Former Wahine standout Megan Huff helps hand Hawaii a loss

No hard feelings on Hawaii’s end. Just a hard loss.

Former Rainbow Wahine standout Megan Huff racked up a double-double against her former team as the Utah Utes rolled to a 73-48 win over UH in the championship game of the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas on Friday.

UH (4-8) saw its three-game winning streak — and goal of a perfect December — crushed as the unbeaten Pac-12 team (11-0) flexed coming out of intermission at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion, holding the Wahine to a season scoring low.

Huff, a fifth-year senior, was named MVP of the four-team event. She had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four turnovers while shooting 4-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-3 on 3-point attempts.

“She’s a heck of a player. She’s going to be first-team All-Pac-12 (for the second straight year),” UH coach Laura Beeman said in a postgame phone interview. “She’ll probably have a pro career. She put the work in. She’s extended her game past the 3-point line, which makes her an even more difficult match.”

Huff, who also played one season for the Wahine volleyball team, was the Big West’s Sixth Player of the Year in 2014-15 and 2015-16, helping Hawaii win the Big West championship her sophomore season. She transferred out soon afterward.

“Huff is an amazing player, she’s a great person and it wasn’t Makenna (Woodfolk) against Huff or Hawaii against Huff,” Beeman said. “It was Hawaii against Utah today. There was no residual anything with Huff. We respect her. We wanted her. Wish her well. But there was nothing of that in this game at all.”

UH’s top scoring threat, Woodfolk, was named to the all-tournament team two days after she put up 19 points and nine rebounds in an overtime win over host UNLV. But she was held to two points on 1-for-9 shooting against the Utes. Senior Lahni Salanoa came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points and freshman Myrrah Joseph scored a personal-best nine.

UH actually led early in the second quarter, and was within 29-25 at halftime, before the Wahine blinked. They were run off the floor in the third quarter, getting outscored 32-11.

“Third quarter they outscored us by 21. That’s the ballgame,” Beeman said. “They put some pressure on us. But the biggest thing is, we just started doing things we should not have been doing. Our execution was really poor and allowed them to transition us, allowed them to get really easy buckets.”

Daneesha Provo had a game-high 20 points and Erika Bean assisted on 11 baskets for the Utes.

The Wahine disperse to be with their families over Christmas, then complete their three-game road trip on Dec. 29 at Nevada (3-7).