Box Score
RUSTON,La.—The University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 82-53 loss to No. 7 Louisiana Tech Thursday before 4,167 at the Thomas Assembly Center. The Lady Techsters led from wire to wire in dropping the Rainbow Wahine to 15-5 overall and 8-3 in the WAC.
The game pitted the top two teams in the WAC standings and the Lady Techsters held court, outplaying UH in nearly every statistical category. Louisiana Tech (17-3, 12-0) improved its win streak to 15 games, including an amazing 74 straight at home against conference opponents. UH, meanwhile, dropped its record to 0-4 against ranked teams this season with two of the losses coming against Tech.
Five players scored in double figures for the Lady Techsters, led by Cheryl Ford's 17 points and 12 rebounds. Louisiana Tech pounded it inside, putting the Rainbow Wahine post players in foul trouble early. The Lady Techsters proved equally adept though from the outside, nailing 7-of-12 for the game behind the arc.
UH kept it relatively close for most of the first half and were within, 21-14, after a Chelsea Wagner 3-pointer with 8:30 left. But the Lady Techsters poured in on in the final eight minutes, outscoring UH 23-8 to take a 24-point advantage into the locker room.
Hawaii played the Lady Techsters even throughout most of the second half, thanks in part to a career-night from Wagner. The 5-10 freshman finished with a career-high 18 points, including 4-of-12 from 3-point range. The 12 attempts set a new school record eclipsing the old record of 11 shared by Kyla Evers and Nani Cockett. Wagner has made 11 3-pointers in the last three games after being inserted into the starting lineup for the injured April Atuaia.
Christen Roper also put out a solid effort despite playing most of the game in foul trouble. The 6-5 center finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Hawaii rounds out its four-game road trip, traveling to Dallas, Texas to face SMU on Saturday, February 9. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CST.
