Box Score

HONOLULU--In an emotionally charged home finale, the University of Hawaii fought to the end for retiring head coach Vince Goo and senior April Atuaia before, suffering a 63-54 defeat to Fresno State, Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The loss snapped the Rainbow Wahine's three-game home winning streak as they finished the regular-season 8-19 and 6-12 in the WAC.

Missed opportunities in the paint combined with Fresno State's (13-15, 7-11 WAC) ability down the stretch to answer each Hawaii basket frustrated the Rainbow Wahine the nearly 2000 fans who came hoping to see Atuaia and Goo end their careers at Hawaii on a winning note.

With the loss, UH finished in eight place in the WAC standings and will face No. 9 seed Boise State in the opening round of next week's WAC Tournament in Fresno, Calif. The Rainbow Wahine face the Broncos on Tuesday, March 9 at noon PST.

Hawaii's tight defense and Frenso State's full court pressure defined the game early, as neither team led by more than three points during the first 10 minutes. The Rainbow Wahine were first to seize control, as Atuaia and Janevia Taylor combined for 10 of Hawaii's 14 points during a 14-4 run that gave Hawaii a 26-19 lead. However, the final 4:44 of the half belonged to Fresno State, who used a 16-4 run of its own to take a 35-30 lead into the locker room.

Fresno State's momentum carried over and soon built to an eight-point second half lead before the Rainbow Wahine turned up the tempo. A nearly six-minute Fresno State drought helped Hawaii capture the lead for the first time in the second half, 46-45, with 6:59 remaining. The lead changed hands five times in a little over one minute as the teams jockeyed for position, but Fresno State used a 9-2 advantage in second chance points to spark a game-ending 15-4 run that sealed Hawaii's fate.

Jade Abele posted her second double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out. Taylor led Hawaii with 16 points, while Atuaia finished with seven points and five rebounds. Fresno State's Aritta Lane led the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points on 6-11 shooting.