Hawaii counts NCAA Tournament loss as a step forward

BATON ROUGE, La. >> Going up against a powerful opponent in the NCAA’s Greenville 2 regional, the Hawaii women’s basketball team put up a fight before succumbing to LSU 73-50 on Friday.

There were linesmakers that had Hawaii listed as a 30-point underdog to LSU, which was playing on its home court as the regional’s No. 3 seed. But, unlike their 89-49 loss to Baylor in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the No. 14-seeded Rainbow Wahine gave LSU more trouble than their speed-bump betting line would indicate.

“This team has not quit all year long,” Hawaii coach Laura Beeman said. “They have fought adversity head on all year long and our tournament was a reflection of that. I thought today they played outstanding. We’re going to continue to advance in this and games like this, situations like this can only help us get there. I’m just incredibly proud of this group.”

Hawaii battled LSU on the boards on even terms for three quarters and finished with 13 offensive rebounds. The Wahine also had open looks from 3-point range that, if more had fallen, would have made LSU work much harder.

Hawaii was outrebounded 40-33, and made seven of 32 3-point shots.

“I think what it came down to was when big shots had to be made, (LSU) made big shots, and we missed shots when we had wide-open looks,” Beeman said. “To beat a team the quality of LSU you have to hit wide-open shots, and we just didn’t do that.”

Hawaii regularly made big shots in the weeks leading up to the NCAA Tournament. A season-ending run to the Big West Tournament title culminated with a come-from-behind win over UC-Santa Barbara as Hawaii erased a deficit that was 15 points at halftime and double digits in the fourth quarter of the championship game.

The Big West Tournament experience turned into something the Wahine could use when they trailed 48-33 entering the fourth quarter against LSU. It didn’t take Beeman long to figure out what to tell her team.

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“I told them the same thing,” she said. “I’m really bad at math, but I think we were about six or seven baskets down. I said, ‘Guys, we’ve been here. Let’s just chip away — stop, score, stop — this is a great team, but we have to get back to not turning the ball over, taking great shots, and we’ve got to get on the boards.”

LSU All-America post player Angel Reese, who recorded her 29th double-double of the season with 34 points and 15 rebounds, took notice.

“(Hawaii) didn’t give up,” Reese said. “They’re a really good team. My teammates did a good job getting me the ball, so kudos to them.”

Hawaii was led by sophomore Daejah Phillips and senior Kallin Spiller, who each scored 13 points. Sophomore Lily Wahinekapu added 11 points.

“This was a really cool experience playing against some of the top girls in the nation,” Wahinekapu said. “I feel like I learned a lot from this game and what I need to work on. Just being in this environment with so many people, it was something new.”

For Spiller, the game didn’t put a damper on the final chapter of her college career.

“I feel honored that Coach Beeman gave me a chance to come here and be a leader in her program,” Spiller said. “Hawaii is a strong program, and they were on my radar even before I came here. But to finish the job and get two back-to-back tournament championships — I’m extremely proud to say that I gave my heart and soul to this program, and to see that it’s better than where it was when I started.”