The Hawaii women’s basketball team was fed up with its recent performances, so the strategy Saturday was to have a short memory, then nail shots from long distance.
Hawaii played with renewed energy and made 11 3-pointers to beat Idaho State 58-46 in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown before 513 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
“They all came out and they were very disappointed with the way we played against Idaho, they were disappointed with the way we played against Air Force,” Hawaii coach Laura Beeman said. “This is not who they want their identity to be, as a team that’s kind of soft and doesn’t execute well.”
Daejah Phillips finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, and MeiLani McBee added 11 points for the Rainbow Wahine (2-4).
Hawaii entered the game shooting .303 from 3-point range (31-of-103).
“Shots fall when the ball moves,” Beeman said. “If we continue to not move the ball and not run our offense, then shots won’t fall because you’re not getting them in rhythm, you’re not getting them when you’re open, you’re second-guessing things. Tonight we moved the ball really well.”
Hawaii finished 15-for-43 from the field, including 11-for-27 from 3-point range, and 17-for-18 from the free-throw line.
Idaho State shot 19-for-65, including 4-for-21 from 3-point range, and 4-for-6 from the line. Sophia Covello finished with 10 points for the Bengals (2-4).
Idaho State scored the game’s first six points before Hawaii went on a 13-0 run to go up by seven. Brooklyn Rewers, Jade Peacock and Lily Wahinekapu each hit 3-pointers during the surge.
“We were very hungry after the loss (to Air Force) yesterday, so our energy was very, very high,” Phillips said.
Idaho State scored the final five points of the quarter to get within 13-11.
Hawaii outscored Idaho State 16-6 in the second quarter to take a 29-17 advantage.
Idaho State shot 1-for-19 from the field in the quarter, while Hawaii was 5-for-14, including 4-for-10 from 3-point range. The Bengals’ only field goal was by Maria Dias with 8:07 remaining.
“I thought the looks were OK. I thought our shot selection could be even a little bit better,” Idaho State coach Seton Sobolewski said. “They had been struggling a little bit and this was a breakout game for them. Unfortunately, we were the victims.”
Peacock scored all nine of her points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range in the first half, while Phillips scored all seven of her first-half points in the second quarter.
“It was the confidence that Beeman and the other coaches had instilled in me that I am capable of stepping up and making those shots that I had in practice,” Peacock said.
Peacock and Phillips both came off the bench for the Rainbow Wahine.
“I like to come off the bench and just see how the defense is playing,” Phillips said. “My role is to be a playmaker and help my team score and get the ball in the basket, and when it’s my turn, it’s my turn.”
Hawaii shot 9-for-23 from the field, including 7-for-17 from 3-point range before halftime.
Idaho State finished 6-for-35 from the field, including 1-for-10 from 3-point range, in the first half.
Both teams got into a rhythm on offense in the third quarter.
The Rainbow Wahine shot 6-for-13, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range. The Bengals went 8-for-13 and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Hawaii took its largest lead at 45-29 after McBee’s 3-pointer with 3:24 remaining in the third. At that point, the Rainbow Wahine had hit 11 of 22 3-point attempts.
Six Hawaii players made at least one 3-pointer.
“Everyone had their fair share of 3s tonight,” Peacock said.
The Bengals went on a 6-1 run to open the fourth to get within 50-42 with 7:16 left. The Rainbow Wahine shot 0-for-7 from the field in the fourth quarter, but went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line over the final 6:04 to keep the Bengals at bay.
“Absolutely nice to hit free throws,” Beeman said. “We got a little tight in the fourth quarter. We have to continue to play. We can’t bypass things that have worked all game long heading into the stretch because we’re afraid to lose a ballgame.”
On Nov. 15, Idaho State defeated Big West member UC Santa Barbara 70-64 in Pocatello.
In Saturday’s earlier game, Washington beat Air Force 73-53.
The Rainbow Wahine will conclude the tournament today at 5 p.m. against unbeaten Washington.
