In the season of giving, Hawaii proved stingy enough to pull out a pre-holiday victory on the road.
The Rainbow Wahine and host San Jose State spent much of Wednesday afternoon’s nonconference basketball game gifting each other turnovers. In the end, UH managed to hold off the Spartans’ comeback bid to celebrate a 54-43 win heading into the Christmas weekend.
The Rainbow Wahine trailed 21-20 after a ragged first half and took command with a 14-2 run sparked by defense in the third quarter. They held off the Spartans’ charge in the final two minutes to snap a three-game skid and close the nonconference schedule at 2-7.
“To win on the road any time is huge and to win on the road before Christmas is really big,” UH coach Laura Beeman said in a phone interview. “These are hard games to win. … It gives us a little lift going into conference and we definitely need that. We’re going to play a really good (UC) Davis team opening night.”
Some UH players left Provident Credit Union Event Center with family members to begin their holiday week. Others will head to their homes on the mainland or return to Honolulu today. The Wahine will regroup in Davis, Calif., on Monday ahead of their Big West opener at UC Davis (4-6) on Dec. 29. They’ll close 2022 at Cal Poly (3-5) on New Year’s Eve.
Before opening defense of their conference title, the Rainbow Wahine relied on their defensive effort to overcome 27 turnovers to pick up their first road win of the season.
San Jose State’s point total marked season lows for the Spartans’ offense and the UH defense. SJSU shot 29% from the field, didn’t hit a 3-pointer until the 4:36 mark of the fourth quarter and committed nine of its 23 turnovers in the final period.
“I thought (assistant coach Derrick Florence) called a great defensive game,” Beeman said. “He had us in and out of things all game long and it slowed them down. It kept them off balance a little bit and the girls, particularly in the second half, did a much better job of rotations, communication, getting on the boards. … Defensively, we knew we were going to have to get it done because offensively it was going to be a grind.”
UH forward Kallin Spiller came up with four of UH’s 13 steals to go along with eight points and seven rebounds and forward Imani Perez blocked five shots in less than 12 minutes off the bench. Perez’s blocked shot total was the highest for a UH player since Lahni Salanoa had five against Cal Poly in 2017.
With San Jose State leading 27-25 midway through the third quarter, Perez swatted away SJSU shots in the paint on consecutive possessions. The first block led to a Kelsie Imai 3-pointer that pushed UH ahead. Imai missed on another 3-point on attempt after Perez’s second block of the sequence, but Perez scored on the putback.
“(Perez) gives us a long presence inside,” Beeman said of the 6-foot-4 freshman. “She’s just going to continue to get better and better. Her blocks definitely gave us a spark.”
Freshman guard Jovi Lefotu drew a foul while scoring on a baseline drive and converted the free throw. After UH forced a shot-clock violation, Daejah Phillips hit a 3-pointer for her lone field goal of the game. Meilani McBee was fouled on a 3-pointer and her free throws gave UH a 39-29 lead at the 1:32 mark of the third quarter.
UH led 45-35 with 3:22 left before SJSU went on a 7-1 run, closing to 46-42 on Jada Holland’s driving layup with 1 minute remaining. But UH made its next six free throw attempts and guard Ashley Thoms’ steal and layup with 27 seconds left sealed the win for the Rainbow Wahine.
Moments earlier, Thoms drew a charge in the paint to help thwart the Spartans’ rally.
“One of the plays of the game was (Thoms’) steal at the end for the finish,” Beeman said. “She’s not afraid to sacrifice her body for charges and getting on the floor. She definitely understands defense and rotations and she puts herself in positions to make big plays.”
Offensively, UH guard Lily Wahinekapu hit three of UH’s eight 3-pointers and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute to finish with a game-high 13 points. Guard McKenna Haire, who entered the game 0-for-5 on 3-pointers this season, connected on two from long range with the second giving UH a 44-35 lead with 3:52 left.
SJSU guard Jasmine Singleton led the Spartans with 12 points and had five of the Spartans’ seven steals. Guard Jada Holland, SJSU’s leading scorer at 11.5 points per game, was held to two points on 1-for-6 shooting off the bench.
