Box Score
HONOLULU - Hawaii held off a late rally by California to pick up its first win of the season, 70-68, Sunday afternoon in the seventh place game of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Classic. UH improved to 1-2 on the year while handing Jim Bolla his fist win as Rainbow Wahine head coach.
UH was led by the duo of Jade Abele and Alofa Toiaivao as the pair provided clutch offensive performances while also giving the team some timely defensive play. Abele had a team-high 21 points, including five points down the stretch to break open a tie game, and Toiaivao added 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Hawaii took the lead five minutes into the game, built a double-digit lead and never trailed again, but California (1-3) chipped away in the second half to nearly steal it away from the Rainbow Wahine. UH broke the game open in the first half by scoring 17 unanswered points to take a 15-point lead, 26-11. UH defense frustrated Cal into 10 turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game and held the Bears scoreless for nearly eight minutes.
UH shot 52 percent to take a 37-26 lead at the break, but the Golden Bears slowly got back in the game. Cal cut the deficit to one point on three occasions in the final eight minutes and finally tied the game, 62-62, on a Leigh Gregory bucket with 3:36 remaining. Abele, however, drained a 3-pointer on UH's next possession to help squash the potential comeback. Abele finished 3-of-5 behind the arc.
Toiaivoa meanwhile scored 11 of her points and recorded four of her blocks in the second half to help UH secure its lead. Toaiavao and Abele also combined for six of UH's nine steals. Amy Sanders and Milia Macfarlane also aided the UH win with 12 and 11 points, respectively, most of which came in the first half when UH built aits double-digit lead.
TCU beat a ranked opponent for the second straight day to capture the tournament title. Led by tourney MVP Sandora Irvin, the Lady Frogs defeated #13 Michigan State, 80-75.
Hawaii will be back in action with the Waikiki Beach Marriott Invitational, December 9-11. Southeast Missouri State and BYU join Hawaii in the round-robin tournament with UH and Southeast Missouri State facing off on December 9 at 7 p.m.
Final Box Score
Sunday's Results
7th Place Game: Hawaii 70, Cal 68
5th Place Game: Utah 57, Idaho 50
3rd Place Game: #3 Georgia 87, Santa Clara 68
Championship: TCU 80, #13 Michigan State 75
All-Tournament Team
Leilani Mitchell, Idaho
Quinn Thomas, Santa Clara
Kim Smith, Utah
Tasha Humphrey, Georgia
Kelli Roehrig, Michigan State
Ashley Davis, TCU
Lindsay Bowen, Michigan State
MVP: Sandora Irvin, TCU
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