Hawaii senior Amy Atwell roasted Long Beach State again, pumping in 23 points as the Rainbow Wahine basketball team upended the Beach in overtime, 75-73, on Saturday in Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Freshman guard Kelsie Imai came up big in the extra period, hitting a jumper in the paint to give Hawaii the lead with 29 seconds remaining in OT. After a missed 3 by LBSU, Imai missed two free throws with 19 ticks on the clock.
LBSU’s Justina King missed a layup try and UH’s Kasey Neubert rebounded. She missed the first foul shot, then hit the second for a 76-73 lead with nine seconds to go. Naomi Hunt missed a 3 with two seconds left.
Hawaii’s seventh straight game on the road completed a two-game sweep of LBSU. The Rainbow Wahine are now 7-6 overall and 6-5 in Big West Conference play.
Jasmine Hardy had team highs of 24 points and nine rebounds for LBSU, which dropped to 10-6 in conference play (11-7 overall). King scored 14 points, Ma’Qui Berry had 12 and Hunt chipped in 11. The Beach narrowed the rebounding gap on Saturday — Hawaii’s edge was just 38-36 — but shot just 4-for-24 from 3-point range.
Atwell scored a season-high 25 points in UH’s 77-75 win over LBSU on Friday. Like that game, Saturday’s battle was practically dead-even. Atwell, a senior from Perth, Australia, played 40 minutes and shot 9-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-7 from the arc. She also had four rebounds, two assists, two steals and only one turnover.
The 49ers opened a 60-52 lead late in the third quarter on a 3 by Jasmine Hardy. Atwell’s 3 tied it at 69 with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Hawaii had a chance to win in regulation but lost possession on an Imai turnover with 11 seconds to go. King then missed a 3 as time expired.
Neubert finished with 14 points and nine boards, and Jadynn Alexander and Imai chipped in 10 points each for the Wahine.
Hawaii will host UC Davis twice next weekend to close the regular season. It will be the Rainbow Wahine’s first home games in 41 days.