Weak rebounding proves costly for Wahine

Cal State Northridge controlled the boards in a 67-56 win over Hawaii on Saturday, leaving the Rainbow Wahine basketball team looking to bounce back from a Big West road sweep.

CSUN sophomore center Channon Fluker posted a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds and the Matadors (11-11, 4-4 Big West) opened up a 55-34 rebounding advantage over the Rainbow Wahine (8-13, 4-5) at the Matadome in Northridge, Calif.

Forward Claudia Ramos provided outside balance with four 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 17 points. Guard Serafina Maulupe hit two from long range and added 10 points. CSUN outscored UH 34-16 in the paint and scored 16 points off offensive rebounds.

Fluker, last season’s Big West Freshman of the Year, was coming off a 22-point, 20-rebound performance in Thursday’s upset of then-league leader Long Beach State. While she remained a central figure for the Matadors, Rainbow Wahine coach Laura Beeman cited the production surrounding Fluker and the rebounding disparity — including a 22-11 margin on the offensive boards — as the primary issues in UH’s second straight loss.

“Our problem is we got outrebounded by 20 and we’re not getting enough second-chance opportunities on the boards to win ballgames,” Beeman said.

“We blew schemes about five or six times, and … I can think of four out of the six times they hit a 3. So we’ve got to stay bought into what we’re doing defensively. With all of that said we still have to rebound the ball.”

Guard Sarah Toeaina led UH with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field. Guard Olivia Crawford hit two 3-pointers and contributed 12 points in her first double-digit scoring performance in six games.

Coming off a 63-45 loss at UC Riverside on Thursday, UH fell behind 20-14 in the first quarter but ended the second period on an 8-0 run to close to 28-26 at halftime.

The Wahine took a 32-30 lead on Toeaina’s layup with 7:13 left in the third quarter. But Ramos drained back-to-back 3-pointers to push CSUN ahead. UH trailed 42-37 at the 3:15 mark, but Ramos sparked an 8-0 CSUN burst to end the quarter.

The Matadors stretched the lead to 17 in the fourth quarter and led by double digits into the final minute.

The Wahine fell to 1-10 on the road and return to the Stan Sheriff Center on Wednesday to face UC Riverside in the opener of a four-game homestand.

“Definitely a quick turnaround. We have to get these guys recovered, the travel doesn’t help, obviously,” Beeman said. “But if we don’t get on the boards it won’t matter if we’re playing at home or away, we’ll have the same outcome. We have to make some changes.”