Box Score
HOUSTON - Hawaii did all it could to erase a double-digit second-half deficit against Rice, but eventually fell short 70-68, Thursday night at Autry Court. UH had its two-game win streak snapped and fell to 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the WAC.
Hawaii entered the game winless in six all-time trips to Rice and would again leave empty-handed in yet another down-to-the-wire game between the teams. In its last three games in Houston the Rainbow Wahine have lost by a total of eight points. Rice remained unbeaten at home this year (7-0) and improved to 12-8 and 5-3 in the WAC.
UH trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half and were down nine points with less than two minutes left. The Rainbow Wahine, however, would not quit. They scored the final seven points of regulation and had two shots in the waning seconds to win it or send it to overtime.
Down 70-65 with less than 40 seconds remaining, Jade Abele calmly hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cut the deficit to two. UH then made a defensive stop to retain possession with eight ticks on the clock. Amy Sanders got the call after the timeout, but her 3-point attempt from the right wing fell off the mark and Abele's fadeaway putback from 10 feet out also fell short as time expired.
Sanders led four UH players in double figures with 18 points, while also adding a team-high nine rebounds. Alofa Toiaivao made her third straight start for the Rainbow Wahine and posted 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Abele finished with 12 points, as did sophomore post Brittany Grice. Krystal Frazier led Rice with 16 points, 10 of those coming in the first half.
It was a frustrating night for the Rainbow Wahine who lost despite out-shooting (43 percent-36 percent) and out-rebounding (47-37) the Owls. UH, however, committed a season-high 26 turnovers. The Rainbow Wahine struggled at times against Rice's full-court pressure, while they also squandered numerous opportunities on their frontcourt with costly turnovers.
The start of the game was a see-saw affair with three ties and 10 lead changes in the first 10 minutes alone. UH led 16-15 with 10:20 remaining, before Rice scored six straight points to take the lead for good. The Owls led 34-30 at half, scored the first six points of the second half to gain a double-digit edge and led by as many as 12 points with 10 minutes left, before UH rallied.
UH next travels to Tulsa to take on the Golden Hurricane on Saturday, January 29. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CST.
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