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Women's Basketball

No. 15 Houston Pulls Away From Hawaii

Box Score

HONOLULU - Nationally-ranked Houston used its superior combination of size and speed to defeat Hawaii, 66-55, on the opening evening of the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The loss snapped UH's three-game winning streak, while the 15th-ranked Cougars (9-0) remained undefeated on the season.

The Rainbow Wahine (3-3) hung tough early but ultimately could not content with an aggressive Houston squad that harassed UH into a season-high 23 turnovers and 36 percent shooting. Hawaii entered the game as one of the most accurate 3-point teams in the country but made just 6-of-21 from behind the arc and at one point missed 11 straight attempts.

The Cougars, meanwhile, were unstoppable in the post as Sancho Lyttle poured in 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Fellow post player Kiemona Harris added 16 points, while Houston grabbed 48 rebounds, nearly half on the offensive glass.

Behind accurate perimeter shooting and some tough rebounding, Hawaii led for the first 10 minutes of the game. UH hit three of its first four 3-point attempts and Janevia Taylor scored eight of UH's first 11 points to give the Rainbow Wahine an early lead. But Houston took it to the next gear, scoring nine straight points to turn a four-point deficit into a five-point lead.

The Rainbow Wahine went scoreless for nearly eight minutes during that span, but trailed by just four, 23-19, at the break. However, the Cougars scored eight straight points to start the second half to create a double-digit bulge and never looked back. UH would cut the lead to six points at the 12-minute mark, but that would be as close as they would get.

Taylor led UH with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Alofa Toiaivao added 11 points and eight rebounds. Jade Abele, UH's leading scorer, was held to just eight points, snapping a string of 17 straight games in double figures, dating back to last season.

The loss marked UH's 18th straight against a ranked opponent. The Rainbow Wahine have not beaten a Top-25 team since the 1998.

The Paradise Classic continues Friday night as Houston faces Wake Forest (7-0) at 5 p.m. The Rainbow Wahine look to rebound versus the Demon Deacons in the tournament finale Saturday, December 18 at 4 p.m.

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