the Bulldogs (7-0) with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Victoria Vivians added 10 points en route to tournament MVP honors.
Sarah Toeaina and Briana Harris led UH (2-5) with 11 points apiece. The Wahine committed 30 turnovers to the Bulldogs’ 20. UH scored a season low in points and went 0-3 in the tournament but Toeaina was named to the all-tournament team.
Mississippi State extended a 14-point halftime lead to as many as 24 points in the third quarter and coasted to victory.
Behind its superior size, the SEC team jumped out to an 11-0 lead to open the game.
UH turned it over 10 times in the first quarter but rallied back to within 13-11 by the end of the opening 10 minutes.
Olivia Crawford stole the ball and raced up for a jumper to knot it at 13 early in the second, and Julissa Tago followed with a left-handed drive to beat the shot clock for UH’s first lead.
It was short lived as the Bulldogs scored the next 17 points and carried a 33-19 lead into the break.
Hawaii plays at UCLA next Sunday.
To many turn overs. Young team, they should be in better situation once conference starts.
Agree.
Hail State!
Speed of play, running offense and defense, physicality, all of which hopefully will get better as season progresses.
Should assistant coaches be more involved during game?