Facing a double-digit deficit midway through the third quarter, Hawaii coach Laura Beeman had a simple message for the Rainbow Wahine during a timeout.
“We’re in great shape.”
A showdown for first place in the Big West women’s basketball race tilted toward host Long Beach State in the second quarter on Saturday. But with UH down 10 at the third-quarter media timeout, Beeman could sense a shift in favor of the Wahine.
“Their energy was good and they started to understand what was going on on the floor,” Beeman said.
The Wahine went on to close the period with a 13-2 run to take the lead and outlasted the Beach in the fourth quarter to rise to the top of the conference standings with a 72-64 win at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
UH forward Amy Atwell scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half and hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:46 left as the Rainbow Wahine (12-8, 8-2 Big West) stormed back from a 13-point deficit to earn their fifth straight victory and sweep the conference road trip.
UH entered the day third in the conference and passed LBSU (16-4, 9-3) and UC Irvine (14-9, 9-3), which lost at UC Davis on Saturday.
“The kids have put themselves in this position to be in first place,” Beeman said. “We played some really crazy games, they’ve aligned with our goals, they’ve continued to work hard and persevere through some tough stuff. Of course it feels good to be in first place, but it’s way, way too early to get excited.”
Atwell, the Big West’s leading scorer, spent most of the second quarter on the bench with two fouls as Long Beach State went on a 13-0 run. Even so, Beeman praised the UH bench for keeping the Wahine within striking distance at halftime down 39-30. A steal and layup by Ashley Thoms stopped the LBSU run and Meilani McBee followed with a 3-pointer.
“Our bench came through in that second quarter big time to keep us exactly where we needed to be,” Beeman said.
Atwell played the entire second half and went 7-for-9 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range after the break to help power the UH comeback. Atwell also led the Wahine with 12 rebounds in her fourth double-double of the season.
“Right now she is playing like a Player of the Year,” Beeman said. “For her to step up in that second half and play the way she did, hit the big shots and lead the team the way she’s supposed to, was outstanding to see.”
Wahine guard Olivia Davies tied her career high with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and Daejah Phillips had five assists and six rebounds as UH amassed a 47-29 advantage on the boards. Seven UH players hit at least one 3-pointer and UH went 12-for-27 as a team.
LBSU forward Maddi Utti scored 16 points in the first half and matched Atwell with 25 points and 12 rebounds. She had 21 with 7:04 left in the third quarter when she hit a 3-pointer to give the Beach a 46-33 lead.
Atwell answered with a 3-pointer to spark a 19-2 UH surge that stretched into the fourth quarter when Nnenna Orji banked in a 3-pointer from the top to give UH a 52-48 lead.
The teams traded buckets and LBSU’s Justina King forced the third tie of the quarter at 64-64 with a 3-pointer with 2:01 left.
Atwell responded 15 seconds later by draining a 3 from the right wing to give UH the lead again. The Wahine shut out the Beach the rest of the way and went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line to seal the win.
“I was saying, ‘get the ball to a guard.’ And then, I’m like, ‘Oh, shoot it,’ ” Beeman said. “She looked at me and started cracking up and I laughed at her.
“When Amy’s in rhythm, I don’t question it. That was a rhythm shot for her.”
UH returns home to face UC San Diego on Thursday and UC Irvine on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
