In its season opener Friday, the Hawaii women’s basketball team was somehow timid and headstrong at the wrong times. On Sunday, the Rainbow Wahine found a way to better manage their emotions on the road.
UH surged past Seattle University 73-58 in Seattle on Sunday, salvaging a 1-1 road trip two days after taking a 29-point drubbing at the hands of Portland.
“We weren’t ready to play on Friday,” UH coach Laura Beeman said in a postgame phone interview. “I think we had a couple different problems. Deer in the lights, and overconfident. We got our butts handed to us. So we had to make some changes, and thank goodness the girls did.”
It had to do with toughness defensively and on the glass, and execution on offense.
The Wahine went minus-15 on the boards against Portland to plus-15 against Seattle.
UH (1-1) still struggled to shoot the ball (39.4 percent), but improved its quality of shots while holding the Redhawks (0-2) to 30.3 percent shooting. Point guard Tia Kanoa dished 10 assists, the most by a Wahine player since Tricia Stringam’s program-record 12 against New Mexico State in 1991-92.
“You need your point guard to … share the ball and score, and that’s what Tia did,” Beeman said. “Ten assists is outstanding. She could’ve had more, too, that’s the crazy thing.”
Sophomore forward Makenna Woodfolk had her second career double-double, posting career highs of 15 points and 15 rebounds. Guard Julissa Tago followed up her career-best 28-point effort Friday with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, and wing Sarah Toeaina powered her way to 13 points and nine boards.
The Redhawks trimmed a 13-point Wahine lead to four with 7:23 remaining in the game. But UH settled down during a timeout and went on a 14-2 run thanks to baskets by Lahni Salanoa, Woodfolk, Tago and Toeaina.
Seattle’s best player, forward Alexis Montgomery, scored 16 points but shot 6-for-24.
“We needed to go 1-1,” Beeman said. “Now we’ve got to go home and get better because we’ve got a really tough group coming in next weekend.”
UH hosts Northern Arizona (0-2) in the Bank of Hawaii Classic on Friday.
