Jadynn Alexander scored 15 points, and Kasey Neubert had 14 points and eight rebounds as Hawaii stymied Cal State Fullerton, 57-43, Saturday night at SimpliFi Arena.
The Rainbow Wahine improved to 2-2 in Big West Conference play (3-3 overall) by locking down under the glass. On Friday, they saw a 23-point lead nearly disappear in a narrow 49-47 win. This time, the visiting Titans had just eight offensive boards instead of the 16 they had on Friday.
“The girls made great adjustments. We knew with (Amiee) Book coming back, they had another weapon,” Hawaii coach Laura Beeman said, referring to Fullerton’s leading scorer who did not play on Friday. “I couldn’t be more proud of the girls from a bad fourth quarter (Friday) to tonight.”
Hawaii had an 18-point lead in the final quarter. CSUF, led by former Hawaii Pacific coach Jeff Harada, got no closer than 12 points in the final five minutes.
Neubert was on fire from the start, scoring UH’s first seven points.
“I was just feeling it. I just prepared more than yesterday. I had those missed bunnies yesterday so I did extra bunnies today in practice,” the 6-foot-1 sophomore said. “I felt energized and it energized everyone.”
Hawaii also contested CSUF’s long-range shooters, limiting them to 0-for-10 from the arc. Nnenna Orji was a key part of a stingy UH defense, using her 6-2 frame to close the lane.
“Nnenna brings a great deal of athleticism and defense. She’s long and did a great job recovering,” Beeman said. “For a post her size, she did a great job of containment, getting on the boards and making hustle plays.”
Freshman Daejah Phillips and Kelsie Imai played crucial roles. Phillips had seven rebounds and Imai finished with 10 points, including four in the final minute to ice the win. Imai finished 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.
“Kelsie did a phenomenal job. She was supposed to give Nae Nae (Calhoun) a breather this season,” Beeman said, referring to the injured point guard. “When Kasey learns to play slower and sees the floor more clearly, she’ll do a lot more offensively than she does now.”
Alexander was key on both ends, covering CSUF’s top scorer, Book, when she wasn’t assigned to explosive Carolyn Gill. Each scored nine points to pace the Titans.
The Rainbow Wahine will play at UC Irvine next Friday and Saturday in their second road trip of the season.
Neubert was a perfect 3-for-3 in the first two minutes with two layups and a long-range swish from the right wing to help UH open a 9-2 lead. After Jadynn Alexander nailed an NBA-range 3 to beat the shot clock, the Rainbow Wahine led 12-4. Amy Atwell’s steal and layup extended the lead to 14-4.
The Titans had a whopping 16 offensive rebounds when the teams met on Friday. This time, they didn’t get their first offensive board until 3:15 remained in the opening quarter.
CSUF switched from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone defense in the final three minutes of the first quarter. The Titans switched back to man and stifled the Wahine in the second quarter, but they could not convert on the offensive end.
A bucket by Neubert in the paint gave UH its largest margin, 18-7, with 5:04 left in the first half. Moments later, Phillip’s corner 3 opened the lead to 21-9. At that point, CSUF was 3-for-23 from the field.
Imai’s free throw gave Hawaii its widest margin, 22-9, with 2:57 to go in the first half.
Book did not score until 1:05 remained in the first half. Hawaii led at the break, 24-13, limiting the visitors to just three offensive boards and 4-for-25 shooting from the field.
Atwell scored on the block, and later added two free throws to open the margin to 28-13, and after Imai drove for a traditional three-point play, it was an 18-point lead with 7:06 left in the third quarter.
CSUF went on a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter to pull within 40-31, but Alexander hit back-to-back corner 3s to extend the lead to 15 points.
