Hawaii’s continuous charge toward first place in the Big West would not be denied on Thursday night.
The Rainbow Wahine played from behind against Cal State Northridge all game — and by as many as 14 points — only for UH to stage a late rally. Amy Atwell hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 53.1 seconds left and she and her teammates went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 38 seconds of a 70-66 win over the Matadors at the Stan Sheriff Center.
It was the sixth straight win for UH (14-10, 8-3 BWC), which is a half-game behind UC Davis (8-2) as the Wahine await the Aggies for a Feb. 22 date.
Atwell hit five 3-pointers to put her at 52 — shy of only Megan Tinnin’s 55 for the program season record — on nine shots to score 17, and forward Myrrah Joseph added 14 points, all in the last three quarters. Guard Julissa Tago chipped in a hard-earned 12 points and five assists.
>> Photo Gallery: NCAA Women’s Basketball: Hawaii vs. CSUN
The Wahine trailed by 11 at halftime, and fell behind by 14 in the third, but closed the third quarter with a 14-1 run to give themselves a chance.
“I’ve had teams in the past where you’d see the slumped shoulders and the body language in the huddle, and you’re like, ‘OK, stick a fork in us. We’re done.’ ” coach Laura Beeman said. “And these guys, every time we came into the huddle, what are we going to do, they were like, ‘Let’s go.’ It’s a mentality for us. … There is no panic.”
CSUN (9-14, 4-5), which beat UH 58-54 in the teams’ Big West opener at the Matadome on Jan. 9, was looking for its fourth straight win over UH in Honolulu, but instead left with its fourth straight loss overall.
“I thought we got a little stagnant and tight on the offensive end, and then when we weren’t scoring, it was kind of a quicksand deal where we tried to do too much and it made it even worse,” CSUN coach Jason Flowers said. “They (UH) were more aggressive going inside, one way or the other, in the second half.”
Freshman point guard Nae Nae Calhoun came up with a steal and a charge taken on consecutive CSUN possessions in the final two minutes. She had nine points, six assists, two steals and no turnovers, while her Matadors counterpart Deja Williams, also a freshman, went for a season-high 32 points on 11-for-23 shooting. Williams appeared poised to win it for the Matadors at times.
“It was really intense, but overall, we got the win, so that’s all that matters,” Calhoun said of the battle of ball-handlers.
Atwell hit her fourth 3 to bring UH within a point, and Calhoun’s steal and free throw with 1:37 left tied it at 59.
Calhoun took a charge on Meghann Henderson the next trip down, setting up Atwell’s go-ahead 3 off a flare screen.
“She doesn’t play like a freshman,” Beeman said. “That’s why she doesn’t get treated like a freshman.”
On Atwell’s fifth and final 3, the forward shook off a turned ankle on an opponent’s foot as the ball swished through the net, but she missed the free throw for a potential four-point play. She managed to play out the remaining game time with a hobble as CSUN began to take fouls.
“I didn’t know the shot went in until I heard the crowd,” Atwell said of the cheering 477 souls in house. “I’d rather the shot go in than anything.”
Northridge forward De’Jionae Calloway pumped in 10 of her 20 points in the opening quarter to help her team to a 21-9 lead after 10 minutes.
Besides Williams and Calloway, the rest of the Matadors combined for only 14 points.
