Rainbow Wahine win late against Cal State Fullerton

Freshman Olivia Davies and senior Amy Atwell hit key free throws in the final 1:56 as Hawaii escaped with a 49-47 win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night at SimpliFi Arena.

The Titans had chance to tie or take the lead, but Bella Stratford air-balled an 18-footer from the left wing in the final seconds. CSUF (1-8, 0-5 BWC) couldn’t get another shot up before the final horn.

Making her first start, Davies led Hawaii (2-3, 1-2 BWC) with 17 points. Jadynn Alexander added 14 points for the Rainbow Wahine, who nearly blew a 23-point second-half lead.

This battle was reminiscent of an early season matchup with the long-range shooters of HPU. This time, UH came out with the win as Davies showed poise and explosiveness, along with a smooth 3-point stroke.

“Now you guys know why we were heartbroken last year when she went down (with an injury). Having her and Julissa Tago last year together would’ve been great in our conference,” Hawaii coach Laura Beeman said. “Having her back (now), she’s not even close to the caliber of player you’re going to see this year, let alone senior year. Great attitude, hard worker just needs more experience. She just needs to be tested.”

Davies said she didn’t feel so smooth before the game.

“I’m actually really excited, it was just fun to get out there, but I definitely was nervous. I shot terrible in warm-ups and said, let’s see how we roll,” she said.

Anniken Frey, who hit four treys in the second half, led Fullerton with 16 points. Carolyn Gill had a team-high 10 rebounds. The visitors shot just 28 percent from the field (15-for-54), but hustled for 16 offensive rebounds. In all, CSUF outboarded Hawaii 44-31. The Titans’ leading scorer, Amiee Book, did not take the floor, but is expected to play in the rematch.

Hawaii and Cal State Fullerton meet again tonight at 7.

Hawaii took a 3-2 lead on Davies’ first shot of the game, a corner 3. A 3 by Daejah Phillips opened the lead to 10-4, and a lefty layup by Kasey Neubert stretched the margin to 15-7 early in the second quarter.

Davies splashed a 3 from the left wing, then Alexander hit from the right corner, and then drove for an old-fashioned three-point play. After Amy Atwell got in the scoring column with a 3, Hawaii had a 27-14 lead with less than five minutes remaining before intermission.

With both teams struggling from the field, Neubert’s putback opened Hawaii’s lead to 15 points with less than two minutes before the break.

Alexander and Davies combined for the first six points of the second half as the home team extended the lead to 35-14. Fullerton’s scoring drought lasted more than 10 minutes before Joy Krupa sank a free throw with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

After foul shots by Alexander and Phillips, Hawaii’s biggest lead was 38-15.

“Defensively for a while we were on point,” Beeman said. “Fullerton plays hard and plays well. That’s D-I basketball and a little bit where we are, a little bit unpredictable. I was definitely not relaxed up 23 knowing Fullerton could come back. Very pleased we closed out.”

The visitors responded with an 10-0 run, sparked by a 3 from Clarissa Rodarte and a couple of buckets in the paint by reserve Janette Mensah. After Anniken Frey drilled a wing 3, the Titans were down 40-28 late in the third stanza.

After Bella Stratford hit a jumper, Frey splashed an NBA-distance 3, cutting Hawaii’s lead to 40-33 with 7:35 left in the fourth quarter. Frey nailed another 3 with 6:18 left, cutting the lead to four. That was an 21-2 run by the Titans.

Kelsie Imai’s corner 3 ended Hawaii’s scoring drought, opening the lead to 43-39 with 5:15 remaining. Moments later, Frey drained another trey, cutting the score to 45-44 with 3:01 left.

After Davies drove for a bucket, she committed her fourth foul with 2:11 to play. Stratford hit one foul shot, cutting the margin to two points.

Davies sank one of two foul shots for a 48-45 Hawaii lead with 1:56 remaining. Frey hit a free throw with 1:43 left, cutting the lead to two.

CSUF had a chance to tie, but Megan Nieto was whistled for an illegal screen with 1:05 to go. Another opportunity came with 30 seconds left, but Stratford missed a wide-open layup. The Titans retained possession on a jump ball with 25.3 ticks on the clock.

Nieto had a chance to tie the game, but made just one of her two foul shots with 17.7 seconds remaining. Hawaii called time out with a 48-47 lead and 16.7 seconds left.

Atwell sank the second of two charity shots for a 49-47 cushion.

The Rainbow Wahine will play at UC Irvine next Friday and Saturday in the second road trip of the season.