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Rainbow Wahine edge Grand Canyon, eye Big West opener

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Hawaii guard Olivia Crawford (20) gets past Grand Canyon guard Brie Mobley (44) during the second half of a women’s college basketball game between the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine and the Grand Canyon University Lopes.

The Hawaii women’s basketball team closed out nonconference play with a 51-47 win over Grand Canyon tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center.

UH (4-8) snapped a six-game losing streak to Division I opposition heading into Big West play at Long Beach State on Jan. 5.

Briana Harris and Lahni Salanoa led the Rainbow Wahine with 11 points apiece. UH overcame 16 turnovers and 33.3 percent shooting by going 16-for-21 from the free-throw line.

Olivia Crawford hit a 3 in the second quarter to put UH ahead 18-16. GCU reclaimed the lead in short order and took a 31-25 halftime lead when Casey Rarrick made a buzzer-beating layup.

UH went back up late in the third, 35-33, when Harris drove in for a bucket plus the foul. She completed the three-point play as part of a 13-0 run that saw the hosts go up by seven. The Wahine led 43-38 going into the fourth.

The Antelopes (7-5), formerly of the Division II PacWest Conference, scored the first five points of the final period to tie it at 43. Sarah Toeaina answered with her first field goal with 5:58 left but had it matched by GCU’s Aniya Baker.

Harris scored on a putback of a missed Toeaina 3-pointer for a 47-45 lead with 1:52 to play. GCU was then whistled for an offensive foul. Harris missed a 3, but Julissa Tago grabbed the rebound and UH called timeout with 59.2 seconds left.

Baker stole the ball, but Brie Mobley missed the breakaway tying layup attempt with 23 seconds left. Crawford grabbed the board and called for time.

Toeaina got fouled and made both for a 49-45 lead with 17.7 seconds left. GCU’s Mobley was called for an offensive foul with 9.4 seconds left and Toeaina made two more at the line to close it out.

2 responses to “Rainbow Wahine edge Grand Canyon, eye Big West opener”

  1. Pacificsports says:

    This is why Coach Beeman deserves an extension and a raise and why her male counterpart does not. Her teams does well against good opponents and upsets a few. The men’s team is the opposite, they get upset by poor teams and don’t upset any good teams, and this trend will continue.

  2. nomu1001 says:

    Team is young, and it shows. Didn’t see Middap in the game, hope we’ll see more of her in BW play.

    Fundamentals, footwork, each player understands offense / defense?

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